| Official Name: | Lancaster |
| Settlement Type: | City and non-metropolitan district |
| Motto: | "Luck to Loyne" |
| Image Blank Emblem: | Coat of Arms of Lancaster City Council.svg |
| Blank Emblem Type: | Coat of arms of Lancaster City Council |
| Blank Emblem Size: | 150px |
| Mapsize: | 175 |
| Subdivision Type: | Sovereign state |
| Subdivision Name: | United Kingdom |
| Subdivision Type1: | Country |
| Subdivision Name1: | England |
| Subdivision Type2: | Region |
| Subdivision Name2: | North West England |
| Subdivision Type3: | Ceremonial county |
| Subdivision Name3: | Lancashire |
| Government Type: | Non-metropolitan district |
| Governing Body: | Lancaster City Council |
| Established Title: | City status |
| Established Date: | 14 May 1937 |
| Seat Type: | Administrative HQ |
| Seat: | Lancaster (Town Hall) Morecambe (Town Hall) |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Rank: | |
| Population Rank: | |
| Demographics Type1: | Ethnicity (2021) |
| Demographics1 Title1: | Ethnic groups |
| Demographics Type2: | Religion (2021) |
| Demographics2 Title1: | Religion |
| Population Blank2 Title: | Ethnicity |
| Population Blank2: | 97.8% white |
| Timezone: | Greenwich Mean Time |
| Utc Offset: | +0 |
| Timezone Dst: | British Summer Time |
| Utc Offset Dst: | +1 |
| Coordinates: | 54.047°N -2.801°W |
| Postal Code Type: | Postcode areas |
| Postal Code: | LA |
| Area Code Type: | Dialling codes |
| Area Code: | 01524 (Lancaster) 015242 (Hornby-with-Farleton) |
| Registration Plate Type: | Vehicle registration prefix |
| Registration Plate: | P |
| Blank Name Sec1: | GSS code |
| Blank Info Sec1: | E07000121 |
| Blank1 Name Sec1: | NUTS 3 code |
| Blank1 Info Sec1: | UKD44 |
| Blank2 Name Sec1: | ONS code |
| Blank2 Info Sec1: | 30UH |
| Blank3 Name Sec1: | OS grid reference |
| Blank4 Name Sec1: | Motorways |
| Blank4 Info Sec1: | M6 A601(M) |
| Blank5 Name Sec1: | Major railway stations |
| Blank5 Info Sec1: | Lancaster (B) |
| Blank Name Sec2: | Councillors |
| Blank Info Sec2: | 61 |
| Blank1 Name Sec2: | MPs |
| Blank1 Info Sec2: | Cat Smith (L) Lizzi Collinge (L) |
| Blank2 Name Sec2: | Police area |
| Blank2 Info Sec2: | Lancashire |
| Blank3 Name Sec2: | Fire service |
| Blank3 Info Sec2: | Lancashire |
| Blank4 Name Sec2: | Ambulance service |
| Blank4 Info Sec2: | North West |
The City of Lancaster, or simply Lancaster,[1] [2] is a local government district with city status in Lancashire, England. It is named after its largest settlement, Lancaster, and also includes the towns of Carnforth, Heysham and Morecambe and a wider rural hinterland. The district has a population of, and an area of NaNmi2NaNmi2.
Much of the district's rural area is recognised for its natural beauty; it includes part of the Yorkshire Dales National Park and parts of the designated Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty of Arnside and Silverdale and the Forest of Bowland. The neighbouring districts are Westmorland and Furness, North Yorkshire, Ribble Valley and Wyre.
The town of Lancaster was an ancient borough, with its earliest known charter dating from 1193. A later charter in 1337 gave it the right to appoint a mayor.[3] It was reformed to become a municipal borough in 1836, governed by a body formally called the "mayor, aldermen and burgesses of the borough of Lancaster", but generally known as the corporation or town council.[4] In 1937 the borough was awarded city status.
The modern district was created on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, covering the territory of five former districts which were abolished at the same time:[5] [6]
The new district was awarded borough status from its creation, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor, continuing Lancaster's series of mayors dating back to 1337.[7] The city status which had been held by the old municipal borough of Lancaster since 1937 was also transferred to the new district on its creation.[8] [9]
Since 1 August 2016 the district has included a small part of the Yorkshire Dales National Park.[10]
| Lancaster City Council | |
| Logo Pic: | Lancaster City Council logo.svg |
| Leader1 Type: | Mayor |
| Leader1: | Abi Mills |
| Election1: | 10 May 2024[11] |
| Party1: | Green |
| Leader2 Type: | Leader |
| Leader2: | Phil Black |
| Party2: | Labour |
| Election2: | 22 May 2023[12] |
| Leader3 Type: | Chief Executive |
| Leader3: | Mark Davies |
| Election3: | 2022[13] |
| Seats: | 61 councillors[14] |
| Structure1: | Lancaster_City_Council_2023.svg |
| Structure1 Res: | 250px |
| Political Groups1: |
|
| Term Length: | 4 years |
| Voting System1: | First past the post |
| Last Election1: | 4 May 2023 |
| Next Election1: | 6 May 2027 |
| Session Room: | File:Town Hall - panoramio (2).jpg |
| Meeting Place: | Town Hall, Marine Road East, Morecambe, LA45AF |
Lancaster City Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Lancashire County Council. Much of the district is covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government.[15]
In the part of the district within the Yorkshire Dales National Park, town planning is the responsibility of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority. The city council appoints one of its councillors to serve on the 25-person National Park Authority.[16]
The council has been under no overall control since 2019. Since the 2023 election a coalition of Labour, the Greens and Liberal Democrats has formed the council's administration.[17] [18]
The first election to the city council as enlarged by the Local Government Act 1972 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:[19] [20]
| Party | Period | |
|---|---|---|
| 1974–1987 | ||
| 1987–1995 | ||
| 1995–1999 | ||
| 1999–2017 | ||
| 2017–2019 | ||
| 2019–present | ||
The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Lancaster, with political leadership instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 1993 have been:[21]
| Councillor | Party | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| pre-1993 | 9 May 1999 | |||
| Tricia Heath | 19 May 1999 | 6 May 2003 | ||
| Ian Barker | May 2003 | 6 May 2007 | ||
| Roger Mace | 21 May 2007 | 4 Feb 2009 | ||
| Abbott Bryning | 4 Feb 2009 | 18 May 2009 | ||
| Stuart Langhorn | 18 May 2009 | 8 May 2011 | ||
| Eileen Blamire | 23 May 2011 | 5 May 2019 | ||
| Erica Lewis | 20 May 2019 | 17 May 2021 | ||
| Caroline Jackson | 17 May 2021 | 22 May 2023 | ||
| Phil Black | 22 May 2023 | |||
Following the 2023 election and subsequent by-elections up to July 2024, the composition of the council was:[22] [23]
| Party | Councillors | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 23 | |||
| 22 | |||
| 7 | |||
| 5 | |||
| 3 | |||
| 1 | |||
| Total | 61 | ||
The next election is due in 2027.
Since the last boundary changes in 2023 the council has comprised 61 councillors representing 27 wards, with each ward electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years.[24]
The district comprises two parliamentary constituencies: Lancaster and Fleetwood, and Morecambe and Lunesdale.[25] Since 2015, Lancaster and Fleetwood has been held by Labour, and Morecambe and Lunesdale has been held by the Conservatives since 2010.
The council has two main meeting places, both inherited from predecessor authorities: Lancaster Town Hall and Morecambe Town Hall. Full council meetings are held in the larger council chamber of Morecambe Town Hall, but Lancaster Town Hall is also used for committee meetings and houses administrative functions.[26]
| Lancaster compared | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 UK Census | Lancaster | Lancashire | England | United Kingdom | |
| Total population | 133,914 | 1,134,974 | 49,138,831 | 58,789,194 | |
| White | 97.8% | 94.7% | 90.9% | 92.14% | |
| Asian | 0.7% | 4.1% | 4.6% | 3.4% | |
| Black | 0.2% | 0.2% | 2.3% | 2% | |
The population density was 233/km2 and for every 100 females, there were 91.8 males. Of those aged 16–74 in Lancaster, 26.7% had no academic qualifications, lower than 28.9% in all of England. The city of Lancaster had a higher proportion of white people than England.
The table below details the population change since 1801, including the percentage change since the last available census data. Although the City of Lancaster has existed as a district since 1974, figures have been generated by combining data from the towns, villages, and civil parishes that would later be constituent parts of the city.
| Lancaster compared | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 UK Census | City of Lancaster | Lancashire | England | |
| Population | 138,375 | 1,134,974 | 49,138,831 | |
| Christian | 65.9% | 68.8% | 59.4% | |
| Muslim | 1.3% | 4.8% | 5.0% | |
| No religion | 24.5% | 19.2% | 24.7% | |
| City of Lancaster compared | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 UK Census | City of Lancaster | Lancashire | England | |
| Population of working age | 97,365 | 814,434 | 35,532,091 | |
| Full-time employment | 33.5% | 39.2% | 40.8% | |
| Part-time employment | 12.7% | 12.2% | 11.8% | |
| Self employed | 7.8% | 8.2% | 8.3% | |
| Unemployed | 3.6% | 2.9% | 3.3% | |
| Retired | 14.9% | 15.0% | 13.5% | |
In 2001, of the 55,906 residents of the City of Lancaster in employment, the industry of employment was 16.7% retail and wholesale, 14.2% health and social work, 11.4% education, 11.2% manufacturing, 7.8% property and business services, 6.7% construction, 6.7% hotels and restaurants, 6.5% transport and communications, 5.7% public administration and defence, 2.5% finance, 2.4% energy and water supply, 2.2% agriculture, 0.4% mining, and 5.3% other. This was roughly in line with national figures, although the proportion of jobs in agriculture which was more than the national average of 1.5% and the percentage of people working in finance was below the national average of 4.8%; the proportion of people working in property was well below the national average of 13.2%.
The area is served by BBC North West and ITV Granada with television signals received from the Winter Hill TV transmitter and the Lancaster relay transmitter. [27]
Radio stations for the area are:
Most of the district's area is covered by civil parishes. The parish councils for Carnforth and Morecambe have declared their parishes to be towns, allowing them to take the style "town council".[29]
Most of the area of the pre-1974 city of Lancaster is an unparished area, as is the Heysham area of the former borough of Morecambe and Heysham.
Perpignan, France (since 1962)
Rendsburg, Germany (since 1968)
Lublin, Poland (since 1994)
Växjö, Sweden (since 1996)