25-586: Chichester is a local government district in West Sussex , England. It is named after the city of Chichester , which is its largest settlement and where the council is based. The district includes the towns of Midhurst , Petworth and Selsey and surrounding rural areas, including many villages. The district includes part of the South Downs National Park , and Chichester Harbour is a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty . At
50-434: A borough or district council. In these cases local government functions are divided between county and district councils, to the level where they can be practised most efficiently: Many districts have borough status , which means the local council is called a borough council instead of district council and gives them the right to appoint a mayor . Borough status is granted by royal charter and, in many cases, continues
75-425: A district will consist of a market town and its more rural hinterland. However districts are diverse with some being mostly urban such as Dartford, and others more polycentric such as Thurrock. Non-metropolitan districts are subdivisions of English non-metropolitan counties which have a two-tier structure of local government. Two-tier non-metropolitan counties have a county council and several districts, each with
100-412: A group, which forms the council's largest opposition group. The next election is due in 2027. Since the last boundary changes in 2019 the council has comprised 36 councillors representing 21 wards , with each ward electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years. List of Chichester district councillors by ward: The council is based at East Pallant House, on East Pallant in
125-457: A style enjoyed by a predecessor authority, which can date back centuries. Some districts such as Oxford or Exeter have city status , granted by letters patent , but this does not give the local council any extra powers other than the right to call itself a city council . By 1899, England had been divided at district level into rural districts , urban districts , municipal boroughs , county boroughs and metropolitan boroughs . This system
150-491: A type of local government district in England. As created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan counties (colloquially shire counties ) in a two-tier arrangement. Non-metropolitan districts with borough status are known as boroughs , able to appoint a mayor and refer to itself as a borough council. Some shire counties now have no sub divisions so are a single Non-metropolitan district such as Cornwall. Typically
175-579: Is also covered by civil parishes , which form a third tier of local government. In the parts of the district within the South Downs National Park, town planning is the responsibility of the South Downs National Park Authority . The district council appoints one of its councillors to serve on the 27-person National Park Authority. The council has been under Liberal Democrat majority control since
200-528: The 2021 census the district had a population of 124,531. The district is on the coast, facing the English Channel . The neighbouring districts are Arun , Horsham , Waverley , East Hampshire and Havant . Chichester itself had been an ancient borough , which additionally held city status from 1075 when the Diocese of Chichester moved its seat from Selsey to Chichester. The modern district
225-449: The 2023 election . 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: The leaders of the council since 1999 have been: Following the 2023 election , the composition of the council was: The Local Alliance and Greens sit together as
250-604: The District Councils' Network , special interest group which sits within the Local Government Association . The network's purpose is to "act as an informed and representative advocate for districts to government and other national bodies, based on their unique position to deliver for local people." This is a list of two-tier non-metropolitan counties and their districts. All unitary authorities are also non-metropolitan districts, which, with
275-454: The areas for Wales and England had been enacted separately and there were no Welsh metropolitan areas, the term 'non-metropolitan district' does not apply to Wales. A similar system existed in Scotland , which in 1975 was divided into regions and districts, this was also abolished in 1996 and replaced with a fully unitary system . In England most of the district councils are represented by
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#1732772019827300-453: The centre of Chichester. The oldest part of the building was originally a large house, which had subsequently served as the headquarters of the old Chichester Rural District Council prior to the 1974 reorganisation. Large modern extensions have since been added to the building. Chichester District occupies the western part of West Sussex, bordering on Hampshire to the west and Surrey to the north. The districts of Arun and Horsham abut to
325-631: The city. Stately homes open to the public include Petworth House and Uppark , both National Trust properties, Goodwood House and Stansted Park . West Dean College is open at certain times of the year. There is horse racing at Goodwood Racecourse , the Goodwood Festival of Speed at Goodwood House, and the Goodwood Revival at Goodwood Motor Racing Circuit . Cowdray House is a ruined Tudor mansion near Midhurst. Fishbourne Roman Palace lies west of Chichester city centre. To
350-628: The coastal region suitable for glasshouse growing. A fertile strip of land on the north side of the River Rother is also used for vegetable growing, but most of the area north of the Downs is of low agricultural value and there are large areas of forest and pasture, interspersed with arable cropping. 50°50′13″N 0°46′48″W / 50.837°N 0.780°W / 50.837; -0.780 Non-metropolitan district Non-metropolitan districts , or colloquially " shire districts ", are
375-647: The east; the English Channel to the south. The district is divided by the South Downs escarpment , with the northern part being in the Weald , composed of a mixture of sandstone ridges and low-lying clays known as the Western Weald. To the south the dip slope of the downs falls gently to a flat coastal plain and the sea. The Western Weald is drained by the River Arun and its tributaries including
400-487: The exception of those of Berkshire , are coterminous with non-metropolitan counties. For a full list of districts of all types including unitary authorities, metropolitan districts and London boroughs , see Districts of England . This is a list of former two-tier districts in England which have been abolished, by local government reorganisations such as the 2009 structural changes to local government in England . It does not include districts that still exist after becoming
425-504: The new district. A successor parish was established covering the former borough of Chichester, and Chichester's city status passed to the new parish rather than the wider district. As such, Chichester City Council is a parish council , whilst Chichester District Council has greater powers and covers the much larger area of Chichester District. Chichester District Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by West Sussex County Council . The whole district
450-485: The north of the city are Weald and Downland Open Air Museum and Halnaker Windmill . There are gardens open to the public at Woolbeding and Pound Commons and West Dean College. West Sussex County Council and Chichester District Council are major employers in Chichester, along with Rolls-Royce Motor Cars assembly plant at nearby Westhampnett . Boatbuilding is an important industry along the coast. Many people from
475-506: The northern parts of the district commute to work in London, using the A3 road or the railways from Portsmouth to London Waterloo station and Littlehampton to London Victoria station . Fertile soils on the coastal plain are used for arable farming and intensive vegetable production, the latter employing many migrant workers from Eastern Europe. High sunlight levels and a mild climate also make
500-493: The parish council to call itself a city council. The parish councils for Midhurst, Petworth and Selsey have each declared their parishes to be towns, allowing them to take the style "town council". Some of the smaller parishes have a parish meeting rather than a parish council. Apart from the geographical landmarks Chichester District contains architectural and cultural places including Chichester Cathedral , Chichester Festival Theatre , The Novium and Pallant House Gallery in
525-668: The rivers Lox, Kird and especially the River Rother and its tributaries the River Lod and the Haslingbourne Stream. On the northern boundary Blackdown is the highest point in Sussex, while further east around Loxwood the land is low and quite flat. The south of the district has many permeable chalk and gravel areas and is drained by two winterbournes , the River Lavant and River Ems , which are usually dry in
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#1732772019827550-574: The summer. The large inlet known as Chichester Harbour and the headland of Selsey Bill are conspicuous features of the coast. The district, apart from the few main roads, is generally rural in character, as can be seen by the number of villages within it. Apart from the coastal strip there are few main roads, and the erstwhile railways which once served Midhurst have long been closed. There are 67 civil parishes in Chichester District. The parish of Chichester holds city status, allowing
575-526: The two-tier structure, but reforms in the 1990s and 2009 reduced their number to 192. A further 55 non-metropolitan districts are now unitary authorities, which combine the functions of county and borough/district councils. In Wales , an almost identical two-tier system of local government existed between 1974 and 1996 (see Districts of Wales ). In 1996, this was abolished and replaced with an entirely unitary system of local government, with one level of local government responsible for all local services. Since
600-691: Was abolished by the London Government Act 1963 and the Local Government Act 1972 . Non-metropolitan districts were created by this act in 1974 when England outside Greater London was divided into metropolitan counties and non-metropolitan counties. Metropolitan counties were sub-divided into metropolitan districts and the non-metropolitan counties were sub-divided into non-metropolitan districts. The metropolitan districts had more powers than their non-metropolitan counterparts. Initially, there were 296 non-metropolitan districts in
625-511: Was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972 as one of seven districts within West Sussex. The new district covered the whole area of three former districts and parts of a fourth, which were all abolished at the same time: The new district was named Chichester, after its largest settlement. The medieval territory of the Rape of Chichester had also covered much of the area of
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