Cheshire West and Chester Council is the local authority for Cheshire West and Chester. It is a unitary authority created on 1 April 2009, succeeding the non-metropolitan districts of Chester City Council, Ellesmere Port and Neston Borough Council, and Vale Royal Borough Council, and the non-metropolitan county of Cheshire County Council. The council was first elected on 1 May 2008, a year before coming into its legal powers on 1 April 2009.
Premises
When created in 2009, the council inherited several administrative buildings from its predecessors, notably including Chester Town Hall and the adjoining offices at The Forum from Chester City Council, the Council Offices at 4 Civic Way in Ellesmere Port from Ellesmere Port and Neston Borough Council, and Wyvern House on The Drumber in Winsford from Vale Royal Borough Council. The abolished Cheshire County Council's former headquarters at County Hall passed jointly to both Cheshire West and Chester Council and its neighbour Cheshire East Council. County Hall was sold to the University of Chester in 2010, and Cheshire West and Chester Council moved its main offices to a new building called HQ Chester at 58 Nicholas Street in Chester, whilst retaining the other buildings as local offices and additional accommodation.
The HQ Chester building did not contain a council chamber, and most full council meetings were held at Wyvern House in Winsford, except the annual council meeting which was usually held at Chester Town Hall. Committee meetings were held at various venues. This pattern continued until March 2020 when in-person meetings were suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the resumption of in-person meetings in May 2021, most committee meetings have been held at Ellesmere Port Library, whilst larger venues have been hired for full council meetings. In 2022, the council moved its main offices to a new building called The Portal on Wellington Road in Ellesmere Port, and vacated most of the space it had formerly occupied at HQ Chester.
Political control
Since the 2023 election, the council has been under Labour control, with Louise Gittins serving as leader of the council. The next election is due in 2027.
Councillors
Cabinet and committees
Cabinet (Labour)
Website
Louise Gittins (Chair, Leader of the Council, Culture and Arts) Matt Bryan (Climate Emergency, Energy and Green Spaces) Lisa Denson (A Fairer Future (Poverty, Public Health and Mental Health)) Paul Donovan (Democracy, Workforce and Communities) Carol Gahan (Finance and Legal) Adam Langan (Children and Young People) Sheila Little (Adult Social Care) Nathan Parode (Inclusive Economy, Regeneration and Digital Transformation) Karen Shore (Deputy Leader of the Council, Environment, Highways and Transport) Christine Warner (Homes, Planning and Safer Communities)
Shadow cabinet (Conservative)
Margaret Parker (Conservative group leader, Fairer Futures, Poverty and Mental Health) Simon Eardley (Environment, Highways and Transport, Climate Emergency, Energy and Green Spaces) Lynn Gibbon (Deputy Conservative group leader, Inclusive Economy, Regeneration and Digital Transformation) Charles Hardy (Leisure, Culture and the Visitor Economy) Mike Jones (Finance and Legal) Martin Loftus (Homes, Planning and Safer Communities) Phil Marshall (Democracy, Workforce and Communities) Lynn Stocks (Children and Young People) Rachel Williams (Adult Social Care)
Other parties
John Roach (Green group leader) Gillian Edwards (Independent group leader) Simon Boone (Winsford Salt of the Earth group leader)