Tewkesbury Borough | |
---|---|
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Constituent country | England |
Region | South West England |
Non-metropolitan county | Gloucestershire |
Status | Non-metropolitan district |
Admin HQ | Tewkesbury |
Incorporated | 1 April 1974 |
Government | |
• Type | Non-metropolitan district council |
• Body | Tewkesbury Borough Council |
• MPs | Mark Harper Laurence Robertson |
Area | |
• Total | 160.0 sq mi (414.4 km2) |
• Rank | 83rd (of 296) |
Population (2021) | |
• Total | 95,429 |
• Rank | 252nd (of 296) |
• Density | 600/sq mi (230/km2) |
• Ethnicity | 98.6% White |
Time zone | UTC0 (GMT) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (BST) |
ONS code | 23UG (ONS) E07000083 (GSS) |
OS grid reference | SO8855933566 |
The Borough of Tewkesbury is a local government district with borough status in Gloucestershire, England. The borough is named after its largest town, Tewkesbury, which is where the council is based. The district also includes the town of Winchcombe and numerous villages including Bishops Cleeve, Ashchurch, Churchdown, Innsworth and Brockworth as well as other hamlets and surrounding rural areas. Parts of the district lie within the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
The neighbouring districts are Cotswold, Cheltenham, Stroud, Gloucester, Forest of Dean, Malvern Hills and Wychavon.
Prior to 1974 the borough of Tewkesbury only covered the town itself. The town was an ancient borough, having been granted a charter of incorporation by Elizabeth I in 1575. [1] The town was reformed in 1836 to become a municipal borough under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835, governed by a body formally called the "mayor, aldermen and burgesses of the borough of Tewkesbury", but generally known as the corporation or town council. [2]
The modern district was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, covering the whole area of two former districts and part of a third, which were all abolished at the same time: [3]
The new district was named Tewkesbury after its main town. [4] The new district was awarded borough status from its creation, allowing the council to take the name Tewkesbury Borough Council and letting the chair of the council take the title of mayor. [5] A successor parish was created at the same time covering the area of the former municipal borough of Tewkesbury, with the parish council taking the name Tewkesbury Town Council. [6]
In 1991 the borough ceded the parishes of Leckhampton, Prestbury, Swindon and Up Hatherley to neighbouring Cheltenham. [7]
Tewkesbury Borough Council | |
---|---|
Type | |
Type | |
Leadership | |
Alistair Cunningham since 13 June 2022 [9] | |
Structure | |
Seats | 38 councillors |
Political groups |
|
Elections | |
First past the post | |
Last election | 4 May 2023 |
Next election | 6 May 2027 |
Meeting place | |
Council Offices, Gloucester Road, Tewkesbury, GL20 5TT | |
Website | |
www |
Tewkesbury Borough Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Gloucestershire County Council. [10] The whole district is also covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government. [11]
The council has been under no overall control since the 2023 election, with leadership roles shared between the Liberal Democrats, Greens and independent councillors.
The first election to the modern 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: [12] [13]
Party in control | Years | |
---|---|---|
No overall control | 1974–1976 | |
Independent | 1976–1987 | |
No overall control | 1987–1991 | |
Independent | 1991–1995 | |
No overall control | 1995–2011 | |
Conservative | 2011–2023 | |
No overall control | 2023–present |
The role of mayor is largely ceremonial. Political leadership is provided instead by the leader of the council. The leaders since 2007 have been: [14]
Councillor | Party | From | To | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Robert Vines | Conservative | 2007 | 16 May 2017 | |
Dave Waters | Conservative | 16 May 2017 | 15 May 2018 | |
Rob Bird | Conservative | 15 May 2018 | 7 May 2023 | |
Richard Stanley | Liberal Democrats | 17 May 2023 |
Following the 2023 election, the composition of the council was: [15]
Party | Councillors | |
---|---|---|
Liberal Democrats | 16 | |
Conservative | 9 | |
Independent | 7 | |
Green | 4 | |
Tewkesbury and Twyning Independents | 2 | |
Total | 38 |
Of the independent councillors, two sit together as the "Isbourne and Winchcombe Independents", and the other five sit with local party the Tewkesbury and Twyning Independents as a group called "The Independents". [16] The next election is due in 2027.
The council is based at the Council Offices on Gloucester Road in Tewkesbury. The building was purpose-built for the council, being completed in 1976. [17]
The whole district is covered by civil parishes. The parish councils for Tewkesbury and Winchcombe take the style "town council". Some of the smaller parishes have a parish meeting rather than a parish council. [18]
Gloucestershire Airport is in the borough, near to Gloucester and Cheltenham. The borough is also served by Ashchurch for Tewkesbury railway station on the mainline. Heritage railway the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway also has a number of stations in the borough.
Since the last full review of boundaries in 2019 the council has comprised 38 councillors representing 20 wards, with each ward electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years. [19]
As of May 2023, the councillors were: [20]
Ward | Councillor | Party | |
---|---|---|---|
Badgeworth | Robert Vines | Conservative | |
Brockworth East | Charlotte Mills | Independent | |
Jason Mills | Independent | ||
Brockworth West | Craig Carter | Independent | |
Deborah Harwood | Independent | ||
Churchdown Brookfield with Hucclecote | Paul Smith | Liberal Democrats | |
Richard Smith | Liberal Democrats | ||
Ian Yates | Liberal Democrats | ||
Churchdown St John's | Stewart Dove | Liberal Democrats | |
Mary Jordan | Liberal Democrats | ||
Liz Skelt | Liberal Democrats | ||
Cleeve Grange | Thomas Budge | Liberal Democrats | |
Cleeve Hill | Nigel Adcock | Liberal Democrats | |
Cheryl Agg | Liberal Democrats | ||
Cleeve St Michael's | Alex Hegenbarth | Liberal Democrats | |
Kashan Pervaiz | Liberal Democrats | ||
Cleeve West | Richard Stanley | Liberal Democrats | |
Murray Stewart | Liberal Democrats | ||
Highnam with Haw Bridge | Paul McLain | Conservative | |
Jill Smith | Conservative | ||
Innsworth | Sarah Hands | Liberal Democrats | |
Paul Ockelton | Liberal Democrats | ||
Isbourne | Christopher Coleman | Independent | |
Mel Gore | Conservative | ||
Northway | Pauline Godwin | Conservative | |
Elaine MacTiernam | Independent | ||
Severn Vale North | Heather McLain | Conservative | |
Severn Vale South | Mark Williams | Conservative | |
Shurdington | George Porter | Liberal Democrats | |
Tewkesbury East | Hilarie Bowman | Green | |
Helena Sundarajoo | Green | ||
Tewkesbury North and Twyning | Mike Sztymiak | Tewkesbury and Twyning Independents | |
Philip Workman | Tewkesbury and Twyning Independents | ||
Tewkesbury South | Matt Dimond-Brown | Green | |
Cate Cody | Green | ||
Winchcombe | David Gray | Conservative | |
Gemma Madle | Independent | ||
Jim Mason | Conservative |
Gloucestershire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire to the east, Wiltshire to the south, Bristol and Somerset to the south-west, and the Welsh county of Monmouthshire to the west. The city of Gloucester is the largest settlement and the county town.
Tewkesbury is a market town and civil parish in the north of Gloucestershire, England. The town grew following the construction of Tewkesbury Abbey in the twelfth century and played a significant role in the Wars of the Roses. It stands at the confluence of the River Severn and the River Avon, and thus became an important trading point, which continued as railways and, later, the M5 and M50 motorway connections were established. The town gives its name to the Borough of Tewkesbury, a local government district of Gloucestershire. The town lies on the border with Worcestershire, marked largely by the Carrant Brook.
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The Borough of Swindon is a local government authority in South West England, centred on the urban area and town of Swindon and forming part of the ceremonial county of Wiltshire.
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Mansfield District is a local government district in Nottinghamshire, England. It is named after the town of Mansfield, where the council is based. The district also contains Mansfield Woodhouse and Warsop.
Ashchurch for Tewkesbury is a railway station serving the medieval market town of Tewkesbury and the village of Ashchurch in Gloucestershire, England. The station is located less than 1⁄4 mile (400 m) from junction 9 of the M5 motorway and located on the main Bristol–Birmingham main line 7+1⁄4 miles (11.7 km) north of Cheltenham Spa and was opened on 1 June 1997 by Railtrack. There are regular bus connections from the station to Tewkesbury town centre, Gloucester Transport Hub and Cheltenham.
Tewkesbury is a constituency in Gloucestershire represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since its 1997 recreation by Laurence Robertson, a Conservative.
Ashchurch is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Ashchurch Rural, in the Tewkesbury district, in the county of Gloucestershire, England, 2 miles (3.2 km) east of the town of Tewkesbury, 11 mi (18 km) southwest of Evesham, 10 mi (16 km) north of Cheltenham, 13 mi (21 km) north-north-east of Gloucester and 10 mi (16 km) south of Pershore.
Cirencester and Tewkesbury was a parliamentary constituency in Gloucestershire which returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was created for the 1918 general election and abolished for the 1997 general election when it was partly replaced by the new constituencies of Cotswold and Tewkesbury.
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Cheltenham Borough Council is the local authority for Cheltenham, a non-metropolitan district with borough status in Gloucestershire, England. The council is based at the Municipal Offices on the Promenade.
Gloucester City Council is the local authority for Gloucester, a non-metropolitan district with city status in Gloucestershire, England.
Tewkesbury Borough Council is the local authority for the Borough of Tewkesbury in Gloucestershire, England. The whole council is elected together every four years. Since the last boundary changes in 2019, a total of 38 councillors have been elected from 20 wards.
Tewkesbury Town Council is a local council covering the parish of Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire. It is a successor parish to the Tewkesbury Municipal Borough Council that existed prior to the reorganisation of English Local Government in April 1974. The Town Council in its original form was constituted by the Local Government Order 1973, where Tewkesbury Town is listed in Schedule Part 1.
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