Borough of Chorley

The Borough of Chorley is a local government district with borough status in Lancashire, England. It is named after the town of Chorley, which is an unparished area. The borough extends to several villages and hamlets including Adlington, Buckshaw Village, Croston, Eccleston, Euxton and Whittle-le-Woods.

The neighbouring districts are West Lancashire, South Ribble, Blackburn with Darwen, Bolton and Wigan.

History

The town of Chorley had been governed by improvement commissioners from 1853.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The commissioners were reconstituted as a local board in 1863.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> The board was in turn replaced in 1881 when the town was made a municipal borough.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The modern district was created on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, covering the area of four former districts, which were all abolished at the same time:<ref>Template:Cite legislation UK</ref>

• Adlington Urban District
• Chorley Municipal Borough
• Chorley Rural District
• Withnell Urban District

The new district was named Chorley, and the borough status previously held by the town was passed to the new district on the day that it came into being, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor, continuing Chorley's series of mayors dating back to 1881.<ref>Template:Cite legislation UK</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Governance

Chorley Borough Council, which styles itself "Chorley Council", provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Lancashire County Council. Much of the borough is also covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government.<ref>Template:Cite legislation UK</ref>

Political control

The council has been under Labour majority control since 2012.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The first election to the reformed borough council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities before coming into its powers on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows:<ref name=compositions>Template:Cite web (Put "Chorley" in search box to see specific results.)</ref>

Party in control		Years
Template:Party name with colour	1974–1976
Template:Party name with colour	1976–1983
Template:Party name with colour	1983–1990
Template:Party name with colour	1990–1991
Template:Party name with colour	1991–1995
Template:Party name with colour	1995–2000
Template:Party name with colour	2000–2006
Template:Party name with colour	2006–2011
Template:Party name with colour	2011–2012
Template:Party name with colour	2012–present

Leadership

The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Chorley. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 1985 have been:

Councillor	Party		From	To
Jim Moorcroft<ref name=CG27Mar1986/>	Template:Party name with colour		1985
John Holt<ref name=CG27Mar1986>Template:Cite news</ref>	Template:Party name with colour	1985	Mar 1986
Jim Moorcroft<ref name=CG11May1989>Template:Cite news</ref>	Template:Party name with colour	1986	May 1989
Jean Rigby<ref name=CG11May1989/><ref name=Taylor/>	Template:Party name with colour	May 1989	May 1990
John Wilson<ref name=Taylor>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	Template:Party name with colour	May 1990	May 2006
Peter Goldsworthy<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>	Template:Party name with colour	16 May 2006	May 2012
Alistair Bradley<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	Template:Party name with colour	15 May 2012

Composition

Following the 2024 election,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and subsequent by-elections up to June 2025, the composition of the council was:<ref name=Thorncliffe>Template:Cite web</ref>

Party		Councillors
Template:Party name with colour	37
Template:Party name with colour	4
Template:Party name with colour	1
Total		42

The next election is due in 2026, where a third of the council's seats will be contested.<ref name=Thorncliffe/>

Elections

Template:See also Since the last boundary changes in 2020 the council has comprised 42 councillors representing 14 wards, with each ward electing three councillors. Elections are held three years out of every four, with a third of the council (one councillor for each ward) elected each time for a four year term of office. Lancashire County Council elections are held in the fourth year of the cycle when there are no borough council elections.<ref>Template:Cite legislation UK</ref>

The wards are: Template:Div col

1. Adlington & Anderton
2. Buckshaw & Whittle
3. Chorley East
4. Chorley North East
5. Chorley North West
6. Chorley North & Astley
7. Chorley South East & Heath Charnock
8. Chorley South West
9. Clayton East, Brindle & Hoghton
10. Clayton West & Cuerden
11. Coppull
12. Croston, Mawdesley & Euxton South
13. Eccleston, Heskin & Charnock Richard
14. Euxton

The Chorley constituency was coterminous with the borough from 1997 until 2010 when Croston, Eccleston, Bretherton and Mawdesley were transferred to the South Ribble constituency. The current Member of Parliament for Chorley is Lindsay Hoyle, who was first elected to the seat in 1997.

Premises

Civic Offices, Union Street

The council's main offices are at the Civic Offices on Union Street in Chorley.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Council meetings are held at Chorley Town Hall on Market Street, which had been completed in 1879 for the old local board.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Parishes

Parishes in Chorley Borough

The borough contains 23 civil parishes. The parish council for Adlington takes the style "town council".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The central part of the borough, roughly corresponding to the pre-1974 borough of Chorley, is an unparished area.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

1. Adlington
2. Anderton
3. Anglezarke
4. Astley Village
5. Bretherton
6. Brindle
7. Charnock Richard
8. Clayton-le-Woods
9. Coppull
10. Croston
11. Cuerden
12. Eccleston
13. Euxton
14. Heapey
15. Heath Charnock
16. Heskin
17. Hoghton
18. Mawdesley
19. Rivington
20. Ulnes Walton
21. Wheelton
22. Whittle-le-Woods
23. Withnell

Freedom of the Borough

The following people and military units have received the Freedom of the Borough of Chorley. {{ safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst||date=__DATE__ |$B=Template:AmboxTemplate:Main other }}

Individuals

• Sir Henry Hibbert: 25 September 1922.
• James Winder Stone: 25 September 1922.
• Arnold Gillett: 17 June 1931.
• J. Fearnhead: 12 July 1944.
• Douglas Hacking, 1st Baron Hacking: 30 November 1946.
• Bertha Maude Gillett: 24 November 1960.

<ref name="Clewlow">Template:Cite web</ref>

Military Units

• The Queen's Lancashire Regiment: 2005.
• 5 General Medical Support Regiment RAMC: 2007.<ref name="Clewlow"/>
• The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment: 2007.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 3 Medical Regiment: 6 June 2015.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• The Lancashire Constabulary.