Chester was a non-metropolitan local government district of

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shrop ...

, England, from 1974 to 2009. It had the status of a

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

and a

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English language, English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History ...

, and the local authority was called Chester City Council. Apart from

Chester Chester is a cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...

itself, which was the principal settlement, the district covered a large rural area. Other settlements included Malpas and Tarvin.

History

The district was formed on 1 April 1974, under the

Local Government Act 1972 The Local Government Act 1972 (c. 70) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974. It was one of the most significant acts of Parliament to be passed by the Heath Gov ...

, by the merger of the existing city and county borough of

with the

Chester Rural District Chester was a rural district of Cheshire, England, from 1894 to 1974. It was located near the city and county borough of Chester but did not include it. The district saw various boundary changes throughout its life. It included the small civ ...

and Tarvin Rural District. It was a non-metropolitan district, with county-level services for the area provided by Cheshire County Council. The new district was awarded borough status from its creation, allowing the chairman of the council to take the title of mayor. The city status which had previously attached to the old county borough of Chester was extended to cover the enlarged district on 28 May 1974, a few weeks after the changes came into effect, allowing the council to call itself Chester City Council. In 2006 the Department for Communities and Local Government considered reorganising Cheshire's administrative structure as part of the

2009 structural changes to local government in England On 1 April 2009 structural changes to local government in England took place which reformed the local government of seven Non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties: Bedfordshire, Cheshire, Cornwall, County Durham, Shropshire, Northumber ...

. The decision to merge Vale Royal with the districts of Chester and

Ellesmere Port and Neston Ellesmere Port and Neston was, from 1974 to 2009, a local government district with borough status in Cheshire, England. It covered the southern part of the Wirral Peninsula, namely that part which is not included in the Metropolitan Borou ...

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 Chester district was abolished on 31 March 2009, with the area becoming part of the new

unitary authority A unitary authority is a type of local government, local authority in New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Unitary authorities are responsible for all local government functions within its area or performing additional functions that elsewhere are ...

Cheshire West and Chester Cheshire West and Chester is a Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Cheshire, England. It was established on 1 April 2009 as part of the 2009 structural changes to l ...

from 1 April 2009. Chester's city charter is retained through the appointment of charter trustees.

Lord mayoralty and shrievalty

The office of mayor of Chester was continued in 1974 by virtue of the charter, the title being borne by the chairman of the council. The mayor of Chester had, since at least 1528, enjoyed the additional honorific title of "Admiral of the Dee". The title was confirmed by letters patent dated 15 May 1974. In 1992, as part of celebrations of the fortieth anniversary of the accession of

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

, the mayor's title was raised to Lord Mayor of Chester by letters patent dated 10 March 1992. Under the charter granted in 1974 the new council was permitted to continue to appoint any traditional "officers of dignity" that the predecessor city and county borough had been entitled to appoint. Accordingly, in June 1974 it was decided to continue the office of Sheriff of Chester that dated from the early twelfth century. The offices of lord mayor and sheriff of Chester were held by serving councillors, and there was an annual rotation of the posts between the three main parties.

Coat of arms

In 1977 the city council was regranted a "differenced" version of the sixteenth century arms of the predecessor Corporation of the City and County Borough of Chester. The historic arms of Chester was based on the

Royal Arms of England The coat of arms of England is the coat of arms historically used as arms of dominion by the monarchs of the Kingdom of England, and now used to symbolise England generally.: "The three golden lions upon a ground of red have certainly continued ...

(three golden lions on a red shield) combined with three gold wheatsheaves on blue of the Earldom of Chester. A gold border bearing acorns was added to the arms to represent the rural areas added in 1974. The crest of the corporation was a depiction of the city sword. To this was added two branches of oak for the two rural districts combined with the county borough. The

supporters In heraldry, supporters, sometimes referred to as ''attendants'', are figures or objects usually placed on either side of the Escutcheon (heraldry), shield and depicted holding it up. Historically, supporters were left to an individual's fr ...

of the city arms were a gold lion representing England and a white wolf for Hugh Lupus, 1st Earl of Chester. In 1977 they were altered slightly by the addition of red castles hanging about their necks. The

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

motto A motto (derived from the Latin language, Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian language, Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a Sentence (linguistics), sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of a ...

was ''Antiqui Colant Antiquum Dierum'' or ''Let the ancients worship the ancient of days''.

Civil parishes

Chester district contained a comparatively large number of civil parishes. There were 46 parish councils operating in the district in 2008, some of which were grouped parish councils covering more than one civil parish. Some smaller parishes were not covered any parish council, leaving parish level representation to be administered through a

parish meeting A parish meeting is a meeting all the electors in a civil parish in England are entitled to attend. In some cases, where a parish or group of parishes has fewer than 200 electors, the parish meeting can take on the role of a parish council, with ...

. * Agden * Aldersey *

Aldford Aldford is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Aldford and Saighton, in the Cheshire West and Chester district, in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. (). The village is approximately to the south of Chester, on th ...

* Ashton Hayes * Bache * Backford * Barrow * Barton * Beeston * Bickley * Bradley * Bridge Trafford * Broxton * Bruen Stapleford * Buerton * Burton * Burwardsley * Caldecott *

Capenhurst Capenhurst is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It is two miles south west of Ellesmere Port, at the southern end of the Wi ...

* Carden * Caughall * Chester Castle * Chidlow * Chorlton * Chorlton by Backford * Chowley *

Christleton Christleton is a village and civil parish on the outskirts of Chester, in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The Shropshire Union Canal (originally Chester Canal) passes through ...

* Church Shocklach * Churton by Aldford * Churton by Farndon * Churton Heath * Claverton * Clotton Hoofield * Clutton * Coddington * Cotton Abbotts * Cotton Edmunds * Crewe by Farndon * Croughton * Cuddington * Dodleston * Duckington * Duddon * Dunham on the Hill * Eaton * Eccleston * Edge * Edgerley *

Elton Elton may refer to: Places England * Elton, Cambridgeshire (formerly Huntingdonshire), a village ** Elton Hall, a baronial hall * Elton, Cheshire, a village and civil parish * Elton, County Durham, a village and civil parish in the Borough of ...

* Farndon * Foulk Stapleford * Golborne Bellow * Golborne David * Grafton * Great Boughton *

Guilden Sutton Guilden Sutton is a civil parish and village in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The village lies approximately to the east of Chester and is south of the village of Mickle Traf ...

* Hampton * Handley * Hapsford * Harthill * Hatton * Hockenhull * Hoole Village * Horton by Malpas * Horton cum Peel * Huntington * Huxley * Iddinshall * Kelsall * Kings Marsh * Larkton * Lea Newbold * Lea by Backford * Ledsham * Little Stanney * Littleton * Lower Kinnerton * Macefen * Malpas ''(town)'' * Marlston cum Lache * Mickle Trafford * Mollington * Moston * Mouldsworth * Newton by Malpas * Newton by Tattenhall * Oldcastle * Overton * Picton * Poulton * Prior's Heys * Puddington *

Pulford Pulford is a village and former civil parishes in England, civil parish, now in the parish of Poulton and Pulford, in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It is on the B5445 road, ...

* Rowton * Saighton *

Saughall Saughall is a village in the civil parish of Saughall and Shotwick Park, in the unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. Located between Shotwick and Blacon, it is approximately nor ...

* Shocklach Oviatt * Shotwick * Shotwick Park * Stockton * Stoke * Stretton * Tarvin * Tattenhall * Thornton le Moors * Threapwood * Tilston * Tilstone Fearnall * Tiverton * Tushingham cum Grindley * Upton by Chester * Waverton * Wervin * Wigland * Willington * Wimbolds Trafford * Woodbank * Wychough The main built-up part of Chester was an

unparished area In England, an unparished area is an area that is not covered by a civil parish (the lowest level of local government, not to be confused with an ecclesiastical parish). Most urbanised districts of England are either entirely or partly unparis ...

, corresponding to the area of the former county borough. One anomaly was that there was a small civil parish just covering the area around Chester Castle, which was surrounded by the unparished area. This was the civil parish of Chester Castle, which had not been part of the pre-1974 Chester County Borough, but had been a detached part of the Chester Rural District.

Political control

The city of Chester had been a county borough, independent from any county council, from 1889 to 1974. The first elections to the enlarged district created under the Local Government Act 1972 were held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority until the new arrangements came into effect on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council from 1974 until its abolition in 2009 was held by the following parties:

Leadership

The leaders of the council were:

Premises

The council had its main offices at The Forum on Northgate Street, Chester, being offices above a shopping centre. The offices at The Forum had been opened on 4 April 1973 for the old city council when it was a county borough, but in anticipation of the reforms due to come into effect in 1974. The offices immediately adjoined

Chester Town Hall Chester Town Hall is in Northgate Street in the centre of the city of Chester, Cheshire, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* Listed building#England and Wales, listed building. Histo ...

, where council and committee meetings were held.

Council elections

2006 Election

The Conservative Party gained 5 seats in Lache, Newton St. Michael's, Handbridge, Elton and Upton Grange. Labour lost three seats to the Conservatives, and avoided losing Boughton and City to the Conservatives, and College to the Liberal Democrats. The Liberal Democrats lost two seats to the Conservatives, and only avoided losing a safe seat, Vicars Cross, to the Conservatives. In addition, a Liberal Democrat Councillor (Jeff Clarke, Waverton) defected to the Conservatives. The Conservatives also won a by-election in Autumn 2006, taking another seat from the Liberal Democrats.

2007 Election

The Conservative party gained 7 seats in Lache, Newton Brook, Huntington, Tattenhall, Upton Grange, Kelsall and Boughton Heath. They also regained Christleton after the seat had been vacant for four months. The Liberal Democrats were defeated in five seats, Labour in one, and one long-serving Independent (Doug Haynes, Tattenhall) was beaten. Labour were beaten into fourth place in one ward (Malpas) by the English Democrats. The Liberal Democrats narrowly avoided finishing in fourth place in Blacon Hall and Blacon Lodge. Labour held College by just 7 votes, with the Liberal Democrats in second place.

2008 Election

The 2008 elections were cancelled due to local government re-organisation. Elections to a shadow

(CWC) unitary authority were instead held. This meant that councillors elected in 2004 served for an additional year before the city council was disbanded. Therefore, the Conservatives remained the governing party until April 2009, when the new CWC Council replaced the city council.

Results maps

Chester UK ward map 1980.svg, 1980 results map Chester UK ward map 1982.svg, 1982 results map Chester UK ward map 1983.svg, 1983 results map Chester UK ward map 1984.svg, 1984 results map Chester UK ward map 1986.svg, 1986 results map Chester UK ward map 1987.svg, 1987 results map Chester UK ward map 1988.svg, 1988 results map Chester UK ward map 1990.svg, 1990 results map Chester UK ward map 1991.svg, 1991 results map Chester UK ward map 1992.svg, 1992 results map Chester UK ward map 1994.svg, 1994 results map Chester UK ward map 1995.svg, 1995 results map Chester UK ward map 1996.svg, 1996 results map Chester UK ward map 1998.svg, 1998 results map Chester UK ward map 1999.svg, 1999 results map Chester UK ward map 2000.svg, 2000 results map Chester UK ward map 2002.svg, 2002 results map Chester UK ward map 2003.svg, 2003 results map Chester UK ward map 2004.svg, 2004 results map Chester UK ward map 2006.svg, 2006 results map Chester UK ward map 2007.svg, 2007 results map

By-election results

External links

Chester City Council

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chester (District) Council elections in Cheshire Politics of Chester District council elections in England English districts abolished in 2009 Districts of England established in 1974 Former non-metropolitan districts of Cheshire

district A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municip ...

Former boroughs in England