Wikipedia

North West Leicestershire

This article is about the district. For the constituency, see North West Leicestershire (UK Parliament constituency).

North West Leicestershire is a local government district in Leicestershire, England. The towns in the district include of Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Castle Donington, Coalville (where the council is based) and Ibstock. Notable villages in the district include Donington le Heath, Ellistown, Hugglescote, Kegworth, Measham, Shackerstone, Thringstone and Whitwick.

North West Leicestershire District
Non-metropolitan district
Coalville, the largest town and administrative centre of North West Leicestershire district
Coalville, the largest town and administrative centre of North West Leicestershire district
Shown within Leicestershire
Shown within Leicestershire
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Constituent countryEngland
RegionEast Midlands
Administrative countyLeicestershire
Admin. HQCoalville
Government
 • TypeNorth West Leicestershire District Council
 • MP:Amanda Hack (Labour)
Area
 • Total
108 sq mi (279 km2)
 • Rank126th
Population
 (2022)
 • Total
107,672
 • RankRanked 224th
 • Density1,000/sq mi (390/km2)
Ethnicity (2021)
[1]
 • Ethnic groups
List
Religion (2021)
[1]
 • Religion
List
Time zoneUTC+0 (Greenwich Mean Time)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+1 (British Summer Time)
ONS code31UH (ONS)
E07000134 (GSS)
Ethnicity98.8% White

Castle Donington is notable as the location of Donington Park, a grand-prix circuit and a major venue for music festivals. The area has a long history of mineral extraction, with coal, brick clay, gravel and granite amongst the products. All the deep coal mines in the area have closed, but opencast mining still continues. The district is also home to part of the Battlefield Line and the Ibstock Brick.

The neighbouring districts are Charnwood, Hinckley and Bosworth, North Warwickshire, Lichfield, South Derbyshire, Erewash and Rushcliffe.

History

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The district was created on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, covering the whole area of five former districts plus a single parish from a sixth, which districts were all abolished at the same time:[2]

The new district was named North West Leicestershire, reflecting its position in the wider county.[3]

Governance

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North West Leicestershire District Council
 
Type
Type
History
Founded1 April 1974
Leadership
Kenny Horn,
Conservative
since 7 May 2024[4]
Richard Blunt,
Conservative
since 15 May 2007
Allison Thomas
since 11 August 2022[5]
Structure
Seats38 councillors
Political groups
Administration (19)
  Conservative (12)
  Liberal Democrat (5)
  Independent (2)
Other parties (19)
  Labour (17)
  Independent (2)
Length of term
4 years
Elections
Last election
4 May 2023
Next election
6 May 2027
Meeting place
 
Stenson House, London Road, Coalville, LE67 3FN
Website
www.nwleics.gov.uk

North West Leicestershire District Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Leicestershire County Council. Much of the district is also covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government.[6][7]

Political control

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The council has been under no overall control since the 2023 election, being run by an alliance of the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and two of the independent councillors, led by Conservative councillor Richard Blunt.[8]

The first election to the council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until coming into its powers on 1 April 1974. Since 1974 political control of the council has been as follows:[9]

Party in control Years
Labour 1974–1976
No overall control 1976–1979
Labour 1979–1983
No overall control 1983–1991
Labour 1991–2007
Conservative 2007–2023
No overall control 2023–present

Leadership

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The leaders of the council since 2003 have been:[10]

Councillor Party From To
Frank Straw Labour pre-2003 6 May 2007
Richard Blunt Conservative 15 May 2007

Composition

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Following the 2023 election the composition of the council was:[11]

Party Councillors
Labour 17
Conservative 12
Liberal Democrats 5
Independent 4
Total 38

The Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and two of the independent councillors sit together as the "Alliance Group" which forms the council's administration.[12] The next election is due in 2027.

Elections

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See also: North West Leicestershire District Council elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2015 the district has comprised 38 wards, each of which elects one councillor. Elections are held every four years.[13]

The district is coterminous with the North West Leicestershire parliamentary constituency.[14]

Premises

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The council meets at Stenson House on London Road in Coalville. The building was built in 1934 as the headquarters of the old Coalville Urban District Council.[15] Following the creation of North West Leicestershire in 1974 the building was significantly extended to the rear. In 2022 the extension was closed pending demolition, and the council opened a new customer services centre on Belvoir Road, retaining and refurbishing the 1934 front part of Stenson House to be used for meetings and civic functions.[16]

Demography

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Ashby-de-la-Zouch, best known for Ashby Castle and the second-largest town in the district
Population growth in North West Leicestershire
Year 1951 1961 1971 1981 1991 2001 2011 2016 2021 2031
Population 64,892 65,615 71,671 78,048 80,550 85,485 93,348 98,600 101,500 107,000
Census[17] ONS[18] ONS Projections[19]

North West Leicestershire has experienced steady population growth in recent times as the district balances the agro-rural economy with the end of labour-intensive deep coal-mining. Alternative employment opportunities exist within the district in the services and distributive sectors, together with local or nearby manufacturing and extractive/transformative/construction industries. The lack of rail services to/from Leicester, Loughborough and other nearby centres limits access for employment, commerce and leisure to a road journey that competes with freight and heavy-haulage vehicles especially to the south and east.

Economy

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Donington Hall, headquarters of Norton Motorcycles, formerly of BMI

Since 2013 Norton Motorcycles has its head office in Donington Hall, Castle Donington.[20] BMI (British Midland), an airline, was headquartered in Donington Hall.[21] The airline moved its headquarters to Donington Hall in 1982.[22] The subsidiary bmibaby also had its head office in Donington Hall.[23]

Prior to its disestablishment, Excalibur Airways had its head office on the grounds of East Midlands Airport in Castle Donington.[24] Prior to its disestablishment, Orion Airways had its head office on the grounds of East Midlands Airport.[25]

In 2011 Coalfield Resources plc were given permission to develop an opencast coal mining pit on the site of the former Minorca colliery between Measham and Swepstone on a seam which will be 1 mi (1.6 km) across and extract 1,250,000 tonnes (1,380,000 tons) of coal over five years, and 250,000 tonnes (280,000 tons) of clay.[26]

Media

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In terms of television, the area receive better TV signals from the Sutton Coldfield TV transmitter which broadcast BBC West Midlands and ITV Central (West) from Birmingham.[27] Some eastern parts of the district are still able to receive the Waltham TV transmitter to get BBC East Midlands and ITV Central (East) from Nottingham.[28]

Radio stations for the area are:

Parishes

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Castle Donington
 
Ibstock

Most of the district is covered by civil parishes. Parts of the former Coalville Urban District covering the main part of Coalville and the Thringstone area are unparished areas.[7] The parish councils for Ashby-de-la-Zouch and Ashby Woulds have declared their parishes to be towns, allowing them to take the style "town council". (Whilst Ibstock is a post town and Castle Donington is sometimes called a town, neither parish council has formally declared them to be towns.)[32] The parishes are:[33]

Coat of arms

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Coat of arms of North West Leicestershire
Notes
Granted 30 October 1974[34]
Crest
On a wreath Argent Sable and Vert within a circlet of six lozenges conjoined Sable flames Proper issuant therefrom a demi-Lion Or gorged with a collar Gules bezanty and holding a Hhxagon Argent charged with a maunch Sable.
Escutcheon
Per chevron Argent and Sable in chief two ash trees couped and in base on a granite rock issuant Proper a castle of three towers Argent on a chief Vert between two garbs a mitre affrontée Or charged with two crosses formy Gules.
Motto
Ex Terra Opes (From The Earth Wealth)

References

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  1. ^ a b UK Census (2021). "2021 Census Area Profile – North West Leicestershire Local Authority (E07000134)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  2. ^ "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1972/2039, retrieved 22 August 2022
  3. ^ "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Names) Order 1973", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1973/551, retrieved 22 August 2022
  4. ^ "North West Leicestershire District Council announces year of celebrations to mark 50th anniversary". Coalville Nub News. 8 May 2024. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  5. ^ "In Touch" (PDF). North West Leicestershire District Council. October 2022. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  6. ^ "Local Government Act 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1972 c. 70, retrieved 31 May 2023
  7. ^ a b "Election Maps". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  8. ^ Hill, Graham (23 May 2023). "Conservative alliance sees Blunt re-elected as council leader - as Labour's Sheahan highlights 'fragile' arrangement". Coalville Nub News. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
  9. ^ "Compositions calculator". The Elections Centre. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
  10. ^ "Council minutes". North West Leicestershire District Council. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
  11. ^ "Local elections 2023: live council results for England". The Guardian.
  12. ^ "Your councillors by political grouping". North West Leicestershire District Council. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  13. ^ "The North West Leicestershire (Electoral Changes) Order 2014", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2014/3060, retrieved 2 November 2023
  14. ^ "Election Maps". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  15. ^ Coalville Conservation Area Character Appraisal and Management Plan (PDF). Coalville: North West Leicestershire District Council. May 2014. p. 15. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  16. ^ "Stenson House renovation completes council's £4.3 million office redevelopment project in Coalville". Coalville Nub News. 24 August 2023. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  17. ^ Vision of Britain through time
  18. ^ mid year estimate
  19. ^ ONS population projections 2014 base / projections uplifted by '21-1,700/'31-1,600 given underestimation at 2016 - 1,700/
  20. ^ The Wire (16 March 2013). "Historic Donington Hall to serve as Norton Motorcycles New World Headquarters and Manufacturing Facilities". Cycle World. Bonnier Corp. Retrieved 17 April 2013. Where else in the world can one tour an 18th century Gothic Revival mansion, view a Norton Motorcycle being built, watch a World Superbike race and attend an Iron Maiden concert all in the same place?
  21. ^ "Contact us Archived 2008-11-02 at the Wayback Machine." BMI. Accessed September 23, 2008.
  22. ^ "the eighties Archived 2012-06-10 at the Wayback Machine." British Midland International. Retrieved on 28 December 2011.
  23. ^ "Company Information Archived 2012-07-14 at the Wayback Machine." bmibaby. Retrieved on 31 December 2011. "Registered office - Donington Hall Castle Donington Derby East Midlands DE74 2SB UK"
  24. ^ "World Airline Directory." Flight International. 24–30 March 1993. "91.
  25. ^ "World Airline Directory." Flight International. 29 March 1986. 114.
  26. ^ "Leicestershire opencast coal mine gains approval" BBC News
  27. ^ "Sutton Coldfield (Birmingham, England) Full Freeview transmitter". UK Free TV. 1 May 2004. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  28. ^ "Full Freeview on the Waltham (Leicestershire, England) transmitter". UK Free TV. 1 May 2004. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  29. ^ "Hermitage FM". Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  30. ^ "Fosse FM". Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  31. ^ "Carillon Wellbeing Radio". Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  32. ^ "Parish Councils in North West Leicestershire". North West Leicestershire District Council. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  33. ^ "Parish Map of North West Leicestershire". Leicestershire County Council. Retrieved 2008-12-10.
  34. ^ "East Midlands Region". Civic Heraldry of England. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
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