| London Borough of Greenwich | |||
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| — London borough — | |||
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| Motto: We Govern by Serving | |||
| Greenwich shown within Greater London | |||
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom | ||
| Constituent country | England | ||
| Region | London | ||
| Ceremonial county | Greater London | ||
| Status | London borough | ||
| Admin HQ | Woolwich | ||
| Incorporated | 1 April 1965 | ||
| Government | |||
| • Type | London borough council | ||
| • Body | Greenwich London Borough Council | ||
| • Leadership | Leader & Cabinet (Labour) | ||
| • Mayor | Cllr Jim Gillman | ||
| • MPs | Teresa Pearce Clive Efford Nick Raynsford |
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| • London Assembly | Len Duvall AM for Greenwich and Lewisham | ||
| • EU Parliament | London | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 18.3 sq mi (47.35 km2) | ||
| Area rank | 273rd (of 326) | ||
| Population (2010 est.) | |||
| • Total | 228,500 | ||
| • Rank | 64th (of 326) | ||
| • Density | 12,498.7/sq mi (4,825.8/km2) | ||
| • Ethnicity[1] | 66.7% White British 1.9% White Irish 5.6% Other White 1.1% White & Black Caribbean 0.5% White & Black African 0.7% White & Asian 0.7% Other Mixed 4.3% Indian 1.1% Pakistani 0.8% Bangladeshi 1.3% Other Asian 3.1% Black Caribbean 8.5% Black African 0.8% Other Black 1.5% Chinese 1.2% Other |
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| Time zone | GMT (UTC0) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | BST (UTC+1) | ||
| Postcodes | SE , DA | ||
| Area code(s) | 020 | ||
| Police force | Metropolitan Police | ||
| Website | www.greenwich.gov.uk | ||
The London Borough of Greenwich (UK /ɡrɪnɪdʒ/ grin-ij;[2][3][4] US i/ɡrɛnɪtʃ/ gren-ich or /ɡrɛnɪdʒ/ gren-ij)[5][6][7] is an Inner London borough in south-east London, England. Taking its name from the historic town of Greenwich, the present borough was formed in 1965 by the amalgamation of the former area of the Metropolitan Borough of Greenwich with part of the Metropolitan Borough of Woolwich to the east. The local authority is Greenwich London Borough Council.
Greenwich is world famous as the traditional location of the Prime Meridian, on which all Coordinated Universal Time is based. The Prime Meridian running through Greenwich and the Greenwich Observatory is where the designation Greenwich Mean Time, or GMT began, and on which all world times are based.
Greenwich is one of five host boroughs for the 2012 London Olympics with events due to be held at the Royal Artillery Barracks (Shooting), Greenwich Park (Equestrianism) and The O2-former Millennium Dome (Gymnastics; Basketball).
To mark the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II, in 2012 Greenwich is to become the fourth Royal Borough, due to its historic links with the Royal Family, and its status as home of the Prime Meridian and as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.[8]
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It was formed in 1965 by merging the former area of the metropolitan boroughs of Greenwich and most of Woolwich (with the exception of North Woolwich, north of the river, which became part of the London Borough of Newham).
The name 'Charlton' was briefly considered for the borough.[9] Greenwich was once turned down for city status, which if it had been accepted the borough would be known as the City of Greenwich, similar to the City of Westminster.
The borough lies along the south bank of the River Thames between Deptford and Thamesmead. Because of the shape of the river, the waterfront is extremely long. Travelling south away from the waterfront, the ground swiftly rises: Shooters Hill in the east and the high ground of Blackheath in the west bookend the borough, Eltham to the south of these hills falls away slightly.
Greenwich is bounded by the London Boroughs of Bexley to the east, Bromley to the south and Lewisham to the west, and across the River Thames to the north lie Tower Hamlets and Newham.
The borough's population at a 2005 estimate was 228,100 of which over 77% of the population was ethnically White with more than 1 in 20 residents of African-Caribbean ethnicity and substantial minorities of South and East Asian heritage.
Central Greenwich Town contains a UNESCO World Heritage Site centred on Christopher Wren's Royal Naval College and the Old Royal Observatory.
The 2011/12 Mayor is Cllr Jim Gillman.
Shaped like an astrolabe, the 18ct gold badge on the Mayor's chain embodies the ‘time-ball’ on the principal building of the old Greenwich Royal Observatory, the meridian line and lines of latitude and longitude. The ‘time-ball’ is set with small rubies.
The Executive is composed of ten Labour members, led by Cllr Chris Roberts (Glyndon ward) who has been Leader of the Council since 2001.
The hour glass and radiated stars are taken from the arms of the Metropolitan Borough of Greenwich and symbolise the position of the borough as the place from which the standard of time is taken. The three cannon barrels, are taken from the arms of the Metropolitan Borough of Woolwich and signify the association of that borough with the Royal Arsenal.
The London Borough of Greenwich is twinned with:
Greenwich London Borough Council comprises 51 councillors. The Labour Party currently has an overall majority on the council, holding 40 seats, with the Conservatives holding 11. Labour has had a majority on the council since 1971.
The borough contains the constituencies of:
As of the 2010 General Election, all three are represented by Labour MPs.
The University of Greenwich main campus is located in the distinctive buildings of the former Royal Naval College. There is a further campus of the university at Avery Hill in Eltham, and also, outside the borough, in Medway. Near the main campus at Greenwich, the Faculty of Music of Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, (formerly known as Trinity College of Music) is housed in the buildings of the former Greenwich Hospital.
Greenwich has many sports centres and these are run by Greenwich Leisure Limited (GLL). There are also many clubs including football clubs such as Charlton Athletic F.C. which not only trains children but is also a professional football club playing in League One. There are also several Swimming clubs and Rugby clubs. The Council owns and runs one outdoor swimming pool, the Charlton Lido, which is currently closed to the public.
Greenwich is one of the five host boroughs for the 2012 Summer Olympics and will host some of the events. Plans to host equestrian events in Greenwich Park have drawn public attention and some protest.
There are foot tunnels under the River Thames between Greenwich and Island Gardens in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets and between Woolwich and North Woolwich in the London Borough of Newham. The Woolwich Ferry takes vehicle traffic and links the North Circular Road to the South Circular Road which runs through the borough.
All stations are served by Southeastern.
The borough contains the Greenwich Royal Park. A small part of the Metropolitan Green Belt is within the borough.
The Greenwich borough is predominantly Christian (2001 Census). The Christian Church is represented by various denominations, among which are Church of England, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, Evangelical, Brethren, Pentecostal, Quakers, etc. Non-Trinitarian groups also exist. Besides these there are various other religious minorities including Sikhs, Muslims, Hindus and Jews.
In the 2001 Census, 29% of Greenwich described themselves as non-religious, or did not state their faith.[10]
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