Warwick District

Warwick is a local government district of central Warwickshire in England. The current leader of the district council is Conservative Party member Andrew Day.[2] 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.[3]

Warwick District
Non-metropolitan district
Shown within Warwickshire
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Constituent countryEngland
RegionWest Midlands
Administrative countyWarwickshire
Admin. HQLeamington Spa
Government
 • Leadership:Leader and cabinet
 • MPs:Matt Western (L)
Jeremy Wright (C)
Area
 • Total109.2 sq mi (282.9 km2)
Area rank138th
Population
 (mid-2019 est.)
 • Total143,753
 • RankRanked 148th
 • Density1,300/sq mi (510/km2)
Time zoneUTC+0 (Greenwich Mean Time)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+1 (British Summer Time)
ONS code44UF (ONS)
E07000222 (GSS)
Ethnicity89.2% White (83.4% White British)
7.2% Asian
0.7% Black
2.1% Mixed Race
0.9% Other [1]
Websitewarwickdc.gov.uk

The district comprises the towns of Warwick itself, Leamington Spa, Kenilworth and Whitnash, and also includes the surrounding rural areas. The district is bordered to the south and west by Stratford-on-Avon district, to the north-east by Rugby borough, and to the north by the metropolitan boroughs of Coventry and Solihull (both in the county of West Midlands).

Politics and history

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 district council deals with issues such as waste management, the collection of council tax, 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,[4] however in February 2019 plans were put on hold,[5] and as of February 2020 no decision had been made.

The political makeup of Warwick District Council following the 2019 local elections is as follows:[6]

ConservativeLib DemGreenLabourWhitnash Residents Association
Seats199853
Votes29.4%23.5%22.5%19.5%3.9%

The district was created on 1 April 1974, by a merger of the former Leamington Spa and Warwick municipal boroughs, the Kenilworth urban district and the Warwick Rural District.

Parking

On 6 August 2007 on-street parking charges were introduced in certain parts of central Leamington, Warwick and Kenilworth for the first time. At this time parking also became decriminalised which meant that the district council and not the police were responsible for enforcing parking regulations.

On 1 November 2014 responsibility for on-street parking in the district, as well as that of the other districts and boroughs in Warwickshire was taken over by Warwickshire County Council.

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. The council aims to become carbon neutral by 2025, whilst trying to make the whole district carbon neutral by 2030.[7] On 20 January 2020 it was announced that electric cars would be given free parking in council car parks.[8] On 4 February of that year it was proposed by the Council group leaders to increase council tax 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 would have been held on 7 May to decide if the public accept it.[9] On 26 February the full council unanimously agreed the proposal, triggering the 7 May referendum,[10] - which will now formally take place on 6 May 2021, due to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.

Demography

Ethnicity
Ethnic Group 2001[11] 2011[12]
Number % Number %
White: British111,04388.19%114,73983.36%
White: Irish2,5252.01%2,1461.56%
White: Gypsy or Irish Traveller410.03%
White: Other3,4482.74%5,7894.21%
White: Total117,01692.94%122,71589.15%
Asian or Asian British: Indian5,2184.14%6,7454.90%
Asian or Asian British: Pakistani2220.18%4800.35%
Asian or Asian British: Bangladeshi220.02%690.05%
Asian or Asian British: Chinese5210.41%1,1550.84%
Asian or Asian British: Other Asian4350.35%1,4961.09%
Asian or Asian British: Total6,4185.10%9,9457.22%
Black or Black British: Caribbean3600.29%3890.28%
Black or Black British: African1680.13%4740.34%
Black or Black British: Other Black590.05%1100.08%
Black or Black British: Total5870.47%9730.71%
Mixed: White and Black Caribbean5060.40%8610.63%
Mixed: White and Black African930.07%2330.17%
Mixed: White and Asian5030.40%1,0700.78%
Mixed: Other Mixed2810.22%6390.46%
Mixed: Total1,3831.10%2,8032.04%
Other: Arab2310.17%
Other: Any other ethnic group9810.71%
Other: Total5040.40%1,2120.88%
BAME: Total8,8927.06%14,93310.85%
Total125,908100.00%137,648100.00%

Religion
Religion 2001[13] 2011[14]
Number % Number %
Christian89,76371.28%80,18558.25%
Buddhist3470.28%5210.38%
Hindu8480.67%1,6331.19%
Jewish2070.16%2680.19%
Muslim6300.50%1,2990.94%
Sikh4,2393.37%5,3733.90%
Other religion3550.28%5310.39%
No religion20,49416.27%37,85927.50%
Religion not stated9,0517.19%9,9797.25%
Total125,934100.00%137,648100.00%

Tourism and leisure

Two of the most well known tourist attractions in the district are Warwick Castle and Kenilworth Castle, the first being well-preserved and the second now a ruin as a result of the English Civil War. Also of interest are the National Trust properties Baddesley Clinton and Packwood House. The Royal Pump Rooms in Leamington is a cultural and tourist attraction with services including Leamington Spa Art Gallery & Museum and there are several museums in Warwick.

All three of the district's main towns, Leamington, Warwick and Kenilworth, have many hotels, two of the better known ones being The Regent Hotel and a Hilton Hotel at Warwick. Warwick Racecourse hosts televised meetings several times a year and the English men and women's lawn bowls championships takes place in Victoria Park, Leamington each year.

There are three public swimming pools and three leisure centres in the district as well as many public open spaces, the most well known being Leamington's Jephson Gardens and Newbold Comyn. There is a public pay-per-play golf course within Warwick Racecourse. The biggest football teams in the area are Leamington F.C. and Racing Club Warwick. There have been four Green Flag Awards given to sites in the district: Crackley Woods in Kenilworth, Foundry Wood and Jephson Gardens in Leamington, and Oakley Wood near Bishop's Tachbrook.

All three towns have their own amateur theatres including the Talisman and Priory (Kenilworth), the Loft Theatre Company (Leamington), and The Bridge House Theatre (Warwick School). In addition, Playbox Theatre Company based in Warwick, works specifically with young people and Heartbreak Productions runs a programme of outdoor events, mainly in the summer months.

The Royal Spa Centre is the district's large scale professional theatre and runs a programme of theatre, drama, comedy, film and community events in its 794-seat main house and 160-seat studio theatre.

Travel

The district has six railway stations – Warwick, Warwick Parkway, Leamington Spa, Kenilworth, Hatton and Lapworth. Regular bus services run between Warwick, Leamington and Kenilworth and onwards to Coventry, Stratford upon Avon and the University of Warwick. The Grand Union Canal flows through the district and the M40 motorway also passes through. Right on the edge of the district is found Coventry Airport at Baginton.

Freedom of district

On 26 November 2013 the freedom of the district was bestowed on the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers following a parade through Royal Leamington Spa.[15]

Parishes and settlements

The Warwick district includes the settlements and Parishes of:

Electoral wards

This is a guide to the size of the wards in Warwick District based on the data from the 2001 UK Census. The entire population of the district was 125,929.

Rank Ward Population
1 Brunswick 9,299
2 Willes 8,601
3 Warwick South 8,569
4 Warwick North 8,488
5 Warwick West 8,377
6 Milverton 8,269
7 Manor 8,162
8 Park Hill 8,124
9 Whitnash 7,796
10 Abbey 7,552
11 St John's 7,543
12 Crown 5,829
13 Cubbington 5,777
14 Budbrooke 5,223
15 Clarendon 4,954
16 Stoneleigh 3,049
17 Lapworth 2,870
18 Bishop's Tachbrook 2,514
19 Radford Semele 2,494
20 Leek Wootton 2,439

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.[16]

References
  1. http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/census/2011-census/key-statistics-for-local-authorities-in-england-and-wales/rft-table-ks201ew.xls
  2. "Warwick DC". Retrieved 17 July 2019.
  3. "Political structure". Warwick District Council. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
  4. "Warwick District Council set to agree HQ move". https://leamingtonobserver.co.uk. Leamington Observer. Retrieved 7 February 2020. External link in |website= (help)
  5. "Latest on plans to relocate council to Leamington town centre - and what could happen next". www.coventrytelegraph.net. Coventry Telegraph. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  6. "Local elections". www.warwickdc.gov.uk. Warwick District Council. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  7. "Warwick District Council declares a climate emergency". Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  8. "Council to offer free parking for electric vehicles". Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  9. "Warwick District's Climate Emergency Action Programme". Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  10. "Residents in Warwickshire to vote on council tax rise for climate change fund". Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  11. "Ethnic Group by measures". NOMIS. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
  12. "Ethnic Group by measures". NOMIS. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
  13. "Religion". Retrieved 8 January 2016.
  14. "QS208EW - Religion". Retrieved 8 January 2016.
  15. "Fusiliers granted freedom of Warwick District". BBC News. BBC. 26 November 2013. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
  16. "Wards of the district of Warwick and number of councillors". Legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 18 September 2019.

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