Borough of Charnwood
Charnwood | |
---|---|
![]() Loughborough Carillon | |
![]() Shown within Leicestershire | |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Constituent country | England |
Region | East Midlands |
Administrative county | Leicestershire |
Admin. HQ | Loughborough |
Government | |
• Type | Charnwood Borough Council |
• MPs: | Edward Argar, Jeevun Sandher |
Area | |
• Total | 108 sq mi (279 km2) |
• Rank | 127th |
Population (2022) | |
• Total | 184,748 |
• Rank | Ranked 110th |
• Density | 1,700/sq mi (660/km2) |
Ethnicity (2021) | |
• Ethnic groups | |
Religion (2021) | |
• Religion | List
|
Time zone | UTC+0 (Greenwich Mean Time) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (British Summer Time) |
ONS code | 31UC (ONS) E07000130 (GSS) |
Charnwood is a local government district with borough status in the north of Leicestershire, England. It is named after Charnwood Forest, much of which lies within the borough. Towns in the borough include Loughborough (where the council is based), Shepshed and Syston. Villages in the borough include Barrow upon Soar, Birstall, Hathern, Mountsorrel, Quorn, Rothley, Sileby and Woodhouse Eaves.
The neighbouring districts are Melton, Harborough, Leicester, Blaby, Hinckley and Bosworth, North West Leicestershire and Rushcliffe.
History
[edit]The district was created on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, covering the area of three former districts, which were all abolished at the same time:[2]
Prior to the new district coming into being there was some debate as to what name it should take, with alternatives considered including "Loughborough and Soar Valley", "Greater Loughborough" and "Soar Valley".[3] A committee of the three outgoing councils chose Soar Valley as its preferred option but was overruled by the government, which went instead for the committee's second choice of Charnwood, after the Charnwood Forest which covers the western part of the district.[4][5] The new district was awarded borough status from its creation, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor.[6]
The symbol of Charnwood Borough Council is the fox, which is also the symbol used by Leicestershire County Council. Charnwood contains the village of Quorn, which gives its name to one of the country's oldest fox hunting packs, the Quorn Hunt, which was established in 1696 and moved to Quorn in 1753.[7]
Governance
[edit]Charnwood Borough Council | |
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Type | |
Type | |
History | |
Founded | 1 April 1974 |
Leadership | |
Rob Mitchell since 2019[9] | |
Structure | |
Seats | 52 councillors |
![]() | |
Political groups |
|
Length of term | 4 years |
Elections | |
Last election | 4 May 2023 |
Next election | 6 May 2027 |
Meeting place | |
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Council Offices, Southfield Road, Loughborough, LE11 2TX | |
Website | |
www |
Charnwood Borough Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Leicestershire County Council. Much of the borough is also covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government.[10][11]
Political control
[edit]The council has been under no overall control since the 2023 election, being run by a Labour minority administration with support from the Greens.[12] The Leader of the Council is Jewel Miah.
The first election to the council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities before coming into its powers on 1 April 1974. Since 1974 political control of the council has been as follows:[13][14]
Party in control | Years | |
---|---|---|
No overall control | 1974–1976 | |
Conservative | 1976–1995 | |
Labour | 1995–1999 | |
No overall control | 1999–2007 | |
Conservative | 2007–2023 | |
No overall control | 2023–present |
Leadership
[edit]The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Charnwood. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 2010 have been:[15]
Councillor | Party | From | To | |
---|---|---|---|---|
David Slater[16] | Conservative | 2010 | 6 Nov 2017 | |
Jonathan Morgan[17] | Conservative | 6 Nov 2017 | 7 May 2023 | |
Jewel Miah | Labour | 22 May 2023 |
Composition
[edit]Following the 2023 election the composition of the council was:[18][19]
Party | Councillors | |
---|---|---|
Conservative | 23 | |
Labour | 20 | |
Green | 8 | |
Independent | 1 | |
Total | 52 |
The next election is due in 2027.
Elections
[edit]Since the last boundary changes in 2023 the council has comprised 52 councillors, representing 24 wards, with each ward electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years.[20]
There are three Parliamentary constituencies covering the district. Mid Leicestershire is represented by the Conservative Peter Bedford MP. Loughborough is represented by the Labour's Jeevun Sandher. Melton and Syston is represented by the Conservative Edward Argar MP.
Premises
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b7/Town_Hall_-_Market_Place_%28geograph_2938168%29.jpg/220px-Town_Hall_-_Market_Place_%28geograph_2938168%29.jpg)
The council is based at the Council Offices on Southfield Road in Loughborough. The older part of the building was an early 19th century house called Southfields.[21] The house was acquired by the old Loughborough Town Council during the Second World War and after the war was converted to be additional offices supplementing those at Loughborough Town Hall.[22] A large extension was added to Southfields in 1990 allowing it to become Charnwood's main offices.[23] Loughborough Town Hall is still used for full council meetings of Charnwood Borough Council.[24]
Geography
[edit]To the south it borders the City of Leicester, about 20 km away from Loughborough. There is a moderately urbanised A6 corridor between the two population centres and close to the River Soar, including Quorn, Barrow-on-Soar, Mountsorrel, Birstall, Sileby, Thurmaston, Syston, Queniborough and East Goscote.
To the south of the borough, Birstall, Queniborough, Thurmaston and Syston form part of the Leicester Urban Area, while Quorn and Shepshed (the second-largest town in the district), amongst others, might be considered to be part of a Loughborough urban agglomeration.
The highest point is Beacon Hill (248m/814 ft) to the north of the Charnwood Forest 'area of natural beauty' extending WN-west into the National Forest.
Demography
[edit]Charnwood is the largest borough by population in Leicestershire,[25] and has the largest school population as well.
Population growth in Charnwood | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | 1951 | 1961 | 1971 | 1981 | 1991 | 2001 | 2011 | 2021 | 2031 | |
Population | 89,980 | 103,282 | 127,046 | 132,170 | 141,759 | 153,428 | 166,100 | 183,971 | 207,000 | |
Census [26] | Nomis[27] | ONS Projections [28] |
Media
[edit]The area is served by BBC East Midlands and ITV Central with television signals received from the Waltham transmitter. [29]
Radio stations for the area are:
- BBC Radio Leicester
- Smooth East Midlands
- Capital Midlands
- Community based stations: Fosse FM [30] and Carillon Radio, [31]
Parishes
[edit]Most of the borough is covered by civil parishes. Most of the pre-1974 borough of Loughborough is an unparished area. The parish councils for Shepshed and Syston have declared their parishes to be towns, allowing them to take the style "town council". The parishes of Barkby and Barkby Thorpe share a grouped parish council, as do Burton on the Wolds, Cotes and Prestwold. The small parishes of Beeby, Hamilton Lea, Stonebow Village, Swithland, Ulverscroft and Wanlip have a parish meeting rather than a parish council.[32]
- Anstey
- Barkby
- Barkby Thorpe
- Barrow upon Soar
- Beeby
- Birstall
- Burton on the Wolds
- Cossington
- Cotes
- East Goscote
- Hamilton Lea
- Hathern
- Hoton
- Mountsorrel
- Newtown Linford
- Prestwold
- Queniborough
- Quorn
- Ratcliffe on the Wreake
- Rearsby
- Rothley
- Seagrave
- Shepshed
- Sileby
- South Croxton
- Stonebow Village
- Swithland
- Syston
- Thrussington
- Thurcaston and Cropston
- Thurmaston
- Ulverscroft
- Walton on the Wolds
- Wanlip
- Woodhouse
- Wymeswold
Freedom of the Borough
[edit]The following people, military units, and organisations and groups have received the Freedom of the Borough of Charnwood.
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Individuals
[edit]- Paula Radcliffe: 28 June 2004.
- Michael Jones: 29 September 2008.
- Lez Cope-Newman: 24 June 2019.
Military Units
[edit]- 2nd Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment: 4 September 2006.[34]
- 203 (Loughborough) Squadron The 158 (Royal Anglian) Transport Regiment: 15 April 2010.[35]
- The Royal Logistic Corps: April 2010.[36]
Organisations and Groups
[edit]- Leicester City Football Club: 14 September 2021.[37][38]
References
[edit]- ^ a b UK Census (2021). "2021 Census Area Profile – Charnwood Local Authority (E07000130)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
- ^ "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1972/2039, retrieved 22 August 2022
- ^ "Tussle over new name". Nottingham Evening Post. 2 February 1973. p. 7. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
- ^ "Shocks for new councils over names". Leicester Mercury. 27 March 1973. p. 1. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
- ^ "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Names) Order 1973", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1973/551, retrieved 22 August 2022
- ^ "District Councils and Boroughs". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 28 March 1974. Retrieved 16 January 2012.
- ^ "History". Quorn Hunt. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
- ^ "Record breaking swimmer appointed new Mayor of Charnwood". Charnwood Borough Council. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
- ^ Metcalf, Sam (22 July 2019). "Council set to name new chief executive". The Business Desk. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
- ^ "Local Government Act 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1972 c. 70, retrieved 31 May 2023
- ^ "Election Maps". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
- ^ "New Leader of Charnwood Borough Council is elected". Charnwood Borough Council. 22 May 2023.
- ^ "Compositions calculator". The Elections Centre. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
- ^ "Charnwood". BBC News Online. Retrieved 7 February 2010.
- ^ "Council minutes". Charnwood Borough Council. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
- ^ Rush, Andy (30 April 2018). "Tributes paid after former council leader David Slater passes away". Loughborough Echo. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
- ^ Coleman, Liam (2 November 2017). "New leader of Charnwood Borough Council chosen". Loughborough Echo. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
- ^ "Local elections 2023: live council results for England". The Guardian.
- ^ "Charnwood result - Local Elections 2023". BBC News.
- ^ "The Charnwood (Electoral Changes) Order 2022", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2022/809, retrieved 29 October 2023
- ^ "Southfields: Locally listed building". Charnwood Borough Council. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
- ^ "No. 38848". The London Gazette. 24 February 1950. p. 976.
- ^ "New Year opening for prestigious new offices". Loughborough Echo. 4 January 1991. p. 55. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
- ^ "Council agenda, 4 September 2023". Charnwood Borough Council. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
- ^ excluding the City of Leicester part of Ceremonial Leicestershire
- ^ Vision of Britain through time
- ^ "2021 Census Profile - Nomis". Nomis. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
- ^ ONS population projections 2014 base / projections uplifted by '21-1050/'31-1,400 given underestimation at 2016 - 1,100/
- ^ "Full Freeview on the Waltham (Leicestershire, England) transmitter". UK Free TV. 1 May 2004. Retrieved 2 July 2024.
- ^ "Fosse FM". Retrieved 2 July 2024.
- ^ "Carillon Wellbeing Radio". Retrieved 2 July 2024.
- ^ "Charnwood Borough". UK Local Councils. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
- ^ "Freedom of the Borough". Charnwood Borough Council. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
- ^ "FREEDOM OF ENTRY – ROYAL ANGLIAN REGIMENT" (PDF). www.charnwood.gov.uk. 4 September 2006. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
- ^ Watkins, Amy (15 April 2010). "TA is given freedom of the borough". The Loughborough Echo. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
- ^ "Honorary Freeman of the Borough of Charnwood" (PDF). www.charnwood.gov.uk. 2008. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
- ^ "LCFC Granted Freedom Of The Borough Of Charnwood". Leicester City Football Club. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
- ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Charnwood Borough Council (14 September 2021). "Extraordinary Council – Conferment of Freedom of the Borough to Leicester City Football Club)" – via YouTube.
External links
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)