Chiltern District

Chiltern District was one of four local government districts of Buckinghamshire in south central England from 1974 to 2020. It was named after the Chiltern Hills on which the region sits.

Chiltern District
King George V House, Amersham: Council headquarters, 1986-2020
King George V House, Amersham: Council headquarters, 1986-2020
Chiltern shown within Buckinghamshire
Chiltern shown within Buckinghamshire
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Constituent countryEngland
RegionSouth East England
Non-metropolitan countyBuckinghamshire
StatusNon-metropolitan district
Admin HQAmersham
Incorporated1 April 1974
Abolished31 March 2020
Government
  TypeNon-metropolitan district council
  BodyChiltern District Council
  LeadershipLeader & Cabinet
Area
  Total75.81 sq mi (196.35 km2)
Population
 (2018)
  Total95,927
  Density1,300/sq mi (490/km2)
  Ethnicity
91.4% White
5.5% Asian
0.6% Black
2.2% Mixed Race
0.3% Other
(2,011 Census)[1]
Time zoneUTC0 (GMT)
  Summer (DST)UTC+1 (BST)
ONS code11UC (ONS)
E07000005 (GSS)
OS grid referenceSU965985
Arms of Chiltern District Council
CrestOn a Wreath Or and Gules out of a Circlet per pale Gules and Sable charged with six Plates three being manifest a Mount Vert thereon a Wyvern wings expanded Gules and gorged with a Ducal Coronet Or.
BlazonOr on a Mount in base with Chalk Outcrops two Beech Trees in fess their interior leaves merging proper a Chief chequy Argent and Sable.
MottoFreely We Serve
BadgeOn a Bezant environed of a Torse Or and Gules a Mount thereon two Beech Trees as in the arms.
Granted 10 June 1975 [2]

The main towns in the district were Amersham and Chesham which are both served by London Underground's Metropolitan line.

History

It was formed on 1 April 1974 by the merger of the Chesham Urban District and surrounding Amersham Rural District. In 1988 it was the first Council to take up stock transfer.[3] 4,650 homes were transferred.[4]

The district was abolished on 31 March 2020 and its area is now part of the unitary Buckinghamshire Council.

Parishes

The parishes that made up Chiltern District were:

See also the list of civil parishes in Buckinghamshire

Premises

Chiltern District Council was initially based at the former Amersham Rural District Council offices at Elmodesham House, 42 High Street, Amersham, with the former Chesham Urban District Council's offices at 8082 The Broadway, High Street, Chesham serving as additional office space. In 1986 the council consolidated its offices into a purpose-built headquarters on King George V Road in Amersham, remaining there until its abolition in 2020.[5]

Transport

Along with the Aylesbury Vale district, Chiltern contains no motorways except for a very small section of the M25 in the south-eastern corner. The major roads through the district are the A413 and the A404, the two meeting in Amersham. Railway services are provided by Chiltern Railways and London Underground's Metropolitan line. The Great Central Main Line carried traffic between London and Manchester until 1966, the section to Aylesbury is all that remains, and is now part of the London to Aylesbury Line. The railway stations in the district are; Great Missenden, Amersham, Chalfont and Latimer and Chesham, the furthest tube station from London.

Law and order

Chiltern District fell within the Thames Valley Police area, with police stations in Amersham and Chesham.

Neighbourhood policing priorities were set on a quarterly cycle, at a public meeting. This was done in conjunction with Chiltern District Council's Community Safety Team and Chiltern Community Forum, and in line with the obligation to consult laid down by the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011. In advance of the meeting, residents were invited to make their views and priorities known through a very short survey. Results from the survey were aggregated and presented at the meeting, and votes taken on the coming quarter's priorities.

The Magistrates' Court in Amersham was closed with its jurisdiction reassigned but reopened as a Crown Court dealing with either-way and more serious alleged offences.

Home ownership and quality of rural life

The district had the highest proportion of home ownership of the 18 local authorities in Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire: combining the social (housing association and local authority provided) and private rented sectors, Stevenage's returns recorded in 2011 that its rented sector comprised 33.2% of its housing, whereas 10.0% of Chiltern's residents rented their homes.

In May 2008, the district was assessed by Bank of Scotland, Halifax division as having the best rural quality of life anywhere in Britain.[6]

Form of home ownership in Beds, Bucks and Herts compared[7]
Local AuthorityOwnedOwned with a loanSocially rentedPrivately rentedOther
Chiltern41.135.81.88.21
South Bucks38.135.312.3101.4
St Albans34.638.28.512.61.1
Three Rivers34.138.64.89.31
Broxbourne32.640.42.910.40.8
Wycombe32.337.48.513.11.4
East Hertfordshire32.139.7212.21.4
Central Bedfordshire31.640.95.210.51.1
Bedford31.434.31.814.61.3
Hertsmere31.436.21.911.31.2
Aylesbury Vale31.140.53.411.71.3
North Hertfordshire30.335.37.112.11.1
Dacorum29.135.717.410.90.9
Welwyn Hatfield26.530.819.912.71.3
Luton25.135.110.721.31
Watford24.437.2418.90.8
Stevenage22.236.122.810.40.7
Milton Keynes21.536.31116.20.9

Energy consumption

In May 2006, a report commissioned by British Gas[8] showed that housing in Chiltern produced the 4th highest average carbon emissions in the country at 7,421 kg of carbon dioxide per dwelling.

References

  1. 2011 Census: KS201EW Ethnic group, local authorities in England and Wales, Accessed 28 February 2013
  2. "CHILTERN DISTRICT COUNCIL (BUCKINGHAMSHIRE)". Robert Young. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
  3. "Transfers - Large Scale Voluntary Transfers (LSVT)". The Hidden History of Tenants. Leeds Tenants Federation. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 17 September 2015.
  4. Hetherington, Peter. "Voluntary transfer for social housing celebrates 10 years". Guardian. Guardian. Retrieved 17 September 2015.
  5. "It's business as usual". Bucks Examiner. Chesham. 25 July 1986. p. 4. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  6. HBOS quality of life survey Archived 2008-06-27 at the Wayback Machine 5 May 2008. Retrieved 2015-01-28.
  7. Office for National Statistics 2011 Census Key Statistics: Tenure. Shared ownership forms the small remainder of each proportion.
  8. British Gas news Archived 2008-06-26 at the Wayback Machine

51°39′38″N 0°38′27″W

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.