North West Leicestershire District | |
|---|---|
 Coalville, the largest town and administrative centre of North West Leicestershire district | |
 Shown withinLeicestershire | |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Constituent country | England |
| Region | East Midlands |
| Administrative county | Leicestershire |
| Admin. HQ | Coalville |
| Government | |
| • Type | North West Leicestershire District Council |
| • MP: | Amanda Hack (Labour) |
| Area | |
• Total | 108 sq mi (279 km2) |
| • Rank | 126th |
| Population (2024) | |
• Total | 111,881 |
| • Rank | Ranked 223rd |
| • Density | 1,040/sq mi (401/km2) |
| Ethnicity(2021) | |
| • Ethnic groups | |
| Religion(2021) | |
| • Religion | List
|
| Time zone | UTC+0 (Greenwich Mean Time) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (British Summer Time) |
| ONS code | 31UH (ONS) E07000134 (GSS) |
| Ethnicity | 98.8% White |
North West Leicestershire is alocal government district inLeicestershire, England. The towns in the district include ofAshby-de-la-Zouch,Castle Donington,Coalville (where the council is based) andIbstock. Notable villages in the district includeDonington le Heath,Ellistown,Hugglescote,Kegworth,Measham,Shackerstone,Thringstone andWhitwick.
Castle Donington is notable as the location ofDonington Park, a grand-prix circuit and a major venue for music festivals. The area has a long history of mineral extraction, withcoal, brick clay, gravel andgranite amongst the products. All the deepcoal mines in the area have closed, but opencast mining still continues. The district is also home to part of theBattlefield Line and theIbstock Brick.
The neighbouring districts areCharnwood,Hinckley and Bosworth,North Warwickshire,Lichfield,South Derbyshire,Erewash andRushcliffe.
The district was created on 1 April 1974 under theLocal Government Act 1972, covering the whole area of five former districts plus a single parish from a sixth, which districts were all abolished at the same time:[2]
The new district was named North West Leicestershire, reflecting its position in the wider county.[3]
North West Leicestershire District Council | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| History | |
| Founded | 1 April 1974 |
| Leadership | |
Allison Thomas since 11 August 2022[5] | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 38 councillors |
Political groups |
|
Length of term | 4 years |
| Elections | |
Last election | 4 May 2023 |
Next election | 6 May 2027 |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| Stenson House, London Road, Coalville, LE67 3FN | |
| Website | |
| www | |
North West Leicestershire District Council providesdistrict-level services.County-level services are provided byLeicestershire County Council. Much of the district is also covered bycivil parishes, which form a third tier of local government.[6][7]
The council has been underno overall control since the2023 election, being run by an alliance of the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and two of the independent councillors, led by Conservative councillor Richard Blunt.[8]
The first election to the council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until coming into its powers on 1 April 1974. Since 1974 political control of the council has been as follows:[9]
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour | 1974–1976 | |
| No overall control | 1976–1979 | |
| Labour | 1979–1983 | |
| No overall control | 1983–1991 | |
| Labour | 1991–2007 | |
| Conservative | 2007–2023 | |
| No overall control | 2023–present | |
Theleaders of the council since 2003 have been:[10]
| Councillor | Party | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frank Straw[11] | Labour | pre-2003 | May 2007 | |
| Richard Blunt[12] | Conservative | 15 May 2007 | ||
Following the2023 election the composition of the council was:[13]
| Party | Councillors | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour | 17 | |
| Conservative | 12 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 5 | |
| Independent | 4 | |
| Total | 38 | |
The Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and two of the independent councillors sit together as the "Alliance Group" which forms the council's administration.[14] The next election is due in 2027.[15]
Since the last boundary changes in 2015 the district has comprised 38wards, each of which elects onecouncillor. Elections are held every four years.[16]
The district is coterminous with theNorth West Leicestershire parliamentary constituency.[17]
The council meets at Stenson House on London Road in Coalville. The building was built in 1934 as the headquarters of the old Coalville Urban District Council.[18] Following the creation of North West Leicestershire in 1974 the building was significantly extended to the rear. In 2022 the extension was closed pending demolition, and the council opened a new customer services centre on Belvoir Road, retaining and refurbishing the 1934 front part of Stenson House to be used for meetings and civic functions.[19]
| Year | 1951 | 1961 | 1971 | 1981 | 1991 | 2001 | 2011 | 2016 | 2021 | 2031 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 64,892 | 65,615 | 71,671 | 78,048 | 80,550 | 85,485 | 93,348 | 98,600 | 101,500 | 107,000 | ||
| Census[20] | ONS[21] | ONS Projections[22] | ||||||||||
North West Leicestershire has experienced steady population growth in recent times as the district balances the agro-rural economy with the end of labour-intensive deep coal-mining. Alternative employment opportunities exist within the district in the services and distributive sectors, together with local or nearby manufacturing and extractive/transformative/construction industries. The lack of rail services to/fromLeicester,Loughborough and other nearby centres limits access for employment, commerce and leisure to a road journey that competes with freight and heavy-haulage vehicles especially to the south and east.
Since 2013Norton Motorcycles has its head office inDonington Hall,Castle Donington.[23]BMI (British Midland), an airline, was headquartered in Donington Hall.[24] The airline moved its headquarters to Donington Hall in 1982.[25] The subsidiarybmibaby also had its head office in Donington Hall.[26]
Prior to its disestablishment,Excalibur Airways had its head office on the grounds ofEast Midlands Airport in Castle Donington.[27] Prior to its disestablishment,Orion Airways had its head office on the grounds of East Midlands Airport.[28]
In 2011Coalfield Resources plc were given permission to develop anopencast coal mining pit on the site of the former Minorca colliery betweenMeasham andSwepstone on a seam which will be 1 mi (1.6 km) across and extract 1,250,000 tonnes (1,380,000 tons) of coal over five years, and 250,000 tonnes (280,000 tons) of clay.[29]
In terms of television, the area receives better TV signals from theSutton Coldfield TV transmitter which broadcastsBBC West Midlands andITV Central (West) fromBirmingham.[30] Some eastern parts of the district are still able to receive theWaltham TV transmitter to getBBC East Midlands and ITV Central (East) fromNottingham.[31]
Radio stations for the area are:
Most of the district is covered by civil parishes. Parts of the former Coalville Urban District covering the main part of Coalville and theThringstone area areunparished areas.[7] The parish councils for Ashby-de-la-Zouch and Ashby Woulds have declared their parishes to be towns, allowing them to take the style "town council". (Whilst Ibstock is apost town and Castle Donington is sometimes called a town, neither parish council has formally declared them to be towns.)[35] The parishes are:[36]
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Where else in the world can one tour an 18th century Gothic Revival mansion, view a Norton Motorcycle being built, watch a World Superbike race and attend an Iron Maiden concert all in the same place?
| International | |
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| National | |
52°43′01″N1°22′12″W / 52.71694°N 1.37000°W /52.71694; -1.37000
