Editing Knutsford (section)

== Governance ==
[[File:Around Knutsford (16) - geograph.org.uk - 7104156.jpg|thumb|Town Council Offices, Toft Road, built 1846 as [[Governor's House, Knutsford|Governor's House]] of Knutsford Gaol]]

There are two tiers of local government covering Knutsford, at [[civil parish]] (town) and [[Unitary authorities of England|unitary authority]] level: [[Knutsford Town Council]] and [[Cheshire East Council]]. The town council is based at the Council Offices on Toft Road,<ref>{{cite web |title=Contact us |url=https://www.knutsfordtowncouncil.gov.uk/council/contact |website=Knutsford Town Council |access-date=21 February 2025}}</ref> which had been built in 1846 as the [[Governor's House, Knutsford|Governor's House]] for Knutsford Gaol.<ref>{{NHLE|desc=Knutsford Town Council Offices (former prison governor's house)|num=1378497|grade=II}}</ref>

For national elections, the town forms part of the [[Tatton (UK Parliament constituency)|Tatton constituency]], named after [[Tatton Park]] which lies immediately north of the town.<ref>{{cite web |title=Election Maps |url=https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/election-maps/gb/ |publisher=Ordnance Suvey |access-date=21 February 2025}}</ref>

===Administrative history===
Knutsford was historically in the [[ancient parish]] of [[Rostherne]], which formed part of the [[Bucklow Hundred]] of Cheshire. Rostherne parish was subdivided into several [[Township (England)|townships]], including Nether Knutsford (or Knutsford Inferior) and Over Knutsford (or Knutsford Superior). The main part of the town was in Nether Knutsford township, with Over Knutsford lying to the south-east.<ref>{{cite web |title=Cheshire Sheet XXVII |url=https://maps.nls.uk/view/102341032 |website=National Library of Scotland |publisher=Ordnance Survey |access-date=21 February 2025 |date=1882}}</ref> In 1741, Knutsford was made a separate parish, which contained the five townships of Nether Knutsford, Over Knutsford, [[Bexton]], [[Ollerton, Cheshire|Ollerton]], and [[Toft, Cheshire|Toft]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Knutsford Chapelry / Ancient Parish / Civil Parish |url=https://visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10218895#tab02 |website=A Vision of Britain through Time |publisher=GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth |access-date=21 February 2025}}</ref>

From the 17th century onwards, parishes were gradually given various civil functions under the [[poor laws]], in addition to their original ecclesiastical functions. In some cases, including Rostherne and Knutsford, the civil functions were exercised by each township separately rather than the parish as a whole. In 1866, the legal definition of 'parish' was changed to be the areas used for administering the poor laws and so the townships also became [[civil parish]]es.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Youngs |first1=Frederic |title=Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England: Volume II, Northern England |date=1991 |publisher=Royal Historical Society |location=London |isbn=0861931270 |page=xv}}</ref>

When elected parish and district councils were established in December 1894, under the [[Local Government Act 1894]], Nether Knutsford and Over Knutsford were both briefly included in the [[Bucklow Rural District|Altrincham Rural District]] and given separate parish councils. The two townships were subsequently merged into a single civil parish and [[Urban district (England and Wales)|urban district]] of Knutsford, which came into effect on 1 April 1895.<ref>{{cite book |title=Annual Report of the Local Government Board |date=1895 |page=238 |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Annual_Report_of_the_Local_Government_Bo/gFIwAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA238&printsec=frontcover |access-date=21 February 2025}}</ref> The urban district council bought the former Governor's House of Knutsford Gaol in 1929 and converted the building to serve as its offices and meeting place.<ref>{{cite news |title=Knutsford Council: Purchase of Governor's House |url=https://www.findmypast.co.uk/image-viewer?issue=BL%2F0002856%2F19291206&page=11 |access-date=21 February 2025 |work=Alderley and Wilmslow Advertiser |date=6 December 1929 |page=11}}</ref>

Knutsford Urban District was abolished in 1974 under the [[Local Government Act 1972]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Knutsford Urban District |url=https://visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10153980 |website=A Vision of Britain through Time |publisher=University of Portsmouth |access-date=21 February 2025}}</ref> District-level functions passed to [[Macclesfield Borough Council]]. A [[successor parish]] covering the area of the former Knutsford Urban District was created at the same time, with its parish council taking the name Knutsford Town Council.<ref>{{cite legislation UK|type=si|si=The Local Government (Successor Parishes) Order 1973|year=1973|number=1110}}</ref> In 2009, Cheshire East Council was created, taking over the functions of the borough council and [[Cheshire County Council]], which were both abolished.<ref>{{cite legislation UK|type=si|si=The Cheshire (Structural Changes) Order 2008|year=2008|number=634|access-date=8 May 2024}}</ref>