Cheshire West and Chester is sixth of 149 English councils in the Children's Commissioner's ranking, but only 22% of its EHCPs were issued on time.
Cheshire West and Chester is one of the easiest places in England to grow up, according to a new national ranking. It came sixth of 149 councils in The Childhood Lottery, published by the Children’s Commissioner for England on Monday.
Only Cheshire East, Merton, Surrey, Richmond upon Thames and Hertfordshire scored higher. Cheshire West scored 698 out of 960, against an average of 585 for an English council. It is second in the North West, behind its neighbour.
The same data shows where the borough falls short. Only 22.1% of Education, Health and Care Plans were issued within the legal 20 weeks in 2025, less than half the average council’s rate.
How the ranking works
The Children’s Commissioner scored every upper-tier council in England on up to 128 measures. They are grouped into six areas of children’s lives: family, health, education and skills, care, community and a “better world” pillar about whether children feel heard.
Each measure is scored from 0 to 10, with 10 the best. The scores add up to an overall total out of 960. Most measures come from government statistics. Others come from the Commissioner’s own surveys of children, schools and councils.
Bury, Nottinghamshire, the City of London and the Isles of Scilly were left out of the overall table because too much of their data was missing. That leaves 149 councils ranked.
Where Cheshire West does well
The borough’s strongest results, with its rank among English councils, are:
| Measure | Cheshire West | Average council | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Children aged 5 to 16 missing education, 2024/25 | 0.2% | 1.6% | 4th of 150 |
| Children who saw an NHS dentist in the last year, 2024/25 | 69% | 57% | 8th of 152 |
| Children in temporary accommodation, per 10,000, 2025 | 7 | 147 | 12th of 148 |
| Schools offering wraparound childcare, summer 2024 | 74.7% | 63% | 16th |
| Child development reviews at age 2 to 2½ | 93.6% | 80.8% | 19th |
The “average council” figure is the mean across councils, so London’s very high temporary accommodation numbers pull it up.
Children in the borough were also more positive about school. In the Commissioner’s Big Ambition survey in 2024, 6% disagreed that they had great teachers who supported them. The average council’s figure was 10%.
We added up the Commissioner’s scores for each of the six areas. On that sum, Cheshire West is 7th in England for family life and 17th for education, jobs and skills. It is weakest, at 45th, on care and on community.
Where it falls short
The borough scores in the bottom quarter of councils on several measures:
- EHCPs on time: 22.1% of new plans were issued within 20 weeks in 2025, against 46.4% for the average council, 122nd of 148
- Breakfast clubs: 81.9% of schools said they offered breakfast in summer 2024, against 94%, 115th of 151
- Young people not in education, employment or training: 4.1% of 16 and 17 year olds in 2026, against 3%, 108th of 152
- Injury admissions: 79.8 hospital admissions for injuries per 10,000 children under 15 in 2024-25, against 68.5, 104th of 151
The EHCP figure matters most to the families waiting. An Education, Health and Care Plan sets out the support a child with special educational needs must receive. The law gives councils 20 weeks from the request to issue one. In 2025, nearly four in five Cheshire West plans took longer.
The dataset also records the council as answering No when the Commissioner asked in 2025 whether it offers four services:
- a youth hub
- a bereavement service for children
- a Children in Care Council
- a Child Independent Domestic Violence Advisor
These are the council’s own answers to a survey, not an inspection finding. Just over half of councils said they had a youth hub.
The North West picture
The North West’s average council scored 575, a little below England’s 585. The region holds both Cheshire East, top in England, and Halton, 145th. Cheshire West, Cheshire East and Trafford are the region’s only councils in the national top 20.
Halton covers Runcorn and Widnes and borders the borough beyond Frodsham. Its score of 475 is the lowest in the region.
What it means for you
If your child is waiting for an EHCP, the borough’s record suggests the 20 week limit is more often missed than met. You can ask the council for a date in writing, and you can complain to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman if the delay goes on.
If you are choosing where to live with young children, the ranking puts the borough near the top of England. It is an average over the whole borough. It says nothing about any single school, street or service.
The council’s budget engagement for 2027 to 2031 is due to run from 21 October to 2 December. Its financial strategy sets aside £23m for growth in children’s services and £12.5m for the part of the SEND deficit that government grant is not expected to cover. Our report on the council’s £42.3m budget gap sets out what is at stake.
Sources
- Children’s Commissioner for England, The Childhood Lottery, 19 October 2026: the report (Tables 2 and 3: top 20 councils and regional scores) and the full dataset (every measure for every council, with its source, score and rank)
- The pillar ranks are Chester Online’s own sum of the Commissioner’s published scores for each measure in each pillar.
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