Preston – The Administrative Centre of Lancashire
Preston is the administrative centre of Lancashire, England. The city located on the north bank of the River Ribble together with its surroundings forms the City of Preston which was granted city status by Queen Elizabeth II in 2002. Interestingly, the Queen issued letters patent in her 50th year of reign and made Preston the 50th city in England.
History of Preston dates back to the Roman period but the settlement was established by the Angles. It was first mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Prestune when it was already a well established town in the hundred of Amounderness. The etymology of the name is Old English and translates into priest town, priest settlement. In 1179, the town was granted the Guilt Merchant charter which elevated its status into a market town. Preston benefited from its strategic location – in the middle between London and Glasgow, however, this also made it vulnerable to military clashes. It was the site of several major battles, most notably the Battle of Preston of 1648 that was fought between the Royalists and the forces of Oliver Cromwell during the Second English Civil War and the Battle of Preston of 1715 fought between the Jacobite rebels and the combined English and Scottish forces.
Although Preston was the centre of the region already during the Middle Ages, it remained a small market town until the 19th century when it became one of the most prosperous towns of the Industrial Revolution. Textile industry employed most of Preston’s population which reached 120,000 by the beginning of the 20th century. Textile industry began to decline after the end of the First World War but it was relatively quickly replaced by other industries that relieved unemployment until the economic crisis in 1970s. But Preston once again recovered and is today one of the main centres of the British aerospace industry. It is also known as one of the top shopping destinations outside London making retail an important part of Preston’s economy.
In 1974, the County Borough of Preston, Preston Rural District and Fulwood Urban district were joined into the non-metropolitan district of Preston that was made the City of Preston in 2002. It is divided into 22 district council wards and is governed by the city council consisting of 57 councillors one third of which is elected annually three years in a row followed by one non-elective year. Nine wards of the City of Preston elect two councillors, while 13 wards elect three representatives in the city council. Every councillor serves a four-year term.
The current Preston City Council consists of 29 councillors from the Labour Party followed by 20 councillors from the Conservative Party, 6 councillors from the Liberal Democrat Party and 2 Independent councillors. The most recent elections to the Preston City Council were held in 2011, while the Labour Party won most votes. Councillor Roberta Cartwright is the current Mayor of Preston.