| Administrative History | Under the Municipal Corporations Act, 1835, local government in Chester was reformed so that councillors were elected by the ratepayers. Initially, the city was divided into five wards each returning six councillors. The thirty councillors elected ten aldermen who were each to serve for six years. Councillors and aldermen elected the mayor and single sheriff annually. Because of various boundary changes, by 1974, the number of aldermen and councillors had increased to fourteen and forty two respectively. In the reorganisation of local government in 1974, following the Local Government Act, 1972, aldermen were abolished, but the new Council consisting of sixty members still elects a mayor and sheriff annually. After 1835, the Council delegated much of its work to permanent committees of councillors and aldermen and to other special committees set up as necessary. Although the term 'Corporation' is used until 1974, Chester had acquired county borough status under the Local Government Act, 1888. On 1 April 1974 Chester Corporation together with Chester Rural District and Tarvin Rural District were amalgamated to form a county district of Cheshire Country Council. After 1974, the permanent committees were reorganised and in some instances renamed, to reflect the new powers and functions of the Council. Chester City Council ceased to exist as a result of Local Government Reorganisation in April 2009. It joined with Ellesmere Port and Neston and Vale Royal Borough Councils and the western areas of Cheshire formerly administered by Cheshire County Council to form the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester Council. |