Cheshire's Changing Boundaries

The boundaries of Cheshire have changed over the last thrity years as the area has developed.

Cheshire before 1974

At the time Cheshire included the Wirral in the west of the County and places such as Stockport, Hyde, Stalybridge, Cheadle, Bramhall and Altrincham in the northeast of the County. The Manchester Ship Canal defined the boundary between Cheshire and Lancashire.

Cheshire from 1974 to 1998

Local government was re-organised in 1974 and many boundaries were redrawn. The Wirral became a metropolitan borough in Merseyside. Many places in the northeast of the county also became Metropolitan boroughs within Greater Manchester. However Runcorn and Warrington became borough councils in Cheshire.

Cheshire from 1998 to 2009

In April 1998 Warrington and Halton (which covers Widnes and Runcorn) became unitary councils separate from the administrative county of Cheshire in terms of local government service provision. Cheshire went from Neston in the west to Disley in the northeast, Alsager in the southeast, and from Audlem and Malpas in the south to High Leigh and Frodsham in the north.

Cheshire Today

Cheshire's administrative boundaries changed again in April 2009. As part of Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) Cheshire County Council and its constituent district and borough councils were superseded by the newly formed Cheshire West and Chester Council and Cheshire East Council. This has resulted in the third largest council in the North West being formed strecthing from Audlem in the south to Disley and Poyton in the North with a population of over 360,000 people.