The Borough of Cheshire West and Chester

About the Borough

Cheshire West and Chester has a population of 328,100 and an area of 350 square miles. In addition to ‘East Cheshire’ in the east, it is bounded by the Welsh border and the Wirral to the west, the Mersey Valley to the north and the Shropshire border to the south.  It includes the historic city of Chester, the industrial and market towns of Ellesmere Port, Northwich, and Winsford, together with Neston, Frodsham, Helsby and Malpas.  32% of the population live in rural wards.  In the 2008 Place Survey, the majority of Cheshire West and Chester residents (83.4%) were satisfied with their local area compared to the North West average of 76.9% and the England average of 79.7%. According to the Cheshire Community Survey 2008, 62% of respondents living in Cheshire West and Chester ‘liked very much’ living in their area with a further 29% saying they ‘liked’ it.  2% said they disliked living in their area.  The overall quality of life is very good for most residents.  However, it is firmly recognised there are places, mainly in urban areas, where some communities experience multiple disadvantages.

Our population is getting older.  17.4% of our population is aged 65 or above (higher than the England average of 16.0%).  At the time of writing, our population forecasts are being updated but the most recent forecasts suggest that the number of older people between 65 and 84 years of age will increase by 24% between 2006 and 2016, an additional 11,800 older persons.  The number of people aged 85 or over will increase by 32%, an additional 2,200 older persons (a potentially vulnerable group).  The number of young people aged 0-15 years of age in Cheshire West and Chester is falling.  It has fallen by about 4,000 over the last decade, and is forecast to fall by about 3,800 between 2006 and 2016.

Cheshire West and Chester has a relatively small proportion of people from a black or non-white minority ethnic background (about 10,700 people, 3.3% in 2007) however, this has grown from about 4,800 people in 2001. The area is becoming more diverse as we have seen a growing number of international workers and their families, many from Eastern Europe who work in and around the area.

Following consultation with partners and other stakeholders in 2008, the area has been divided into five smaller areas, to ensure a more locally focused approach to service delivery.  All partners are configuring their patterns of service delivery against these five areas and are co-ordinating their efforts through the five Area Partnership Boards.