Cotswold District

51.719°N 1.968°W / 51.719; -1.968

Cotswold District
Non-metropolitan district
Cirencester, the administrative centre of the Cotswold District
Cirencester, the administrative centre of the Cotswold District
Cotswold shown within Gloucestershire
Cotswold shown within Gloucestershire
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Constituent countryEngland
RegionSouth West England
Non-metropolitan countyGloucestershire
StatusNon-metropolitan district
Admin HQCirencester
Incorporated1 April 1974
Government
 • TypeNon-metropolitan district council
 • BodyCotswold District Council
 • MPsGeoffrey Clifton-Brown
Area
 • Total449.6 sq mi (1,164.5 km2)
 • Rank20th (of 296)
Population
 (2021)
 • Total91,125
 • Rank260th (of 296)
 • Density200/sq mi (78/km2)
 • Ethnicity
98.8% White
Time zoneUTC0 (GMT)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+1 (BST)
ONS code23UC (ONS)
E07000079 (GSS)
OS grid referenceSP0221002304

Cotswold is a local government district in Gloucestershire, England. It is named after the wider Cotswolds region and range of hills. The council is based in the district's largest town of Cirencester. The district also includes the towns of Chipping Campden, Fairford, Lechlade, Moreton-in-Marsh, Northleach, Stow-on-the-Wold and Tetbury, along with numerous villages and surrounding rural areas.

The district covers nearly 450 square miles (1,200 km2), with some 80% of the land located within the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.[1][2] The much larger area referred to as the Cotswolds encompasses nearly 800 square miles, spanning five counties: Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Warwickshire, Wiltshire, and Worcestershire.[3][4] This large Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty had a population of 139,000 in 2016.[5]

Eighty per cent of the district lies within the River Thames catchment area, with the Thames itself and several tributaries including the River Windrush and River Leach running through the district. Lechlade is an important point on the river as the upstream limit of navigation. In the 2007 floods in the UK, rivers were the source of flooding of 53 per cent of the locations affected and the Thames at Lechlade reached record levels with over 100 reports of flooding.[6]

The neighbouring districts are South Gloucestershire, Stroud, Tewkesbury, Cheltenham, Wychavon, Stratford-on-Avon, West Oxfordshire, Vale of White Horse, Swindon and Wiltshire.

History

The district was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972. The new district covered the area of five former districts, which were all abolished at the same time:[7]

The new district was named Cotswold, reflecting its central position within the hills and wider region of that name.[8]

Governance
Cotswold District Council
Logo
Type
Type
Leadership
Nikki Ind,
Independent
since 24 May 2023[9]
Joe Harris,
Liberal Democrat
since 14 May 2019
Robert Weaver
since January 2021[10]
Structure
Seats34 councillors
Political groups
Administration (21)
  Liberal Democrat (21)
Other parties (13)
  Conservative (9)
  Green Party (2)
  Independents (2)
Elections
First past the post
Last election
4 May 2023
Next election
6 May 2027
Meeting place
Council Offices, Trinity Road, Cirencester, GL7 1PX
Website
www.cotswold.gov.uk

Cotswold District Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Gloucestershire County Council.[11] The whole district is also covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government.[12]

Political control

The council has been under Liberal Democrat majority control since the 2019 election.

The first election to the council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new arrangements took effect on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows:[13][14]

Party in controlYears
Independent1974–1999
No overall control1999–2003
Conservative2003–2019
Liberal Democrats2019–present

Leadership

The council has a ceremonial chair of the council who presides at council meetings and acts as the district's first citizen. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 2001 have been:[15]

CouncillorPartyFromTo
Les Brown Independent10 May 200120 May 2003
Julie Girling Conservative20 May 20039 May 2006
Lynden Stowe[16] Conservative9 May 200616 May 2017
Mark Annett[17] Conservative16 May 201711 Dec 2018
Tony Berry[17] Conservative11 Dec 201814 May 2019
Joe Harris Liberal Democrats14 May 2019Incumbent

Composition

Following the 2023 election and one subsequent suspension later in May 2023, the composition of the council was:[18][19]

Party Councillors
Liberal Democrats 21
Conservative 9
Green 2
Independent 2
Total 34

The next election is due in 2027.

Premises

The council is based at the Council Offices on Trinity Road in Cirencester.[20] The building was built in 1837 as the Cirencester Union Workhouse, later serving as Watermoor Hospital following the creation of the National Health Service in 1948. After the hospital closed the building was converted to become the council's headquarters, being formally opened by Prince Charles on 21 May 1981.[21][22]

Towns and parishes
Further information: List of civil parishes in Gloucestershire

The whole district is covered by civil parishes. The parish councils for Chipping Campden, Cirencester, Fairford, Lechlade, Moreton-in-Marsh, Northleach with Eastington, Stow-on-the-Wold and Tetbury take the style "town council". Some of the smaller parishes have a parish meeting rather than a parish council.[23]

Elections

Since the last full review of boundaries in 2015 the council has comprised 34 councillors representing 32 wards, with two wards electing two councillors and the rest electing one each. Elections are held every four years.[24]

Councillors

There are 34 councillors. After the May 2019 election, there were 18 Liberal Democrats, 14 Conservatives, one independent and one Green.

Ward Councillor Party
Abbey Mark Harris Liberal Democrats
Blockley Clare Turner Green
Bourton Vale Len Wilkins Conservative
Bourton Village Jon Wareing Liberal Democrats
Campden and Vale Gina Blomefield Conservative
Tom Stowe Conservative
Chedworth and Churn Valley Paul Hodgkinson Liberal Democrats
Chesterton Roly Hughes Liberal Democrats
Coln Valley David Fowles Conservative
Ermin Julia Judd Conservative
Fairford North Michael Vann Liberal Democrats
Fosseridge David Cunningham Conservative
Four Acres Ray Brassington Liberal Democrats
Grumbolds Ash with Avening Tony Slater Conservative
Kemble Mike McKeown Liberal Democrats
Lechlade, Kempsford and Fairford South Clare Muir Liberal Democrats
Helene Mansilla Liberal Democrats
Moreton East Angus Jenkinson Liberal Democrats
Moreton West Daryl Corps Conservative
New Mills Claire Bloomer Liberal Democrats
Northleach Tony Dale Liberal Democrats
Sandywell Jeremy Theyer Conservative
Siddington and Cerney Rural Mike Evemy Liberal Democrats
South Cerney Village Juliet Layton Liberal Democrats
St Michael's Joe Harris Liberal Democrats
Stow Dilys Neill Liberal Democrats
Stratton Patrick Coleman Liberal Democrats
Tetbury East and Rural Nikki Ind Independent
Tetbury Central Ian Watson Liberal Democrats
Tetbury with Upton Chris Twells Independent
The Ampneys and Hampton Lisa Spivey Liberal Democrats
The Beeches Nigel Robbins Liberal Democrats
The Rissingtons Andrew Maclean Green
Watermoor Gary Selwyn Liberal Democrats

Chairs of the Council
CouncillorPartyFromTo
D C Leadbeater Independent19731976
C Staite Independent19761977
J Clark Independent19771981
I Lamb Conservative19811983
H Groves Independent19831986
P Cutts Independent19861989
I Maitland Hume Independent19891991
D Godman Independent19911993
M Brown Independent19931995
Sue Herdman Independent19951998
P Pretty Independent19981999
B Evans Independent19992001
Tim Royle Conservative20012004
Sue Jepson Conservative20042007
Sheila Jeffery Conservative20072009
Ben Jeffrey Conservative20092010
Carolyn Nicolle Conservative20102012
Edward Horsfall Conservative20122014
Clive Bennett Conservative20142015
Mark Annett Conservative20152017
Julian Beale Conservative20172019
Nigel Robbins Liberal Democrats20192021
Dilys Neill Liberal Democrats20212023
Nikki Ind Independent2023

References
  1. "About the Council - Cotswold District Council". cotswold.gov.uk.
  2. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 October 2015. Retrieved 14 July 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. "Cotswolds.com - The Official Cotswolds Tourist Information Site". Cotswolds.
  4. "In Deep: Idyllic England in the Cotswolds | Butterfield & Robinson". 14 August 2017.
  5. https://www.cotswoldsaonb.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/NEW-FACT-SHEET-6-v1.pdf
  6. "Cotswold District Council - Review of the Summer 2007 floods in Cotswold District". Archived from the original on 22 July 2011.
  7. "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1972/2039, retrieved 31 May 2023
  8. "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Names) Order 1973", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1973/551, retrieved 31 May 2023
  9. "Council minutes, 24 May 2023" (PDF). Cotswold District Council. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  10. "Cotswold District Council appoints new Chief Executive". Cotswold District Council. 25 September 2020. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  11. "Local Government Act 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1972 c. 70, retrieved 31 May 2023
  12. "Election maps". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  13. "Compositions calculator". The Elections Centre. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  14. "Cotswold". BBC News Online. Retrieved 25 September 2009.
  15. "Council minutes". Cotswold District Council. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  16. Al Rasheed, Tarik (21 February 2017). "Leader of Cotswold District Council, Cllr Lynden Stowe, to step down at annual meeting". Worcester News. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  17. "Christmas message from Cllr Tony Berry, Leader Cotswold District Council". Loving the Cotswolds. 14 December 2018. Retrieved 25 June 2022. ...taking over from Cllr Mark Annett who stepped down in late September for health reasons...
  18. "Local elections 2023: live council results for England". The Guardian.
  19. Heath, Nathan (12 May 2023). "Lib Dem who won two seats 150 miles apart suspended". BBC News. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  20. "Contact us". Cotswold District Council. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  21. Higginbotham, Peter. "Cirencester Workhouse". The Workhouse. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  22. Ward-Davies, Ivor (22 May 1981). "Royal bills sized up". Western Daily Press. Bristol. p. 3. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  23. "Parish council contact details". Cotswold District Council. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  24. "The Cotswold (Electoral Changes) Order 2015", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2015/113, retrieved 26 August 2023

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