Leicester

Leicester (pronounced {{IPA|}}) is a city in the English East Midlands, on the River Soar. It is the traditional county town of Leicestershire, and since 1997 has been a self-governing unitary authority. It lies on the edge of the National Forest. In 2002 the population of the city proper was estimated at 283,578, with 330,574 living in the urban area. Technically is is the most populous city in the East Midlands, but Nottingham's urban area is much larger.

Politics in Leicester

On April 1, 1997, Leicester City Council became a unitary authority, local government up until then having been a two-tier system with the city and county councils being responsible for different aspects of local government services (a system which is still in place in the rest of Leicestershire). Leicestershire County Council retained its headquarters at County Hall in Glenfield, just outside the city boundary but within the urban area. The administrative offices of Leicester City Council are in the centre of the city at the New Walk Centre and other office buildings near Welford Place. Some services (particularly the police and the ambulance service) still cover the whole of the city and county, but for the most part the two councils are independent.

Related Topics:
April 1 - 1997 - Unitary authority - Leicestershire - Glenfield

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Council wards, and their approximate geographic areas (see also the City Council's map):

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• Castle (the city centre, Southfields, Clarendon Park)
• Spinney Hills (including parts of Highfields and Evington Valley, and the St Matthew's estate)
• Stoneygate (also including parts of Highfields)
• Knighton
• Freemen (Knighton Fields and the Saffron estate)
• Aylestone
• Eyres Monsell
• Westcotes
• Fosse
• Abbey (from Abbey Park up to Stocking Farm and Mowmacre Hill
• Beaumont Leys
• New Parks (including Braunstone Frith)
• Western Park
• Braunstone Park and Rowley Fields (including most of Braunstone)
• Latimer (the southern half of the Belgrave area)
• Belgrave (the northern half of the area)
• Rushey Mead
• Charnwood (confusingly, nowhere near Charnwood Forest or Charnwood Borough, this is actually Northfields, around Charnwood Street)
• Coleman (Crown Hills and North Evington)
• Evington
• Thurncourt (Thurnby Lodge)
• Humberstone and Hamilton (including Nether Hall)

After a long period of Labour administration (since 1979), the city council from May 2003 was run by a Liberal Democrat/Conservative coalition, which collapsed in November 2004. The minority Labour group ran the city until May 2005, when the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives formed a new coalition.

Related Topics:
1979 - 2003 - Liberal Democrat - Conservative - 2004 - 2005

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Leicester is divided into three Parliamentary constituencies. Leicester East and Leicester West are represented by Keith Vaz and Patricia Hewitt respectively - both members of the Labour Party. The third seat, Leicester South, became vacant in May 2004 on the death of Labour politician Jim Marshall. A by-election was held on July 15, and was won by Parmjit Singh Gill of the Liberal Democrats, with a 21% swing. This by-election saw almost 4,000 votes go to a Respect party candidate, who opposed the Iraq war. However, in the 2005 general election, Labour's unsuccessful byelection candidate and former Council leader Sir Peter Soulsby won Leicester South back for the party, and Vaz and Hewitt retained their seats.

Related Topics:
Leicester East - Leicester West - Keith Vaz - Patricia Hewitt - Labour Party - Leicester South - Jim Marshall - By-election - July 15 - Parmjit Singh Gill - Liberal Democrats - Respect party - 2005 general election - Sir Peter Soulsby

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