Warwick District

Warwick is a local government district in Warwickshire, England. It is named after the historic county town of Warwick, which is the district's second largest town; the largest town is Royal Leamington Spa, where the council is based. The district also includes the towns of Kenilworth and Whitnash and surrounding villages and rural areas. Leamington Spa, Warwick and Whitnash form a conurbation which has about two thirds of the district's population.

The neighbouring districts are Rugby, Stratford-on-Avon, Solihull and Coventry.

History

The district was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972. The new district was formed through the merger of four former districts, which were all abolished at the same time:

• Kenilworth Urban District
• Royal Leamington Spa Municipal Borough
• Warwick Municipal Borough
• Warwick Rural District

The new district was named Warwick after the county town.

Proposals to merge the district with neighbouring Stratford-on-Avon District were put forward in 2021 and provisionally agreed, before eventually being abandoned in April 2022.

Governance

Warwick District Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Warwickshire County Council. The whole district is also covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government.

Political control

The council has been under no overall control since 2019. Following the 2023 election a coalition of the Greens and Labour formed to run the council, led by Green councillor Ian Davison.

The first election to the council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing councils before coming into its powers on 1 April 1974. Since 1974 political control of the council has been as follows:

Leadership

The leaders of the council since 1974 have been:

Composition

Following the 2023 election, and subsequent changes of allegiance and by-elections up to September 2025, the composition of the council is:

Elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2019 the council has comprised 44 councillors representing 17 wards with each ward electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years.

Premises

Council meetings are usually held at Leamington Spa Town Hall on The Parade, which had been built in 1884 for the old Leamington Borough Council, and which is also the council's official registered address. The council also has offices at 1 Saltisford Office Park in Warwick, and the customer services reception is at the Royal Pump Rooms in Leamington Spa.

From 2000 until 2024, the council had its main offices at Riverside House on Milverton Hill in Leamington, close to the River Leam, which had been built in 1984 as the headquarters of the Leamington Spa Building Society, and was subsequently bought by the council in 2000. Riverside House closed in 2024 and was subsequently sold and demolished.

The environment

On 27 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 was accepted by the other councillors then a district wide referendum would have been held on 7 May to decide if the public accept it. On 26 February the full council unanimously agreed the proposal, triggering the 7 May referendum, – which was put back to 6 May 2021, due to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. As of April 2022[update] the referendum has not yet occurred and no date has been set.

Demography

Travel, education and healthcare

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 Coventry Airport.

National Health Service general healthcare is provided by South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust and mental health care by Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust. Local hospitals include Warwick Hospital, the Leamington Spa Hospital, St Michael's Hospital and the Warwickshire Nuffield Hospital (non-NHS, part of the Nuffield Health group) Historic hospitals included St Michael's Leper Hospital, Warneford Hospital and Central Hospital. In 2021 a COVID-19 "mega lab" was opened in the town, named after English chemist Rosalind Franklin. The largest laboratory of its kind in the UK, it failed to reach projected performance goals and closed without ceremony in January 2023. Social services and fostering are dealt with on a countywide basis by Warwickshire County Council.

Freedom of district

• MoD Kineton: 4 April 2013.
• On 26 November 2013 the freedom of the district was bestowed on the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers following a parade through Royal Leamington Spa.

Towns and parishes

The district is divided into 32 civil parishes, which cover the whole area. The parish councils for Kenilworth, Royal Leamington Spa, Warwick and Whitnash have declared their parishes to be towns, allowing them to take the style "town council". The small parish of Bushwood has a parish meeting rather than a parish council. The parishes are:

• Ashow
• Baddesley Clinton, Baginton, Barford, Beausale, Haseley, Honiley and Wroxall, Bishops Tachbrook, Blackdown, Bubbenhall, Budbrooke, Burton Green, Bushwood
• Cubbington
• Eathorpe
• Hatton, Hunningham
• Kenilworth
• Lapworth, Leek Wootton and Guy's Cliffe
• Norton Lindsey
• Offchurch, Old Milverton
• Radford Semele, Rowington, Royal Leamington Spa
• Sherbourne, Shrewley, Stoneleigh
• Wappenbury, Warwick, Wasperton, Weston Under Wetherley, Whitnash

Gallery

• Warwick, the county town of Warwickshire and the second-largest settlement in the district
• Kenilworth, the third-largest settlement in the district and close to the border with Coventry
• Whitnash, the fourth-largest settlement in the district
• Leamington Spa Town Hall, the meeting place of both Leamington Spa Town Council and Warwick District Council
• Collegiate Church of St Mary, the parish church of Warwick and one of the largest churches in Warwickshire
• Warwick Castle, Warwick is the historic castle of the town and one of its oldest landmarks.
• All Saints Church, Leamington Spa, the parish church of Leamington Spa and a grade-II* listed building
• Kenilworth Castle, the historic castle in the market town of Kenilworth
• The Royal Pump Rooms and Baths, Leamington Spa which house the spa baths and give Leamington Spa its status as a spa town.
• Warwick Racecourse in Warwick, which is a horse-racing track
• Whitnash parish church and Warwick Gates.
• Lord Leycester Hospital, an old hospital in Warwick
• Guy's Cliffe House in the north of Warwick is a ruined Gothic house.

External links

• , Warwick District Council.

52°17′22″N 1°32′37″W/52.2894°N 1.5435°W/ 52.2894; -1.5435