# Congleton (borough)

Congleton was, from 1974 to 2009, a local government district with borough status in Cheshire, England. It included the towns of Congleton, Alsager, Middlewich and Sandbach. The headquarters of the borough council were located in Sandbach.

## History

The borough was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972 by the merger of the former borough of Congleton, the urban districts of Alsager, Middlewich and Sandbach, and the Congleton Rural District. The new district was awarded borough status from its creation, allowing the chairman of the council to take the title of mayor.
In 2006 the Department for Communities and Local Government considered reorganising Cheshire's administrative structure as part of the 2009 structural changes to local government in England. The decision to merge the boroughs of Congleton, Macclesfield, and Crewe and Nantwich to create a single unitary authority was announced on 25 July 2007, following a consultation period in which a proposal to create a single Cheshire unitary authority was rejected.
The Borough of Congleton was abolished on 31 March 2009, with the area becoming part of the unitary authority of Cheshire East on 1 April 2009.

## Civil parishes

Congleton was divided into 23 civil parishes and included no unparished areas. Of the 23 civil parishes, four were administered at this level of local government by town councils: Alsager, Middlewich, Sandbach, and Congleton; with the remainder having parish councils. There are two pairs of civil parishes that are grouped together so that they share a parish council. These are Hulme Walfield and Somerford Booths, whose single parish council is called "Hulme Walfield and Somerford Booths Parish Council", and Newbold Astbury and Moreton cum Alcumlow, whose single parish council is called "Newbold Astbury-cum-Moreton Parish Council".
The following civil parishes were included in the borough:
* Alsager (town)
* Arclid
* Betchton
* Bradwall
* Brereton
* Church Lawton
* Congleton (town)
* Cranage
* Goostrey
* Hassall
* Holmes Chapel
* Hulme Walfield
* Middlewich (town)
* Moreton cum Alcumlow
* Moston
* Newbold Astbury
* Odd Rode
* Sandbach (town)
* Smallwood
* Somerford
* Somerford Booths
* Swettenham
* Twemlow

## Demographics

The resident population of the borough, as measured in the 2001 Census, was 90,655, of which 49 per cent were male and 51 per cent were female.

### Religion

The percentage of people of each religion in the borough (trom the Census 2001):
| Stated religion | Percentage |
| Christian | 81.46% |
| Buddhist | 0.12% |
| Hindu | 0.11% |
| Jewish | 0.06% |
| Muslim | 0.17% |
| Sikh | 0.04% |
| Other religions | 0.16% |
| No religion | 11.46% |
| Religion not stated | 6.43% |

## Political control

The town of Congleton had been a municipal borough from 1836 to 1974 with a borough council. The first elections to the new Congleton Borough created under the Local Government Act 1972 were held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority until the new arrangements came into effect on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council from 1974 until its abolition in 2009 was held by the following parties:
| Party in control | Years |
| No overall control | 1974–1976 |
| Conservative | 1976–1982 |
| No overall control | 1982–1983 |
| Conservative | 1983–1986 |
| No overall control | 1986–1991 |
| Liberal Democrats | 1991–1992 |
| No overall control | 1992–1994 |
| Liberal Democrats | 1994–2002 |
| No overall control | 2002–2003 |
| Conservative | 2003–2009 |

### Leadership

The leaders of the council from 1987 were:
| Councillor | Party | From | To |
| Dennis Round | Liberal | 1987 | 14 July 1987 |
| Linda Short | Liberal Democrats | 1987 | 14 December 2000 |
| Rod Fletcher | Liberal Democrats | 2001 | 2002 |
| Roland Domleo | Conservative | 2002 | 31 March 2009 |

### Composition

The political composition of the council at its abolition in 2009 was:
| Party | Councillors |
| Conservative | 25 |
| Liberal Democrat | 13 |
| Middlewich First | 6 |
| Independent | 4 |

## Premises

The council was based at Westfields on Middlewich Road in Sandbach. This was a large nineteenth century house which had been bought in 1960 by the Congleton Rural District Council, one of the council's predecessors. In 2005–2007 a replacement headquarters building, also called Westfields, was built in front of the old house, which was then demolished. The new building was formally opened on 25 January 2008. After Congleton Borough Council's abolition, Westfields became the headquarters for the new Cheshire East Council.

## Alderman and Freeman of the Borough

The following people and military units received the Freedom of the Borough of Congleton or were an Alderman of the Borough of Congleton.

### Individuals

* C. W. Harrison (Alderman 4 October 1984)
* A. G. Smith (Alderman 4 October 1984)
* C. H. Kelly (Alderman 25 September 1986)
* L. Yarwood (Alderman 29 September 1988)
* J. M. Telfer (Alderman 28 September 1989)
* F. Bowers (Alderman 5 November 1992)
* W. Vickers (Alderman 5 November 1992)
* E. Henshall (Alderman 22 September 1994)
* R. Tomlinson (Alderman 29 October 1998)
* R. C. Parry (Alderman 29 January 2004)
* K. A. Hemsley (Alderman 29 January 2004)
* K. A. Thompson (Alderman 29 January 2004)
* M. J. Cooper (Alderman 2009)
* T. Farrell (Alderman 2009)
* R. A. Giltrap (Alderman 2009)
* L. Morris (Alderman 2009)
* F. Walton (Alderman 2009)
* D. Brown (Alderman 2009)
* R. M. Domleo (Alderman 2009)
* P. J. Edwards (Alderman 2009)
* R. I. Fletcher (Alderman 2009)
* D. I. Hough (Alderman 2009)
* G. Chambers (Freeman 2009)

### Military Units

* The Cheshire Yeomanry: 1906.
* The Cheshire Regiment: 1969.
* First Battalion of the Mercian Regiment:???
* First Battalion of the Mercian Regiment (Freeman ???)

## Council elections

* 1973 Congleton Borough Council election
* 1976 Congleton Borough Council election (New ward boundaries)
* 1979 Congleton Borough Council election
* 1980 Congleton Borough Council election
* 1982 Congleton Borough Council election
* 1983 Congleton Borough Council election
* 1984 Congleton Borough Council election
* 1986 Congleton Borough Council election
* 1987 Congleton Borough Council election
* 1988 Congleton Borough Council election
* 1990 Congleton Borough Council election
* 1991 Congleton Borough Council election (Borough boundary changes took place but the number of seats remained the same)
* 1992 Congleton Borough Council election
* 1994 Congleton Borough Council election
* 1995 Congleton Borough Council election
* 1996 Congleton Borough Council election
* 1998 Congleton Borough Council election
* 1999 Congleton Borough Council election (New ward boundaries)
* 2000 Congleton Borough Council election
* 2002 Congleton Borough Council election
* 2003 Congleton Borough Council election
* 2004 Congleton Borough Council election
* 2006 Congleton Borough Council election
* 2007 Congleton Borough Council election

### Results maps

* 2002 results map
* 2003 results map
* 2004 results map
* 2006 results map
* 2007 results map

### By-election results

Congleton North By-Election 10 August 2000 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | David Atkin | 303 | 50.9 | +9.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats | | 156 | 26.2 | −24.9 |
| | Conservative | | 136 | 22.9 | +15.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 147 | 24.7 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 595 | 21.6 | |
| | Labour gain from Liberal Democrats | Labour gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing | | |
Congleton North West By-Election 10 August 2000 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Sue Appleton | 275 | 37.2 | +11.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | | 251 | 34.0 | −8.3 |
| | Labour | | 213 | 28.8 | −3.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 24 | 3.2 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 739 | 24.6 | |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing | | |
Congleton North By-Election 26 August 2004 (2) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | | 191 | |
| | Conservative | | 174 | |
| | Labour | | 142 | |
| | Labour | | 133 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Simon Davey | 111 | |
| | Liberal Democrats | Paul Jones | 108 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 859 | 15.6 |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | |
Congleton West By-Election 28 October 2004 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | | 491 | 53.7 | −1.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Simon Davey | 275 | 30.1 | +6.2 |
| | Labour | | 148 | 16.2 | −4.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 261 | 23.6 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 914 | 20.5 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
Alsager Central By-Election 17 February 2005 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Julian Burgess | 532 | 56.1 | −14.2 |
| | Conservative | Warwick Till | 365 | 38.5 | +8.8 |
| | Labour | William Howell | 52 | 5.5 | +5.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 167 | 17.6 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 949 | 34.5 | |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |
Congleton North West By-Election 24 November 2005 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Simon Davey | 341 | 54.8 | +54.8 |
| | Conservative | Matthew Carey | 191 | 30.7 | −13.3 |
| | Labour | Lisa Bossons | 90 | 14.5 | −9.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 150 | 24.1 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 622 | 21.0 | |
| | Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | Swing | | |
Sandbach West By-Election 18 October 2007 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Stella Furlong | 445 | 45.1 | +3.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Patrick Darnes | 382 | 38.7 | −3.1 |
| | Labour | Keith Haines | 160 | 16.2 | −0.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 63 | 6.4 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 987 | 19.2 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |