Borough of Charnwood

For the electoral ward of Leicester, see Charnwood (ward).
Borough of Charnwood
Borough

Shown within Leicestershire
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Constituent country England
Region East Midlands
Administrative county Leicestershire
Admin. HQ Loughborough
Government
  Type Charnwood Borough Council
  Leadership: Leader & Cabinet
  Executive: Conservative
  MPs: Stephen Dorrell,
Nicky Morgan
Area
  Total 107.7 sq mi (279.0 km2)
Area rank 147th
Population (2011 est.)
  Total 165,900
  Rank Ranked 109th
  Density 1,500/sq mi (590/km2)
Time zone Greenwich Mean Time (UTC+0)
  Summer (DST) British Summer Time (UTC+1)
ONS code 31UC (ONS)
E07000130 (GSS)
Ethnicity 91.7% White
6.0% S.Asian
1.3% Afro-Caribbean
Website www.charnwood.gov.uk

The Borough of Charnwood is a borough of northern Leicestershire, England. It is named after Charnwood Forest, which it contains. Loughborough is the largest town in the district and serves as the borough's administrative and commercial centre.

History

The district of Charnwood was formed on 1 April 1974 as a merger of the municipal borough of Loughborough, the Shepshed urban district and the Barrow upon Soar Rural District. It was then granted borough status on 15 May 1974.[1]

The symbol of Charnwood Borough Council is the fox, historically linked with Leicestershire, and this is also the symbol used by Leicestershire County Council. Charnwood also contains Quorn, which is believed to be the birthplace of fox-hunting.

Geography

To the south it borders the City of Leicester, about 20 km away from Loughborough. There is a moderately urbanised A6 corridor between the towns and close to the River Soar, including Quorn, Barrow-on-Soar, Mountsorrel, Birstall, Thurmaston, Syston and East Goscote. Shepshed, to the west of Loughborough, is the other major town in the district.

Political representation

There are two Parliamentary constituencies covering the district. Charnwood is represented by the Conservative Stephen Dorrell, the former National Heritage Secretary (1994-5) and Health Secretary (1995-7) during John Major's government. Loughborough is represented by the Conservative Party's Nicky Morgan.

Demographics

Charnwood is the largest borough by population in Leicestershire, and has the largest school population as well.

Parishes

References

External links

Coordinates: 52°46′08″N 1°12′14″W / 52.769°N 1.204°W