Warwick is a
local government district
The districts of England (also known as local authority districts or local government districts to distinguish from unofficial city districts) are a level of subnational division of England used for the purposes of local government. As the st ...
of central
Warwickshire
Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Av ...
in
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. It borders the
Borough of Rugby
The Borough of Rugby is a local government district with borough status in eastern Warwickshire, England. The borough comprises the town of Rugby where the council has its headquarters, and the rural areas surrounding the town. The borough has a ...
and
Stratford-on-Avon District in Warwickshire as well as the
West Midlands County
West Midlands is a metropolitan county in the West Midlands Region, England, with a 2021 population of 2,919,600, making it the second most populous county in England after Greater London. It was created in 1974 by the Local Government Act ...
(of which Coventry and
Solihull
Solihull (, or ) is a market town and the administrative centre of the wider Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in West Midlands County, England. The town had a population of 126,577 at the 2021 Census. Solihull is situated on the River Blyth ...
are within the historic boundaries of Warwickshire). The
City of Coventry is to the north and northeast, the
Stratford-on-Avon District to the southwest and south, the
Borough of Rugby
The Borough of Rugby is a local government district with borough status in eastern Warwickshire, England. The borough comprises the town of Rugby where the council has its headquarters, and the rural areas surrounding the town. The borough has a ...
to the east, and the
Borough of Solihull to the west and northwest.
The district is centred around a conurbation that includes the towns of
Warwick
Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined with Leamington Spa and Whi ...
,
Leamington Spa and
Whitnash which had a population of 95,000.
The district also includes the town of
Kenilworth
Kenilworth ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the Warwick District in Warwickshire, England, south-west of Coventry, north of Warwick and north-west of London. It lies on Finham Brook, a tributary of the River Sowe, which joins the ...
and the surrounding rural areas. In February 2021 it was announced that both Warwick District councillors and their Stratford counterparts had "agreed the next steps towards closer working between both District Councils, which could see a recommendation to Government for a merger of the two councils in July 2024." However in April 2022 the merger was scrapped, with Councillor Day (Warwick Leader) accusing Councillor Jefferson (Stratford Leader) of writing to
Central Government
A central government is the government that is a controlling power over a unitary state. Another distinct but sovereign political entity is a federal government, which may have distinct powers at various levels of government, authorized or dele ...
behind his back, asking for more time for the merger to take place.
History
The district was created on 1 April 1974 under the
Local Government Act 1972, by a merger of the former Leamington Spa and Warwick
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. Broadly similar structures existed in S ...
s, the Kenilworth
urban district and the
Warwick Rural District.
Politics
The current leader of the district council is
Conservative Party member Andrew Day. The council is currently in no overall control, but the Conservatives run the administration through an agreement with the Whitnash Residents Association. Conservatives have 19 councillors, the Liberal Democrats have 9 councillors, the Green Party 8 councillors, Labour 5 Councillors with the remaining 3 councillors are part of the Whitnash Residents Association.
The district council headquarters are in Leamington Spa. It employs more than 500 people in a four-storey building close to the
River Leam
The River Leam (), anciently Leame, etc, is a river in England which rises at Hellidon Hill in Northamptonshire then flows through Warwickshire, including the town of Leamington Spa, named after it. It then flows into the River Avon near Warwic ...
. The district council deals with issues such as waste management, the collection of
council tax
Council Tax is a local taxation system used in England, Scotland and Wales. It is a tax on domestic property, which was introduced in 1993 by the Local Government Finance Act 1992, replacing the short-lived Community Charge, which in turn re ...
, planning/building regulations,
council housing and council house repairs. In April 2016 the council announced its plans to move their headquarters nearer the town centre, however in February 2019 plans were put on hold, and as of July 2021 no decision had been made and is unlikely due to the probable merger with Stratford District.
The political makeup of Warwick District Council following the
2019 local elections is as follows:
In August 2020
Warwickshire County Council
Warwickshire County Council is the county council that governs the non-metropolitan county of Warwickshire in England.
Its headquarters are located at Shire Hall, Market Square, in centre of the county town of Warwick. Politically the county is ...
put forward proposals for the five district and borough councils in the county to be abolished and replaced with a single county-wide
unitary authority
A unitary authority is a local authority responsible for all local government functions within its area or performing additional functions that elsewhere are usually performed by a higher level of sub-national government or the national governmen ...
. This prompted a backlash from the district and borough councils who commissioned their own report, which argued in favour of Warwickshire being split into two unitary authorities, one for the north of the county, covering the current districts of North Warwickshire, Nuneaton and Bedworth and Rugby, and one for the south of the county, covering Warwick and Stratford districts. In September 2020, it was agreed that both proposals would be sent for consideration to the
. In February 2021 it was announced that both Warwick District councillors and their Stratford counterparts had "agreed the next steps towards closer working between both District Councils, which could see a recommendation to Government for a merger of the two councils in July 2024." The joint council is expected to be called South Warwickshire District Council and as such early summer 2021 saw a South Warwickshire Local Plan to replace the two existing plans. However in April 2022 the merger was scrapped, with Councillor Day (Warwick Leader) accusing Councillor Jefferson (Stratford Leader) of writing to
Central Government
A central government is the government that is a controlling power over a unitary state. Another distinct but sovereign political entity is a federal government, which may have distinct powers at various levels of government, authorized or dele ...
behind his back asking for more time for the merge to take place.
The Environment
On 27 June 2019 the elected members at the Full Council meeting declared a "climate emergency" in response to ongoing global
climate change
In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to ...
. The council aims to become
carbon neutral
Carbon neutrality is a state of net-zero carbon dioxide emissions. This can be achieved by balancing emissions of carbon dioxide with its removal (often through carbon offsetting) or by eliminating emissions from society (the transition to the "p ...
by 2025, whilst trying to make the whole district carbon neutral by 2030. On 20 January 2020 it was announced that
electric cars
An electric car, battery electric car, or all-electric car is an automobile that is propelled by one or more electric motors, using only energy stored in batteries. Compared to internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, electric cars are quiet ...
would be given free parking in council car parks. On 4 February of that year it was proposed by the Council group leaders to increase
council tax
Council Tax is a local taxation system used in England, Scotland and Wales. It is a tax on domestic property, which was introduced in 1993 by the Local Government Finance Act 1992, replacing the short-lived Community Charge, which in turn re ...
by around £1 a week on Band D properties to create £3 million per year. This would be
ring-fenced for environmental purposes. If this proposal was accepted by the other councillors then a district wide
referendum
A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...
would have been held on 7 May to decide if the public accept it. On 26 February the full council unanimously agreed the proposal, triggering the 7 May referendum, - which was put back to 6 May 2021, due to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. As of April 2022 the referendum has not yet occurred and no date has been set.
Demography
Travel, Education & Healthcare
The district has six
railway stations
A train station, railway station, railroad station or depot is a railway facility where trains stop to load or unload passengers, freight or both. It generally consists of at least one platform, one track and a station building providing such ...
–
Warwick
Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined with Leamington Spa and Whi ...
,
Warwick Parkway
Warwick Parkway is a railway station with Park and Ride facilities on the western outskirts of Warwick in Warwickshire, England. It also serves the village of Budbrooke. The station is owned by Network Rail and Warwickshire County Council.
Wa ...
,
Leamington Spa,
Kenilworth
Kenilworth ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the Warwick District in Warwickshire, England, south-west of Coventry, north of Warwick and north-west of London. It lies on Finham Brook, a tributary of the River Sowe, which joins the ...
,
Hatton
Hatton may refer to:
Places Canada
* Hatton, Saskatchewan
England
* Hatton, Cheshire West and Chester, a former civil parish
* Hatton, Derbyshire
* Hatton, Lincolnshire
* Hatton, London, in the London Borough of Hounslow
* Hatton, Shropshire, a ...
and
Lapworth
Lapworth is a village and civil parish in Warwickshire, England, which had a population of 2,100 according to the 2001 census; this had fallen to 1,828 at the 2011 Census. It lies six miles (10 km) south of Solihull and ten miles (16&nbs ...
. Regular bus services run between Warwick, Leamington and Kenilworth and onwards to
Coventry
Coventry ( or ) is a city in the West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its city status until the Middle Ages. The city is governed b ...
,
Stratford upon Avon and the
University of Warwick
, mottoeng = Mind moves matter
, established =
, type = Public research university
, endowment = £7.0 million (2021)
, budget = £698.2 million (2020� ...
. The
Grand Union Canal
The Grand Union Canal in England is part of the British canal system. It is the principal navigable waterway between London and the Midlands. Starting in London, one arm runs to Leicester and another ends in Birmingham, with the latter ...
flows through the district and the
M40 motorway also passes through. Right on the edge of the district is
Coventry Airport
Coventry Airport is located south-southeast of Coventry city centre, in the village of Baginton, Warwickshire, England. The airport is operated and licensed by Coventry Airport Limited. Its CAA Ordinary Licence (Number P902) allows flights ...
.
National Health Service
The National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). Since 1948, they have been funded out of general taxation. There are three systems which are referred to using the " ...
general healthcare is provided by
South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust and mental health care by
Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust. Local hospitals include
Warwick Hospital, the
Leamington Spa Hospital,
St Michael's Hospital and the
Warwickshire Nuffield Hospital (non-NHS, part of the
Nuffield Health
Nuffield Health is the United Kingdom's largest healthcare charity. Established in 1957 the charity operates 31 Nuffield Health Hospitals and 114 Nuffield Health Fitness & Wellbeing Centres.
It is independent of the National Health Service and ...
group)
Social services is pro On 13 July 2021 a
coronavirus "mega lab" was opened in the town. Named after English chemist
Rosalind Franklin. The site is expected to be capable of processing "hundreds of thousands of samples a day". The largest laboratory of its kind in the UK, and it is hoped it will create up to 1,500 jobs. It will also play a "key role in responding to new variants of the virus". Historic hospitals included
St Michael's Leper Hospital,
Warneford Hospital
The Warneford Hospital is a hospital providing mental health services at Headington in east Oxford, England. It is managed by the Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust.
History
The hospital opened as the ''Oxford Lunatic Asylum'' in July 1826. It ...
and
Central Hospital.
Social services and
fostering
Fosterage, the practice of a family bringing up a child not their own, differs from adoption in that the child's parents, not the foster-parents, remain the acknowledged parents. In many modern western societies foster care can be organised by th ...
are dealt with on a countywide basis by
Warwickshire County Council
Warwickshire County Council is the county council that governs the non-metropolitan county of Warwickshire in England.
Its headquarters are located at Shire Hall, Market Square, in centre of the county town of Warwick. Politically the county is ...
.
Freedom of district
*
MoD Kineton
Defence Munitions (DM) Kineton occupies the site officially known as MOD Kineton, and is a Ministry of Defence property located close to the village of Kineton, Warwickshire, England.
History
Developed from 1941 onwards on land neighbouring th ...
: 4 April 2013.
* On 26 November 2013 the freedom of the district was bestowed on the
Royal Regiment of Fusiliers
The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers (often referred to as the Royal Fusiliers or, simply, the Fusiliers) is an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Queen's Division. Currently, the regiment has two battalions: the 1st battalion, part o ...
following a parade through
Royal Leamington Spa.
Parishes and settlements
The Warwick district includes the settlements and
Parishes of:
*
Ashow
*
Baddesley Clinton,
Baginton,
Barford,
Beausale,
Bishops Tachbrook,
Blackdown,
Bubbenhall,
Budbrooke
Budbrooke is a small village and civil parish in the Warwick (district), Warwick district of Warwickshire, England, about 2½ miles west of Warwick town centre. According to the United Kingdom Census 2001, 2001 census the parish had a population ...
,
Bushwood
*
Chadwick End (part),
Cubbington
*
Eathorpe
*
Haseley
Haseley is a small village and former civil parish in Warwickshire, England. It is four miles north-west of the county town of Warwick and nine miles (14.5 km) south-east of Solihull, now in the parish of Beausale, Haseley, Honiley and Wroxa ...
,
Hatton
Hatton may refer to:
Places Canada
* Hatton, Saskatchewan
England
* Hatton, Cheshire West and Chester, a former civil parish
* Hatton, Derbyshire
* Hatton, Lincolnshire
* Hatton, London, in the London Borough of Hounslow
* Hatton, Shropshire, a ...
,
Honiley,
Hunningham
*
Kenilworth
Kenilworth ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the Warwick District in Warwickshire, England, south-west of Coventry, north of Warwick and north-west of London. It lies on Finham Brook, a tributary of the River Sowe, which joins the ...
*
Lapworth
Lapworth is a village and civil parish in Warwickshire, England, which had a population of 2,100 according to the 2001 census; this had fallen to 1,828 at the 2011 Census. It lies six miles (10 km) south of Solihull and ten miles (16&nbs ...
,
Lillington,
Leamington Spa,
Leek Wootton
*
Norton Lindsey
Norton Lindsey is a village and civil parish in Warwickshire, England, 3.5 miles south-west of the tourist and county town of Warwick and a mile west of the M40 motorway. At the 2011 census, the parish had a population of 326. The village take ...
*
Offchurch,
Old Milverton
Old Milverton is a hamlet east of Warwick and north west of Leamington Spa in Warwickshire, England, and situated in a bend of the River Avon. The population as taken at the 2011 census was 319.
Hamlet
It lies at an altitude of 60–65 metr ...
*
Radford Semele,
Rowington
*
Sherbourne,
Shrewley
Shrewley is a village and civil parish in Warwickshire, England, about 5 miles north-west of Warwick. It consists of Little Shrewley, and Shrewley Common, Hatton Station, Station Road and Five Ways. It has the Grand Union Canal, which passes thro ...
,
Stoneleigh
*
Wappenbury,
Warwick
Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined with Leamington Spa and Whi ...
,
Wasperton
Wasperton is a village and civil parish in the English county of Warwickshire. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 153.
It is on the east bank of the River Avon and is some south of the town of Warwick which is easily ac ...
,
Weston Under Wetherley
Weston under Wetherley, often known by locals as just Weston, is a small village and civil parish in Warwickshire, England. It is on the B4453, northeast of the closest town, Royal Leamington Spa. According to the 2001 Census the village had a ...
,
Whitnash,
Wroxall
Electoral wards
This is a guide to the size of the
wards in Warwick District based on the data from the
2001 UK Census
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.
The 2001 UK census was organised by the Office for National ...
. The entire population of the district was 125,929.
N.B. Ward populations will differ from the village population which they are named after and which they are linked to as ward boundaries very rarely match village boundaries exactly. The
Warwick (Electoral Changes) Order 2014 redrew the electoral boundaries in 2014, abolishing many of those outlined above.
References
External links
www.warwickdc.gov.uk Warwick District Council.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Warwick (District)
Non-metropolitan districts of Warwickshire