North West Leicestershire
Encyclopedia
North West Leicestershire is a local government district
in Leicestershire
, England
. Its main towns are Ashby-de-la-Zouch
and Coalville
.
The district contains East Midlands Airport, which operates flights to the rest of Britain and to various places in Europe. It is also notable as the location of Castle Donington
and Donington Park
, a grand-prix circuit and a major venue for music festivals.
The district is represented in the UK Parliament by the constituency of the same name
.
The area has a long history of mineral extraction, with coal
, brick clay, gravel and granite
amongst the products. All the deep coal mines in the area have closed, but opencast mining still continues.
The district was formed in 1974 by a merger of Ashby de la Zouch Urban District, Ashby Woulds
Urban District, Coalville
Urban District, Ashby de la Zouch Rural District
, Castle Donington Rural District
and Ibstock
from the Market Bosworth Rural District
.
, authority over North West Leicestershire is shared between the district council and the county council. Areas of responsibility of the district council include local planning
, building control, council housing, refuse collection, recycling
, and some leisure services and parks.
The district council is currently controlled by 38 councillors who are elected
every four years; the last election
took place in May 2011 and saw the Conservatives
hold onto control after previously winning it
for the first time since its creation in 1973. The current political make-up of the council is as follows:
The council has a six-member executive known as the Cabinet which is made up of councillors who have special responsibilities and power. As the Conservatives won overall control of the council in 2007, they hold all of the seats on the cabinet.
BMI
(British Midland), an airline, is headquartered in Donington Hall
, Castle Donington
. Prior to its disestablishment, Excalibur Airways
had its head office on the grounds of East Midlands Airport in Castle Donington. Prior to its disestablishment, Orion Airways
had its head office on the grounds of East Midlands Airport.
Non-metropolitan district
Non-metropolitan districts, or colloquially shire districts, are a type of local government district in England. As created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan counties in a so-called "two-tier" arrangement...
in Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Its main towns are Ashby-de-la-Zouch
Ashby-de-la-Zouch
Ashby-de-la-Zouch, — Zouch being pronounced "Zoosh" — often shortened to Ashby, is a small market town and civil parish in North West Leicestershire, England, within the National Forest. It is twinned with Pithiviers in north-central France....
and Coalville
Coalville
Coalville is a town in North West Leicestershire, England, with a population estimated in 2003 to be almost 33,000. It is situated on the A511 trunk road between Leicester and Burton upon Trent, close to junction 22 of the M1 motorway where the A511 meets the A50 between Ashby-de-la-Zouch and...
.
The district contains East Midlands Airport, which operates flights to the rest of Britain and to various places in Europe. It is also notable as the location of Castle Donington
Castle Donington
Castle Donington is a village, with a population of around 7000 in the North West of Leicestershire, part of the Derby postcode area and on the edge of the National Forest. It is the closest town to East Midlands Airport.-Transport and housing:...
and Donington Park
Donington Park
Donington Park is a motorsport circuit near Castle Donington in Leicestershire, England.Originally part of the Donington Hall estate, it was created as a racing circuit during the pre-war period when the German Silver Arrows were battling for the European Championship...
, a grand-prix circuit and a major venue for music festivals.
The district is represented in the UK Parliament by the constituency of the same name
North West Leicestershire (UK Parliament constituency)
North West Leicestershire is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first-past-the-post system of election.- Boundaries :...
.
The area has a long history of mineral extraction, with coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
, brick clay, gravel and granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
amongst the products. All the deep coal mines in the area have closed, but opencast mining still continues.
The district was formed in 1974 by a merger of Ashby de la Zouch Urban District, Ashby Woulds
Ashby Woulds
Ashby Woulds is a civil parish in Leicestershire, England. It is in the North West Leicestershire district, to the west of Ashby de la Zouch. The main settlements in the parish are Norris Hill and Moira....
Urban District, Coalville
Coalville
Coalville is a town in North West Leicestershire, England, with a population estimated in 2003 to be almost 33,000. It is situated on the A511 trunk road between Leicester and Burton upon Trent, close to junction 22 of the M1 motorway where the A511 meets the A50 between Ashby-de-la-Zouch and...
Urban District, Ashby de la Zouch Rural District
Ashby de la Zouch Rural District
Ashby de la Zouch Rural District was a rural district in England, near Ashby de la Zouch . It was formed in 1894 along with most other rural districts. In 1974 it was abolished under the Local Government Act 1972, to form the non-metropolitan district of North West Leicestershire.The district...
, Castle Donington Rural District
Castle Donington Rural District
The rural district of Castle Donington in Leicestershire, England, was formed in 1894 and abolished in 1974. It was formed by the Local Government Act 1894 from the part of the Shadlow Rural Sanitary District that was in Leicestershire....
and Ibstock
Ibstock
Ibstock is a village and civil parish about south of Coalville in North West Leicestershire, England. The village is on the A447 road Between Coalville and Hinckley....
from the Market Bosworth Rural District
Market Bosworth Rural District
The rural district of Market Bosworth existed from 1894 to 1974 in Leicestershire, England. It was named after Market Bosworth, and was created under the Local Government Act 1894, based on the Market Bosworth rural sanitary district, and that part of the Atherstone rural sanitary district which...
.
Politics
Like many other shire districtsNon-metropolitan district
Non-metropolitan districts, or colloquially shire districts, are a type of local government district in England. As created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan counties in a so-called "two-tier" arrangement...
, authority over North West Leicestershire is shared between the district council and the county council. Areas of responsibility of the district council include local planning
Planning permission
Planning permission or planning consent is the permission required in the United Kingdom in order to be allowed to build on land, or change the use of land or buildings. Within the UK the occupier of any land or building will need title to that land or building , but will also need "planning...
, building control, council housing, refuse collection, recycling
Recycling
Recycling is processing used materials into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution and water pollution by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal, and lower greenhouse...
, and some leisure services and parks.
The district council is currently controlled by 38 councillors who are elected
North West Leicestershire local elections
The North West Leicestershire District Council was created in 1973 and elections take place every four years. Traditionally a Labour controlled council, it was under no overall control from 1976 to 1979 and again from 1983 to 1991...
every four years; the last election
North West Leicestershire District Council election, 2011
Elections to the North West Leicestershire District Council took place on May 5th 2011, in line with other local elections in the United Kingdom. A total of 38 councillors were elected from 20 wards as the whole council is up for election....
took place in May 2011 and saw the Conservatives
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
hold onto control after previously winning it
North West Leicestershire District Council election, 2007
Elections to North West Leicestershire District Council took place on 3rd May 2007, with the previous election taking place in 2003 and with the next to be held on 5th May 2011. The election took place across all 20 electoral wards and a total of 38 councillors were elected...
for the first time since its creation in 1973. The current political make-up of the council is as follows:
| Political party | Current members | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Conservative Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House... |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Labour Labour Party (UK) The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after... |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Liberal Democrat | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The council has a six-member executive known as the Cabinet which is made up of councillors who have special responsibilities and power. As the Conservatives won overall control of the council in 2007, they hold all of the seats on the cabinet.
| Position | Councillor | Respective Ward | |
| Leader of the Council | Cllr Richard Blunt | Appleby | |
| Corporate Portfolio Holder | Cllr Nicholas Rushton | Breedon | |
| Portfolio Holder for Housing | Cllr Roger Bayliss | Ashby Holywell | |
| Portfolio Holder for Community | Cllr Trevor Pendleton | Kegworth & Whatton | |
| Portfolio Holder for Environment | Cllr Alison Smith | Kegworth & Whatton | |
| Portfolio Holder for Transforming Services | Cllr Annette Bridges | Moira | |
Parishes
- Appleby MagnaAppleby MagnaAppleby Magna is a village and civil parish in the district of North West Leicestershire, England.The civil parish, as well as Appleby Magna, includes the small Hamlet of Appleby Parva and the Villages of Norton-Juxta-Twycross, Snarestone and Swepstone...
, Ashby WouldsAshby WouldsAshby Woulds is a civil parish in Leicestershire, England. It is in the North West Leicestershire district, to the west of Ashby de la Zouch. The main settlements in the parish are Norris Hill and Moira....
, Ashby-de-la-ZouchAshby-de-la-ZouchAshby-de-la-Zouch, — Zouch being pronounced "Zoosh" — often shortened to Ashby, is a small market town and civil parish in North West Leicestershire, England, within the National Forest. It is twinned with Pithiviers in north-central France....
, - BardonBardonBardon is a civil parish and former village in North West Leicestershire about southeast of the centre of Coalville. The parish includes Bardon Hill, which at above sea level is the highest point in Leicestershire.-History:...
, BeltonBelton, LeicestershireBelton, Leicestershire, is a small village in the North West Leicestershire area of England. It lies very close to the town of Shepshed and further afield lies the main town of Charnwood borough, Loughborough...
, Breedon on the HillBreedon on the HillBreedon on the Hill is a village and civil parish about north of Ashby-de-la-Zouch in North West Leicestershire, England. The parish adjoins the Derbyshire county boundary and the village is only about south of the Derbyshire town of Melbourne. The 2001 Census recorded a parish population of 958... - Castle DoningtonCastle DoningtonCastle Donington is a village, with a population of around 7000 in the North West of Leicestershire, part of the Derby postcode area and on the edge of the National Forest. It is the closest town to East Midlands Airport.-Transport and housing:...
, CharleyCharley, LeicestershireCharley is a civil parish located in the North West Leicestershire district of Leicestershire, England. According to the 2001 census, it had a population of 203. It is set within the Charnwood Forest....
, ChilcoteChilcoteChilcote is a village and civil parish in the North West Leicestershire district of Leicestershire, England. Until 1897 it was in Derbyshire. The parish had a population of 108 according to the 2001 census.-External links:...
, ColeortonColeortonColeorton is a village and civil parish in North West Leicestershire, England. It is situated on the A512 road approximately 2 miles east of Ashby de la Zouch... - Ellistown and BattleflatEllistown and BattleflatEllistown and Battleflat is a civil parish in North West Leicestershire, Leicestershire, England, just south of the unparished area of Coalville. As its name indicates, the parish includes the villages of Ellistown and Battleflat...
- HeatherHeather, LeicestershireThe village of Heather is due west of the village of Ibstock in North West Leicestershire, England. In the Domesday Book of 1086, its name is recorded as Hadre, meaning "the heathland"...
- IbstockIbstockIbstock is a village and civil parish about south of Coalville in North West Leicestershire, England. The village is on the A447 road Between Coalville and Hinckley....
- Isley cum LangleyIsley cum LangleyIsley cum Langley is a civil parish in the North West Leicestershire district of Leicestershire, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 64.- References :...
- KegworthKegworthKegworth is a large village and civil parish in Leicestershire, England....
- Lockington cum HemingtonLockington cum HemingtonLockington cum Hemington is a civil parish in the North West Leicestershire district of Leicestershire, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 556...
, Long WhattonLong WhattonLong Whatton is a village in the English county of Leicestershire. It is south of East Midlands Airport, off Junctions 23 and 23A of the M1 motorway, and has easy access to Loughborough via the A6 and to Shepshed, Ashby de la Zouch and Kegworth.... - MeashamMeashamMeasham is a village in Leicestershire, near the Staffordshire and Derbyshire border, located just off the A42 just south of Ashby-de-la-Zouch, and within the National Forest...
- Normanton le HeathNormanton le HeathNormanton le Heath is a village and civil parish situated between the parishes of Packington, Ravenstone and Heather in North West Leicestershire, England...
- Oakthorpe and DonisthorpeOakthorpe and DonisthorpeOakthorpe and Donisthorpe is civil parish in the North West Leicestershire district of Leicestershire, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 2336. It includes Oakthorpe and Donisthorpe....
, OsgathorpeOsgathorpeOsgathorpe is a small village which lies in a fold of the hills in North West Leicestershire, England, and is about a quarter of a mile the A512 Coalville to Loughborough Road.... - PackingtonPackingtonPackington is a village and civil parish in the district of North West Leicestershire. It is situated close to the A42 road and the town of Ashby de la Zouch. The population of Packington according to the 2001 UK census is 738...
- Ravenstone with Snibston
- SnarestoneSnarestoneSnarestone is a small rural village in North West Leicestershire, England.It lies on the edge of the National Forest and is from the market town of Ashby-de-la-Zouch. It has a population of approximately 300 people and 120 households....
, Staunton HaroldStaunton HaroldStaunton Harold is a civil parish in North West Leicestershire about north of Ashby-de-la-Zouch. The parish is on the county boundary with Derbyshire and about south of Derby....
, Stretton en le FieldStretton en le FieldStretton en le Field is a civil parish and hamlet in the North West Leicestershire district of Leicestershire, England. It is about seven miles south-west of Ashby de la Zouch, and according to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 36....
, SwanningtonSwannington, LeicestershireSwannington is a former mining village in Leicestershire, England. It was a terminus of the early Leicester and Swannington Railway that was built to carry away its pits' output...
, SwepstoneSwepstoneSwepstone is a village and civil parish in the North West Leicestershire district of Leicestershire, England, about five miles south of Ashby de la Zouch. The parish includes the villages of Swepstone and Newton Burgoland.... - WorthingtonWorthington, LeicestershireWorthington is a village and civil parish in North West Leicestershire, England, about north of the town of Coalville and a similar distance north-east of the market town of Ashby-de-la-Zouch. The village is about from East Midlands Airport and junction 23a of the M1 motorway where it meets the...
- WhitwickWhitwickWhitwick is a village in Leicestershire, England and is an ancient parish which formerly included the equally historic villages of Thringstone and Swannington. It was an important manor in the Middle Ages, which once included Bardon and Markfield, parts of Hugglescote, Donington le Heath, Ratby,...
Economy
Bmi (airline)
British Midland Airways Limited , is an airline based at Donington Hall in Castle Donington in the United Kingdom, close to East Midlands Airport, and a fully owned subsidiary of Lufthansa...
(British Midland), an airline, is headquartered in Donington Hall
Donington Hall
Donington Hall is a house and residual estate in Castle Donington, North West Leicestershire, located close to the city of Derby. The Hall serves as the headquarters for airline BMI....
, Castle Donington
Castle Donington
Castle Donington is a village, with a population of around 7000 in the North West of Leicestershire, part of the Derby postcode area and on the edge of the National Forest. It is the closest town to East Midlands Airport.-Transport and housing:...
. Prior to its disestablishment, Excalibur Airways
Excalibur Airways
Excalibur Airways was a charter airline based in England. It had its head office on the grounds of East Midlands International Airport in Castle Donington, North West Leicestershire.- Code data :*IATA Code: EXC*ICAO Code: EX...
had its head office on the grounds of East Midlands Airport in Castle Donington. Prior to its disestablishment, Orion Airways
Orion Airways
Orion Airways was an airline based in the United Kingdom with its head office on the grounds of East Midlands Airport in Castle Donington, North West Leicestershire. It was created as the charter airline of Horizon Travel and went on to successfully develop scheduled services...
had its head office on the grounds of East Midlands Airport.