Vale Royal

Borough of Vale Royal
Vale Royal Shown within Cheshire
History
• Origin	Northwich Urban District Winsford Urban District Northwich Rural District Runcorn Rural District (part of)
• Created	1 April 1974
• Abolished	31 March 2009
• Succeeded by	Cheshire West and Chester
Status	Non-metropolitan district
ONS code	13UH
• HQ	Winsford

Vale Royal was, from 1974 to 2009, a local government district with borough status in Cheshire, England. It contained the towns of Northwich, Winsford and Frodsham.

Creation

The district was created on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972 by merging Northwich and Winsford urban districts, Northwich Rural District and part of Runcorn Rural District.

It took its name from Vale Royal Abbey, formerly one of the largest in England, which was situated near the village of Whitegate near the centre of the district.

Civil Parishes

File:Vale royal parishes.png

Civil Parishes within Vale Royal (2009)

The district comprised the following civil parishes:

• Acton Bridge
• Allostock
• Alvanley
• Anderton with Marbury
• Antrobus
• Aston
• Barnton
• Bostock
• Byley
• Comberbach
• Crowton
• Cuddington
• Darnhall
• Davenham
• Delamere
• Dutton
• Frodsham
• Great Budworth
• Hartford
• Helsby
• Kingsley
• Lach Dennis
• Little Budworth
• Little Leigh
• Lostock Gralam
• Lower Peover
• Manley
• Marston
• Moulton
• Norley
• Northwich
• Oakmere
• Rudheath
• Rushton
• Sproston
• Stanthorne
• Sutton
• Tarporley
• Utkinton
• Weaverham
• Whitegate and Marton
• Whitley
• Wimboldsley
• Wincham
• Winsford

Elections and political control

The political composition of the council at its abolition in 2009 was:

Party		Councillors
	Conservative	26
	Labour	17
	Liberal Democrat	11
	Weaverham Independents	3

Abolition

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 Vale Royal with the districts of Chester and Ellesmere Port and Neston 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.

Vale Royal was abolished on 1 April 2009, when the new Cheshire West and Chester unitary authority was formed.