Stratford-on-Avon District

Stratford-on-Avon is a local government district in southern Warwickshire, England.

This article is about the local government district. For the town, see Stratford-upon-Avon. For other uses of the name, see Stratford (disambiguation).

Stratford-on-Avon District
Non-metropolitan district
Shown within Warwickshire
Shown within Warwickshire
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Constituent countryEngland
RegionWest Midlands
Administrative countyWarwickshire
Admin. HQStratford-upon-Avon
Government
 • TypeNon-metropolitan district
 • Leadership:Leader and cabinet
 • MPs:Nadhim Zahawi (C)
Jeremy Wright (C)
Area
 • Total377.6 sq mi (977.9 km2)
 • Rank27th
Population
 (2021)
 • Total135,964
 • RankRanked 170th
 • Density360/sq mi (140/km2)
Time zoneUTC+0 (Greenwich Mean Time)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+1 (British Summer Time)
ONS code44UE (ONS)
E07000221 (GSS)
Ethnicity
(2011 Census) [1]		97.3% White
(93.6% White British)
1.3% Asian
1.0% Mixed
0.2% Black
0.1% Other
Websitestratford.gov.uk

The district is named "Stratford-on-Avon" unlike its main town of Stratford-upon-Avon where the district council is based.

The district is mostly rural and covers most of the southern half of Warwickshire. As well as Stratford, other significant places in the district includes the towns of Alcester, Southam, Shipston-on-Stour and Henley-in-Arden, and the large villages of Bidford-on-Avon, Studley and Wellesbourne, plus numerous other smaller villages and hamlets.

It borders the Warwickshire districts of Warwick to the north, and Rugby to the north-east. It also borders the neighbouring counties of the West Midlands, Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, and Northamptonshire.

History

The district was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972 by the merger of the municipal borough of Stratford-upon-Avon, Alcester Rural District, Shipston-on-Stour Rural District, Southam Rural District and a majority of Stratford-upon-Avon Rural District.[2]

Politics
For historical political control and leadership, see Stratford-on-Avon District Council elections.
Elizabeth House, Church Street, Stratford-upon-Avon. The headquarters of Stratford-on-Avon District Council

Since the 2015 election, when new ward boundaries were enacted, the electoral cycle was changed from one-third of councillors elected each year, to whole council elections every four years.[3]

The Conservative Party controlled Stratford-on-Avon District Council for most of the time since the first election in 1973, and had held a majority since the 2003 election. However at the last election in 2023, the Liberal Democrats took control of the council for the first time.[4] The political composition of the council can be seen below:

Party Seats
Liberal Democrats 25
Conservative 12
Green 3
Independent 1

The council was due to merge in 2024 with neighbouring Warwick District Council. However in April 2022 the merger was scrapped, with Councillor Day (Warwick Leader) accusing Councillor Jefferson (Stratford Leader) of writing to Central Government behind his back, asking for more time for the merge to take place.[5][6]

Parishes and settlements
Stratford-on-Avon population pyramid

Other than Stratford-upon-Avon the district includes:

See also

References
  1. "2011 Census: Key Ethnicity Statistics Per Local Authority Area" . ONS. Retrieved 25 Dec 2012
  2. "STRATFORD-ON-AVON DISTRICT COUNCIL". Civic Heraldry. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
  3. "The Stratford-on-Avon (Electoral Changes) Order 2014", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2014/3057, retrieved 8 September 2022
  4. "Stratford-on-Avon election result Share England local elections 2023". BBC News. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  5. "Plans to merge Warwick and Stratford District Councils into single 'mega authority' have been scrapped". Warwickshireworld. Leamington Courier. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  6. "Warwick and Stratford-on-Avon councils merger plans scrapped". BBC News. 21 April 2022. Retrieved 21 April 2022.

52.1902°N 1.7087°W / 52.1902; -1.7087

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