Borough of Swindon
| Borough of Swindon | |
|---|---|
| Unitary authority, Borough | |
 | |
 Shown within Wiltshire | |
| Coordinates: 51°33′47″N 1°45′47″W / 51.563°N 1.763°WCoordinates: 51°33′47″N 1°45′47″W / 51.563°N 1.763°W | |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Constituent country | England |
| Region | South West England |
| Ceremonial county | Wiltshire |
| Status | Unitary authority |
| Admin HQ | Swindon |
| Government | |
| • Type | Unitary authority |
| • Body | Swindon Borough Council |
| • Leadership | Leader & Cabinet (Conservative) |
| • MPs |
Robert Buckland (C) Justin Tomlinson (C) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 88.84 sq mi (230.10 km2) |
| Area rank | 158th (of 326) |
| Population (mid-2016 est.) | |
| • Total | 217,900 |
| • Rank | 75th (of 326) |
| • Density | 2,500/sq mi (950/km2) |
| • Ethnicity |
85.7% White British 5.4% Other White 4.9% Asian 1.7% Black British 1.8% Mixed Race 0.6% Other[1] |
| Time zone | GMT (UTC0) |
| • Summer (DST) | BST (UTC+1) |
| ONS code | 00HX (ONS) E06000030 (GSS) |
| OS grid reference | SU164849 |
| Website |
www |
The Borough of Swindon is a local government authority in South West England. It is centred on the town of Swindon and forms part of the ceremonial county of Wiltshire. It was formed in 1974 as the Thamesdown district of Wiltshire, from former areas of the municipal borough of Swindon (created 1900) and Highworth Rural District (created 1894).
On 1 April 1997 it was made administratively independent of Wiltshire County Council (with its council becoming a unitary authority).[2] It adopted the name Swindon on 24 April 1997. The former Thamesdown name and logo are used by the main local bus operator, Thamesdown Transport Limited.[3]
Geography
The borough of Swindon occupies an area forming the north east corner of Wiltshire and is bordered by two other counties, Gloucestershire (to the north) and Oxfordshire (to the east). Also, West Berkshire is only a short distance from the borough’s south eastern tip. The generally hilly landscape is sculpted by the upper Thames guiding the northern border, small tributaries draining into the Thames, and the Marlborough Downs (/ˈmɔːlbrə/) rising toward the south.
The borough encompasses the Swindon urban area and surrounding countryside to the north, east and south, including the town of Highworth. It comprises the former Swindon Municipal Borough and a further 18 civil parishes:[4][5]
- Bishopstone (with Hinton Parva)
- Blunsdon
- Castle Eaton
- Chiseldon
- Covingham
- Hannington
- Haydon Wick
- Highworth (town and surrounding district)
- Inglesham
- Liddington
- Nythe, Eldene and Liden
- St Andrews
- South Marston
- Stanton Fitzwarren
- Stratton St Margaret
- Wanborough
- West Swindon
- Wroughton
Since 1 April 2017 the entire Borough has been fully parished with the establishment of West Swindon, the expansion of Nythe to form Nythe, Eldene and Liden, together with the creation of Central Swindon North and Central Swindon South which fall within the boundaries of the town and former municipal borough, the Great Western main line railway forming the boundary between the two.
Economy
This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of Swindon at current basic prices published (pp. 240–253) by Office for National Statistics with figures in millions of British Pounds Sterling.
| Year | Regional Gross Value Added | Agriculture | Industry | Services |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 2,654 | 13 | 1,023 | 1,618 |
| 2000 | 4,085 | 9 | 1,368 | 2,708 |
| 2003 | 4,259 | 8 | 1,185 | 3,067 |
^ includes hunting and forestry
^ includes energy and construction
^ includes Financial Intermediation Services Indirectly Measured
^ Components may not sum to totals due to rounding
Swindon Borough Council
The council follows a leader and cabinet model[6] and has 57 elected members. Elections are held in three out of every four years, with one third of the seats being elected at each election. From the first election in 1996 to the 2000 election, Labour had a majority on the council. Following a period where no party had a majority the Conservatives gained a majority at the 2003 election and have held control since then. As of the 2016 local elections, the council is composed of the following councillors:-[7]
| Party | Councillors | |
| Conservative Party | 30 | |
| Labour Party | 25 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 2 | |
Wards
The following are the electoral wards within the Borough as at 2016.[8]
- Blunsdon & Highworth [3 Conservative Cllrs]
- Central [3 Labour Cllrs]
- Chiseldon & Lawn [2 Conservative Cllrs]
- Covingham and Dorcan [3 Conservative Cllrs]
- Eastcott [2 Lib Dem & 1 Labour Cllr]
- Gorse Hill and Pinehurst [3 Labour Cllrs]
- Haydon Wick [3 Conservative Cllrs]
- Liden, Eldene & Park South [3 Labour Cllrs]
- Lydiard & Freshbrook [2 Conservative Cllrs & 1 Labour Councillor]
- Mannington & Western [3 Labour Cllrs]
- Old Town [1 Conservative & 2 Labour Cllrs]
- Penhill & Upper Stratton [3 Labour Cllrs]
- Priory Vale [3 Conservative Cllrs]
- Ridgeway [1 Conservative Cllr]
- Rodbourne Cheney [3 Labour Cllrs]
- Shaw [3 Conservative Cllrs]
- St Andrews [3 Conservative Cllrs]
- St Margaret & South Marston [3 Conservative Cllrs]
- Walcot & Park North [3 Labour Cllrs]
- Wroughton and Wichelstowe [3 Conservative Cllrs]
See also
References
- ↑ Neighbourhood Statistics
- ↑ The Wiltshire (Borough of Thamesdown)(Structural Change) Order 1995
- ↑ Thamesdown Transport Limited Website.
- ↑ "Community governance review - next steps". www.swindon.gov.uk. Swindon Borough Council. March 2017. Retrieved 12 April 2017.
- ↑ "The Swindon Borough (Reorganisation of Community Governance) No. 1 Order 2017" (PDF). Local Government Boundary Commission for England. 19 January 2017. p. 4. Retrieved 12 April 2017.
- ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 7 September 2007. Retrieved 2010-02-02.
- ↑ "England council elections". BBC News Online. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
- ↑ "Councillors by Ward". Swindon Borough Council. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
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