Weymouth and Portland

Coordinates: 50°34′00″N 2°27′15″W / 50.5666°N 2.4541°W

Weymouth and Portland
Borough of Weymouth and Portland
Borough & Non-metropolitan district

Weymouth and Portland shown within Dorset
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Constituent country England
Region South West England
Non-metropolitan county Dorset
Status Non-metropolitan district
Admin HQ Weymouth
Incorporated 1 April 1974
Government
 • Type Non-metropolitan district council
 • Body Weymouth and Portland Borough Council
 • Leadership Leader & Cabinet (TBA (council NOC))
 • MPs Richard Drax
Area
 • Total 16.1 sq mi (41.8 km2)
Area rank 286th (of 326)
Population (2011 est.)
 • Total 65,100
 • Rank 305th (of 326)
 • Density 4,000/sq mi (1,600/km2)
 • Ethnicity 98.5% White
Time zone GMT (UTC0)
 • Summer (DST) BST (UTC+1)
ONS code 19UJ (ONS)
E07000053 (GSS)
OS grid reference SY6784374258
Website www.weymouth.gov.uk

Weymouth and Portland is a local government district and borough in Dorset, England. It consists of the resort of Weymouth and the Isle of Portland, and includes the areas of Wyke Regis, Preston, Melcombe Regis, Upwey, Broadwey, Southill, Nottington, Westham, Radipole, Chiswell, Castletown, Fortuneswell, Weston, Southwell and Easton; the latter six being on the Isle of Portland.

The district of Weymouth and Portland was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, which merged the borough of Weymouth and Melcombe Regis and the nearby Portland urban district. The Mayor of Weymouth and Portland is Ray Banham (Liberal Democrat), with Kate Wheller (Labour) as Deputy Mayor.[1] The district is divided into 15 wards for elections—12 of them are in Weymouth, and three are on Portland.[2] Elections take place in a four-year cycle; one third of the councillors in all but three wards retire or seek re-election in years one, two and three, and county council elections are held in year four.[3]

Weymouth and Portland and Purbeck districts are in the South Dorset parliamentary constituency, created in 1885. The constituency elects one Member of Parliament. The current MP for South Dorset is Richard Drax, a member of the Conservative Party, who was voted in during the 2010 General Election, beating the incumbent Labour MP Jim Knight. Weymouth and Portland, the rest of the south west, and Gibraltar are in the South West England constituency of the European Parliament.[4]

In Portland Harbour is the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy, where the sailing events at the 2012 Olympics took place. The main reason that the resort was chosen to be an Olympic venue was the fact that the Sailing Academy had only recently been built, so no new venue would need to be provided. Weymouth and Portland's waters have also been credited by the Royal Yachting Association as the best in Northern Europe.[5]

Weymouth and Portland have been twinned with the town of Holzwickede in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany since 1986,[6] and the French town of Louviers, in the department of Eure in Normandy, since 1959.[7]

References

  1. ↑ "Weymouth and Portland Borough Council - councillors". Weymouth and Portland Borough Council. 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-06-25. Retrieved 2007-07-26.
  2. ↑ "Ward Map". Weymouth and Portland Borough Council. 2009. Retrieved 2010-01-05.
  3. ↑ "Electoral Cycles Thirds". Weymouth and Portland Borough Council. 2007. Archived from the original on 2008-04-08. Retrieved 2008-01-07.
  4. ↑ "European elections". Weymouth and Portland Borough Council. 2004. Archived from the original on 2007-12-24. Retrieved 2007-12-16.
  5. ↑ "2012 Olympic Games sailing venue". Weymouth and Portland Borough Council. 2005. Archived from the original on 2006-09-27. Retrieved 2006-11-12.
  6. ↑ "Städtepartnerschaften in Holzwickede" (in German). Gemeinde Holzwickede. 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-15.
  7. ↑ "Associations de jumelage" (in French). Ville de Louviers. 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-15.