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. 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.
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.

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, however in February 2019 plans were put on hold, and as of February 2020 no decision has been made.
The political makeup of Warwick District Council following the 2019 local elections is as follows:
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 27th 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. On 20 January 2020 it was announced that electric cars would be given free parking in council car parks. 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 is accepted by the other councillors then a district wide referendum will be held on 7 May to decide if the public accept it. On 26 February the full council unanimously accepted the proposal, triggering the 7 May election.

Demography

Ethnicity

Religion

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 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.
All three towns have their own amateur theatres including the Talisman and Priory, the Loft Theatre Company, and The Bridge House Theatre. 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.

Parishes and settlements

The Warwick district includes the settlements and Parishes of:
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.
RankWardPopulation
1Brunswick9,299
2Willes8,601
3Warwick South8,569
4Warwick North8,488
5Warwick West8,377
6Milverton8,269
7Manor8,162
8Park Hill8,124
9Whitnash7,796
10Abbey7,552
11St John's7,543
12Crown5,829
13Cubbington5,777
14Budbrooke5,223
15Clarendon4,954
16Stoneleigh3,049
17Lapworth2,870
18Bishop's Tachbrook2,514
19Radford Semele2,494
20Leek Wootton2,439

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.