North Warwickshire

The borough's landscape is primarily of the mildly undulating agricultural variety, with the North Warwickshire plateau rising to 177 m (581 ft) above sea-level at Bentley Common, 2.5 miles southwest of Atherstone. The most significant bodies of water within North Warwickshire are Kingsbury Water Park, Shustoke Reservoir, the River Blythe and the mid-section of the Coventry Canal. The neighbouring districts are Nuneaton and Bedworth, Coventry, Solihull, Birmingham, Lichfield, Tamworth, North West Leicestershire and Hinckley and Bosworth.

• Name — Borough of North Warwickshire • Type — Borough and non-metropolitan district • Mapsize — frameless • Subdivision Type — Sovereign state • Subdivision Name — United Kingdom • Subdivision Type1 — Constituent country • Subdivision Name1 — England • Subdivision Type2 — Region • Subdivision Name2 — West Midlands • Subdivision Type3 — Administrative county • Subdivision Name3 — Warwickshire • Seat Type — Admin. HQ • Seat — Atherstone • Government Type — Non-metropolitan district • Leader Title2 — MPs: • Leader Name2 — Rachel Taylor Jodie Gosling • Established Title — Founded • Established Date — 1 April 1974 • Population Rank — Ranked • Population Density Km2 — auto • Timezone — Greenwich Mean Time • Utc Offset — +0 • Timezone Dst — British Summer Time • Utc Offset Dst — +1 • Postal Code Type — Postcode • Postal Code — B46,B79,B78, CV7, CV9, CV10 • Blank Name — ISO 3166-2 • Blank1 Name — ONS code • Blank1 Info — 44UB (ONS) E07000218 (GSS) • Blank2 Name — OS grid reference • Blank3 Name — NUTS 3 • Demographics Type1 — Ethnicity (2021) • Demographics1 Title1 — Ethnic groups • Demographics Type2 — Religion (2021) • Demographics2 Title1 — Religion

The district was created on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, by a merger of one previous district with part of another, these were: • Atherstone Rural District • Meriden Rural District (remainder split between Solihull and Coventry in the new West Midlands county) The new district was named North Warwickshire, reflecting its position in the wider county. The district was awarded borough status from its creation, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor.

Under current local government reorganisation plans, all district councils in Warwickshire, as well as the county council, will be abolished in 2028, with the district forming part of a new North Warwickshire unitary authority, also including the areas of the Rugby and Nuneaton and Bedworth districts.

• Name — North Warwickshire Borough Council • House Type — Non-metropolitan district • Leader1 Type — Mayor • Leader1 — Davina Ridley • Party1 — Independent • Election1 — 13 May 2026 • Leader2 Type — Leader • Leader2 — David Wright • Party2 — Conservative • Election2 — March 2020 • Leader3 Type — Chief Executive • Leader3 — Steve Maxey • Election3 — March 2019 • Seats — 35 councillors • Structure1 Res — 200px • Term Length — 4 years • Voting System1 — First past the post • Last Election1 — 4 May 2023 • Meeting Place — Council House, South Street, Atherstone, CV91DE • Website — www.northwarks.gov.uk • Illustration — Coleshill, the other town of the borough North Warwickshire Borough Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Warwickshire County Council. The whole borough is also covered by civil parish, which form a third tier of local government.

The council has been under no overall control since the 2023 election, being led by a Conservative minority administration with informal support from two of the three independent councillors. The first elections to the council were held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new arrangements came into effect on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows: • Party in control || Years • Labour Party (UK) — 1974–1976 • No overall control — 1976–1979 • Labour Party (UK) — 1979–2003 • No overall control — 2003–2007 • Conservative Party (UK) — 2007–2011 • Labour Party (UK) — 2011–2015 • Conservative Party (UK) — 2015–2023 • No overall control — 2023–present

The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in North Warwickshire. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 2009 have been: • Councillor — Party — From — To • Colin Hayfield — Conservative Party (UK) — pre-2009 — 2011 • Mick Stanley — Labour Party (UK) — 18 May 2011 — 2015 • David Humphreys — Conservative Party (UK) — 20 May 2015 — Mar 2020 • David Wright — Conservative Party (UK) — Mar 2020

North Warwickshire Borough Council elections Since the last boundary changes in 2003 the council has comprised 35 councillors representing 17 wards with each ward electing two councillors except the Arley and Whitacre ward, which elects three. Elections are held every four years.

The council is based at the Council House on South Street in Atherstone. The building was purpose-built for the council and opened in 1979.

List of civil parishes in Warwickshire The whole district is covered by 33 civil parishes. The parish councils for Atherstone and Coleshill have declared their parishes to be towns, allowing them to take the style "town council". Some of the parishes share a grouped parish council. The parishes are: • Ansley • Arley • Astley • Atherstone • Austrey • Baddesley Ensor • Baxterley • Bentley • Caldecote • Coleshill • Corley • Curdworth • Dordon • Fillongley • Great Packington • Grendon • Hartshill • Kingsbury • Lea Marston • Little Packington • Mancetter • Maxstoke • Merevale • Middleton • Nether Whitacre • Newton Regis • Over Whitacre • Polesworth • Seckington • Shustoke • Shuttington • Water Orton • Wishaw

North Warwickshire is served by BBC West Midlands and ITV Central with television signals received from the Sutton Coldfield TV transmitter.

Radio stations for the area are: • BBC CWR • BBC Radio WM • Capital Midlands • Heart West Midlands • Smooth West Midlands • Hits Radio Coventry & Warwickshire • Greatest Hits Radio Midlands

The council was granted a coat of arms in 1976.