| Stroud District | |
|---|---|
| — Non-metropolitan district — | |
| Stroud shown within Gloucestershire | |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Constituent country | England |
| Region | South West England |
| Non-metropolitan county | Gloucestershire |
| Status | Non-metropolitan district |
| Admin HQ | Stroud |
| Incorporated | 1 April 1974 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Non-metropolitan district council |
| • Body | Stroud District Council |
| • Leadership | Leader & Cabinet (Conservative (council NOC)) |
| • MPs | Neil Carmichael Geoffrey Clifton-Brown |
| Area | |
| • Total | 177.9 sq mi (460.7 km2) |
| Area rank | 97th (of 326) |
| Population (2010 est.) | |
| • Total | 111,700 |
| • Rank | 200th (of 326) |
| • Density | 628/sq mi (242.5/km2) |
| • Ethnicity | 98.7% White |
| Time zone | GMT (UTC0) |
| • Summer (DST) | BST (UTC+1) |
| ONS code | 23UF |
| OS grid reference | SO8508905550 |
| Website | www.stroud.gov.uk |
Stroud is a local government district in Gloucestershire, England. It is named after its largest town, Stroud, and has its administrative headquarters in Ebley Mill, in the Ebley area on the outskirts of the town.
The district is mixed and consists of part of the Cotswolds and an area of the flat, fertile valley of the River Severn. The town of Stroud is by some way the largest in the area. The southern portion of the district is served mostly by its own market towns, chief among which are Dursley and Wotton-under-Edge. It was formed under the Local Government Act 1972, on April 1, 1974, by a merger of Nailsworth and Stroud urban districts, Dursley Rural District, Stroud Rural District, and parts of Gloucester Rural District, Sodbury Rural District and Thornbury Rural District.
The area is rich in Iron Age and Roman remnants and is of particular interest to archaeologists for its Neolithic burial grounds, of which there are over 100. Much of its wealth was built on the cloth industry during the Victorian era, and its many mills, most of which are now listed buildings, survive as testament to this.
Much of the landscape in this area is designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The esteemed Cotswold Way walk leads through the area. There are gliding clubs at Aston Down and Nympsfield.
Elections to the district council are held in three out of every four years, with one third of the seats on the council being elected at each election. At the 2011 election, the Conservatives lost its overall control of the council following four Labour gains, including that of former Stroud MP David Drew after he won in the Farmhill and Paganhill ward. However, soon after the election, the Conservatives were able to woo back into the party Ray Apperley, who had previously resigned the Tory whip over the disclosure of expenses, in order to hold a majority on the Council. This means that the Conservatives now hold a majority of one. Following the fallout of the 2011 election the council is composed of the following councillors[1]:
| Year | Conservative | Labour | Liberal Democrat | Green | Independent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 26 | 11 | 6 | 6 | 2 |
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