Preston Rural North is an electoral ward in the

City of Preston, Lancashire The City of Preston () is a city and non-metropolitan district in Lancashire, England. On the north bank of the River Ribble, it was granted city status in 2002, becoming England's 50th city in the 50th year of Queen Elizabeth II's reign. The Ci ...

, England. The ward is the largest by area in the city, containing the smaller and smallest villages from the northern areas of Preston, from

Woodplumpton Woodplumpton is a village and civil parish in the City of Preston, Lancashire, England, located north of Preston. Geography It is part of the Fylde, a flat area of land between the Forest of Bowland and the Lancashire coast. Community The v ...

bordering the

M55 motorway The M55 is a motorway in Lancashire, England, which can also be referred to as the Preston Northern Bypass. It connects the seaside resort of Blackpool to the M6 at Preston. It is 12.2 miles (19.6 km) in length. One mile was originally ...

junction at Broughton, to Beacon Fell at the border of the borough of Wyre.

Parishes

Unlike many other

districts of Preston Preston is a city of Lancashire, England. The districts of Preston vary in size and shape, many of which reflect the districts developed from former villages and boroughs which now lie within the boundaries of the city of Preston. Districts of Pre ...

, the ward of Preston Rural North is parished, in that it has within it parish councils with their own structure and elected councillors. The parishes within Preston Rural North are

, Barton, Whittingham, and

Goosnargh Goosnargh ( ) is a village and civil parish in the City of Preston district of Lancashire, England. The village lies between Broughton and Longridge, and mostly lies in the civil parish of Whittingham, although the ancient centre lies in ...

Current councillors

Demographics

At the most recent census in 2001, the electoral ward of Preston Rural North had a population of 6,540, increasing to 6,647 at the 2011 Census. Over 80% described themselves as Christian. Many of the people living in the wards and parishes rely on farming and agriculture for their living. At the

2007 Preston Council election Elections to the Preston City Council took place on 3 May 2007. Preston council is elected "in thirds" which means one councillor from each three-member ward, and councillors from selected two-member wards, are elected each year, with one ye ...

, the electorate of the ward was 5,305.Preston City Council
Preston Rural North contains the former

Whittingham Hospital Whittingham Hospital was a psychiatric hospital in the parish of Whittingham, near Preston, Lancashire, England. The hospital opened in 1873 as the Fourth Lancashire County Asylum and grew to be the largest mental hospital in Britain, and pionee ...

, now ear-marked for renewal as a residential community. The ward forms, in conjunction with its neighbour

Preston Rural East Preston Rural East is an electoral ward in the City of Preston, Lancashire, England. The ward is in the eastern and northeastern part of the city near the M55 motorway moving out towards Sherwood and Grimsargh. The population of the ward at the ...

, the ''Preston Rural'' electoral division of

Lancashire County Council Lancashire County Council is the upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Lancashire, England. It consists of 84 councillors. Since the 2017 election, the council has been under Conservative control. Prior to the 2009 La ...

References

{{City of Preston culture Wards of Preston