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Congleton (borough)
Encyclopedia
Congleton was, from 1974 to 2009, a local government district
with borough status
in Cheshire
, England
. It included the towns of Congleton
, Alsager
, Holmes Chapel
, Middlewich
and Sandbach
. The headquarters of the borough council were located in Sandbach
.
by the merger of the former borough
of Congleton, the urban district
s of Alsager
, Middlewich
and Sandbach
, and the Congleton Rural District.
and Somerford Booths
, whose single parish council is called "Hulme Walfield and Somerford Booths Parish Council", and Newbold Astbury
and Moreton cum Alcumlow
, whose single parish council is called "Newbold Astbury-cum-Moreton Parish Council".
The following civil parishes were included in the borough:
of the borough, as measured in the 2001 Census
, was 90,655, of which 49 per cent were male and 51 per cent were female.
):
The office of mayor was filled by one of the councillors after a ballot amongst all the councillors, and the last holder of the position was a member of the Liberal Democrat party.
considered reorganising Cheshire's administrative structure as part of the 2009 structural changes to local government in England
. The decision to merge the boroughs of Congleton, Macclesfield
, and Crewe and Nantwich
to create a single unitary authority was announced on 25 July 2007, following a consultation period in which a proposal to create a single Cheshire unitary authority was rejected.
The Borough of Congleton was abolished on 1 April 2009, when the new Cheshire East
unitary authority was formed.
Non-metropolitan district
Non-metropolitan districts, or colloquially shire districts, are a type of local government district in England. As created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan counties in a so-called "two-tier" arrangement...
with borough status
Borough status in the United Kingdom
Borough status in the United Kingdom is granted by royal charter to local government districts in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The status is purely honorary, and does not give any additional powers to the council or inhabitants of the district...
in Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It included the towns of Congleton
Congleton
Congleton is a town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, on the banks of the River Dane, to the west of the Macclesfield Canal and 21 miles south of Manchester. It has a population of 25,750.-History:The first settlements in...
, Alsager
Alsager
Alsager is a town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, to the north-west of the city of Stoke-on-Trent, and east of the railway town of Crewe...
, Holmes Chapel
Holmes Chapel
Holmes Chapel is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. Until 1974 the parish was known as Church Hulme.At the 2001 Census the population of the village was recorded as 5,669...
, Middlewich
Middlewich
Middlewich is a market town in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It is east of the city of Chester, east of Winsford, southeast of Northwich and northwest of Sandbach....
and Sandbach
Sandbach
Sandbach is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The civil parish contains four settlements; Sandbach itself, Elworth, Ettiley Heath and Wheelock....
. The headquarters of the borough council were located in Sandbach
Sandbach
Sandbach is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The civil parish contains four settlements; Sandbach itself, Elworth, Ettiley Heath and Wheelock....
.
Creation
The borough was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972Local Government Act 1972
The Local Government Act 1972 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974....
by the merger of the former borough
Municipal borough
Municipal boroughs were a type of local government district which existed in England and Wales between 1835 and 1974, in Northern Ireland from 1840 to 1973 and in the Republic of Ireland from 1840 to 2002...
of Congleton, the urban district
Urban district
In the England, Wales and Ireland, an urban district was a type of local government district that covered an urbanised area. Urban districts had an elected Urban District Council , which shared local government responsibilities with a county council....
s of Alsager
Alsager
Alsager is a town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, to the north-west of the city of Stoke-on-Trent, and east of the railway town of Crewe...
, Middlewich
Middlewich
Middlewich is a market town in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It is east of the city of Chester, east of Winsford, southeast of Northwich and northwest of Sandbach....
and Sandbach
Sandbach
Sandbach is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The civil parish contains four settlements; Sandbach itself, Elworth, Ettiley Heath and Wheelock....
, and the Congleton Rural District.
Civil Parishes
Congleton was divided into 23 civil parishes and included no unparished areas. Of the 23 civil parishes, four were administered at this level of local government by town councils: Alsager, Middlewich, Sandbach, and Congleton; with the remainder having parish councils. There are two pairs of civil parishes that are grouped together so that they share a parish council. These are Hulme WalfieldHulme Walfield
Hulme Walfield is a small village and civil parish, just north of Congleton, in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire. It is home to most of Westlow Mere...
and Somerford Booths
Somerford Booths
Somerford Booths is a small civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. In the census of 2001 it was recorded as having a population of 175...
, whose single parish council is called "Hulme Walfield and Somerford Booths Parish Council", and Newbold Astbury
Newbold Astbury
thumb|AstburyNewbold Astbury is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, in the north-west of England. It is situated to the south of Congleton on the A34 road to Scholar Green; the A34 forms one side of the triangular village green...
and Moreton cum Alcumlow
Moreton cum Alcumlow
Moreton cum Alcumlow is a small civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. In the census of 2001 it was recorded as having a population of 150...
, whose single parish council is called "Newbold Astbury-cum-Moreton Parish Council".
The following civil parishes were included in the borough:
- AlsagerAlsagerAlsager is a town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, to the north-west of the city of Stoke-on-Trent, and east of the railway town of Crewe...
(town) - ArclidArclidArclid is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It is about two miles east of Sandbach and five miles west of Congleton. The parish had a population of 199 according to the 2001 census....
- BetchtonBetchtonBetchton is a civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 620...
- BradwallBradwallBradwall is a small village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East, situated near Sandbach in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. According to the 2001 census, the population of the entire parish was 166...
- BreretonBrereton, CheshireBrereton is a civil parish, containing the hamlet of Brereton Green in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It also contains the hamlets of Brereton Heath and Smethwick Green. According to the 2001 census, the population of the entire civil parish...
- Church LawtonChurch LawtonChurch Lawton is a small village and civil parish located in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire in England...
- CongletonCongletonCongleton is a town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, on the banks of the River Dane, to the west of the Macclesfield Canal and 21 miles south of Manchester. It has a population of 25,750.-History:The first settlements in...
(town) - CranageCranageCranage is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. According to the 2001 Official UK Census, the population of the entire civil parish was 1,130.-History:...
- GoostreyGoostreyGoostrey is an old farming village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It is located off Junction 18 of the M6 motorway, near Jodrell Bank Observatory. According to the 2001 Census, the civil parish had a total population of...
- HassallHassallHassall is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The civil parish contains the very small hamlet of Day Green. According to the 2001 Official UK Census, the population was 281....
- Holmes ChapelHolmes ChapelHolmes Chapel is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. Until 1974 the parish was known as Church Hulme.At the 2001 Census the population of the village was recorded as 5,669...
- Hulme WalfieldHulme WalfieldHulme Walfield is a small village and civil parish, just north of Congleton, in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire. It is home to most of Westlow Mere...
- MiddlewichMiddlewichMiddlewich is a market town in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It is east of the city of Chester, east of Winsford, southeast of Northwich and northwest of Sandbach....
(town) - Moreton cum AlcumlowMoreton cum AlcumlowMoreton cum Alcumlow is a small civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. In the census of 2001 it was recorded as having a population of 150...
- MostonMoston, Congleton, CheshireMoston is a civil parish, containing the small village of Moston Green in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. According to the 2001 Official UK Census, the population of the entire civil parish was 375....
- Newbold AstburyNewbold Astburythumb|AstburyNewbold Astbury is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, in the north-west of England. It is situated to the south of Congleton on the A34 road to Scholar Green; the A34 forms one side of the triangular village green...
- Odd RodeOdd RodeOdd Rode is a civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It is located near to Stoke-on-Trent, and includes the settlements of:*Scholar Green*Mow Cop*Mount Pleasant*Rode Heath*The Bank*Thurlwood...
- SandbachSandbachSandbach is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The civil parish contains four settlements; Sandbach itself, Elworth, Ettiley Heath and Wheelock....
(town) - SmallwoodSmallwoodSmallwood may refer to:* Surnames:** Denis Smallwood, British RAF commander** Imogen Smallwood, British writer, younger daughter of Enid Blyton** Joey Smallwood, Canadian politician** Kathy Smallwood-Cook, British sprinter...
- SomerfordSomerfordSomerford is a civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It is adjacent to the north west of Congleton, from which town it has some housing overflow. According to the 2001 census, the population of the civil parish was 343.-References:...
- Somerford BoothsSomerford BoothsSomerford Booths is a small civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. In the census of 2001 it was recorded as having a population of 175...
- SwettenhamSwettenhamSwettenham is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. According to the 2001 Official UK Census, the population of the entire civil parish was 248....
- TwemlowTwemlowTwemlow is a civil parish, containing the village of Twemlow Green in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. According to the 2001 Official UK Census, the population of the entire civil parish was 168.Twemlow lies along the A535 road.From the 16th to...
Demographics
The resident populationPopulation
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
of the borough, as measured in the 2001 Census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
, was 90,655, of which 49 per cent were male and 51 per cent were female.
Religion
The percentage of people of each religion in the borough (trom the Census 2001United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
):
| Stated religion | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Christian | 81.46% |
| Buddhist | 0.12% |
| Hindu | 0.11% |
| Jewish | 0.06% |
| Muslim | 0.17% |
| Sikh | 0.04% |
| Other religions | 0.16% |
| No religion | 11.46% |
| Religion not stated | 6.43% |
Elections and political control
Congleton was divided into 20 borough wards which elected a total of 48 councillors to the borough council. The following tables provide the names of these wards and show the composition of the council by political party at 31 March 2009.| Ward | Number of Councillors |
Ward | Number of Councillors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alsager Central | 2 | Alsager East | 2 |
| Alsager West | 2 | Astbury | 1 |
| Brereton | 1 | Buglawton | 2 |
| Congleton Central | 2 | Congleton North | 2 |
| Congleton North West | 2 | Congleton South | 3 |
| Congleton West | 3 | Dane Valley | 2 |
| Holmes Chapel | 3 | Lawton | 2 |
| Middlewich Cledford | 3 | Middlewich Kinderton | 3 |
| Odd Rode | 3 | Sandbach East | 3 |
| Sandbach North | 3 | Sandbach West | 3 |
The office of mayor was filled by one of the councillors after a ballot amongst all the councillors, and the last holder of the position was a member of the Liberal Democrat party.
| Party | Councillors | |
| Conservative | 25 | |
| Liberal Democrat | 13 | |
| Middlewich First | 6 | |
| Independent | 4 |
Abolition
In 2006 the Department for Communities and Local GovernmentDepartment for Communities and Local Government
The Department for Communities and Local Government is the UK Government department for communities and local government in England. It was established in May 2006 and is the successor to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, established in 2001...
considered reorganising Cheshire's administrative structure as part of the 2009 structural changes to local government in England
2009 structural changes to local government in England
Structural changes to local government in England were effected on 1 April 2009, whereby a number of new unitary authorities were created in parts of the country which previously operated a 'two-tier' system of counties and districts...
. The decision to merge the boroughs of Congleton, Macclesfield
Macclesfield (borough)
Macclesfield was, from 1974 to 2009, a local government district with borough status in Cheshire, England. It included the towns of Bollington, Knutsford, Macclesfield and Wilmslow and within its wider area the villages and hamlets of Adlington, Disley, Gawsworth, Kerridge, Pott Shrigley, Poynton,...
, and Crewe and Nantwich
Crewe and Nantwich
Crewe and Nantwich was, from 1974 to 2009, a local government district with borough status in Cheshire, England. It had a population of 111,007...
to create a single unitary authority was announced on 25 July 2007, following a consultation period in which a proposal to create a single Cheshire unitary authority was rejected.
The Borough of Congleton was abolished on 1 April 2009, when the new Cheshire East
Cheshire East
Cheshire East is a unitary authority area with borough status in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England.The borough was established in April 2009 as part of the 2009 structural changes to local government in England, by virtue of an order under the Local Government and Public Involvement in...
unitary authority was formed.