Cheshire East
Cheshire East is a unitary authority area with borough status in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The local authority is Cheshire East Council. The main towns within the area are Crewe, Macclesfield, Congleton, Sandbach, Wilmslow, Handforth, Knutsford and Nantwich. The council is based in Sandbach. History. The borough council was established in April 2009 as part of the 2009 structural changes to local government in England, by virtue of an order under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007. It is an amalgamation of the former boroughs of Macclesfield, Congleton and Crewe and Nantwich , and includes the functions of the former Cheshire County Council. The residual part of the disaggregated former County Council, together with the other three former Cheshire borough councils (Chester City, Ellesmere Port & Neston and Vale Royal) were, similarly, amalgamated to create the new unitary council of Cheshire West and Chester. Cheshire East has historic links to textile mills of the industrial revolution, such as seen at Quarry Bank Mill. It is also home to Tatton Park, a historic estate that hosts RHS Show Tatton Park. Geography. Cheshire East lies within North West England. It borders Cheshire West and Chester to  the west, Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east as well as Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. It is home to the Cheshire Plain and the southern hills of the Pennines. The local geology is mostly glacial clay, as well as glacial sands and gravel. Climate. According to the Köppen climate classification, like most areas of the UK, the climate is classified as “oceanic” or “Cfb”. Demography. According to the United Kingdom Census 2011 Cheshire East has a population of 370,127 people. Ethnicity. According to the 2011 Census, ethnic white groups (British, Irish, Other) account for 96.7 % of the population (357,940 people), with 3.3% of the population (12,187 people) being in ethnic groups other than white (Asian, Black, Other). Religion. A breakdown of religious groups and denominations: Administration. Wards. The 52 wards of Cheshire East are: Elections. At the last Cheshire County Council election in 2005 there were 15 Conservative controlled wards, 6 Labour controlled wards, 5 Liberal Democrat controlled wards and 1 ward controlled by an independent within the unitary authority boundaries. The first elections for Cheshire East Council took place on 1 May 2008, with the Conservative Party taking overall control. The Conservatives took 59  of the 81 seats with the others being held by the Liberal Democrats (12), Labour (6), 3 members of Middlewich First and one Independent. The first leader of the authority was Wesley Fitzgerald who was elected at Cheshire East's inaugural meeting on 13 May 2008. Wesley Fitzgerald is a Councillor for the Wilmslow South ward. Having decided in February 2012 to step down, a leadership contest was triggered. Michael Jones – a relatively new councillor having been elected in the May 2011 elections – was elected as the Leader of the Conservative Group on 17 March 2012. The administrative centre for  Cheshire East Council is Westfields in Sandbach, the former Headquarters of Congleton Borough Council. The site could be expanded if needed as there is space around the newly built centre. Cheshire East is an observer member of the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities of Greater Manchester, which borders Cheshire to the north. Transport. Roads. Motorways and primary routes in the borough which are maintained by Highways England (trunk roads "de jure") include the M6, M56 and the A556. Other primary routes which are maintained by the council (principal roads "de jure") include the A6, A34, A49, A50, A51, A54, A56 , A500, A523, A525, A530, A534, A536, A537, A538, A555, A556, A5020 and A5033. Major road projects. A556 Knutsford to Bowdon Improvement: A new five-mile four-lane dual-carriageway bypass of Bucklow Hill and Mere Crossroads on the A556 is currently under construction by Highways England at a cost of between £165-£221 million. The new road will also contain the first 'green bridge' wildlife crossing in the United Kingdom. The existing road will be narrowed to one lane in each direction and re-designated as the B5569 under the maintenance of Cheshire East Council. M6 Junctions 16-19: Smart  Motorway: Highways England are preparing to convert the hard shoulder to a permanent running lane and introduce a variable speed limit along this section of the M6, meaning that it will become the first smart motorway in Cheshire. The scheme is expected to cost between £192-£274 million. Crewe Green Link Road South: A dual-carriageway extension of Crewe Green Link Road is being constructed between the A5020 and Weston Gate Roundabout on the A500 by Cheshire East Council at a cost of £26.5 million. LED improvements: The Cheshire East Council, for multiple years now, has been investing in  LEDs (light emitting diodes) as they are energy-efficient lights that are more likely to avoid sleepiness on the road as of their blue tint. Local sites of interest. The area is home to a large number of sites of public interest: Twin towns. The former borough of Macclesfield was twinned with Eckernförde, Germany. Twinning remains active in the Crewe and Nantwich area. The town of Crewe began twinning with the town of Mâcon in France in 1957. This continued when the borough of Crewe and Nantwich was formed in 1974. The borough added the town of Bischofsheim in Germany  in 1991. In 2003 the administration of twinning was passed to CANTA, the Crewe and Nantwich Twinning Association, a voluntary association supported by the borough. The association immediately added Dzierżoniów in Poland as a Friendship Town. The association has received continuing support from Cheshire East after the borough became part of the new authority.