South Gloucestershire was created in 1996 to replace the Northavon district of the abolished county of Avon. It is separate from Gloucestershire County Council, but is part of the ceremonial county and shares Gloucestershire's Lord Lieutenant (the Sovereign's representative to the county).[3] Because of its history as part of the county of Avon, South Gloucestershire works closely with the other unitary authorities that took over when that county was abolished, including shared services such as Avon Fire and Rescue Service[4] and Avon and Somerset Police,[5] together with co-operation in planning strategy for transport, roads and housing.
In 1996, the county of Avon was abolished, and South Gloucestershire was created as a unitary authority area comprising the former districts of Kingswood and Northavon. The area borders the city and county of Bristol, the Bath and North East Somerset unitary authority area, and the shire counties of Gloucestershire and Wiltshire.
The geographic area currently known as South Gloucestershire should not be confused with Southern Gloucestershire. Nor should organisations or bodies in the past titled 'South Gloucestershire' (meaning Southern Gloucestershire) be confused with the area covered by the unitary authority.
Demographic
At the 2001 census, the population of South Gloucestershire was 245,641.[6]
At the 2011 census, the population had increased to 262,767.[citation needed]
At the 2021 census, the population estimate for South Gloucestershire is 290,400.[7]
According to the 2001 census estimates, 97.6 percent of the population was described as white, 0.8 percent as dual heritage, 0.7 percent as Asian or Asian British, 0.4 percent as Black or Black British and 0.5 percent as Chinese or other.[6]
Many employers operate in the heavily developed area between the northern edge of Bristol and the M5 motorway, an area sometimes described as the North Fringe of Bristol. This includes the Cribbs Causeway shopping centre, comprising The Mall regional shopping centre and the surrounding retail parks. East of Patchway are the Aztec West and Almondsbury business parks either side of the A38, extending to Bradley Stoke and the M4/M5 Almondsbury Interchange. Employers with sites in this area include EE and the RAC.
South Gloucestershire is home to 99 primary schools, 16 secondary schools, and post-16 colleges and centres.[9] There is one university, the University of the West of England, which was a former polytechnic. In 2008, DCSF figures revealed that there was a 6.6% overall absence in the district's secondary schools, whilst 7.4% is the national average.[10]
5 or more grades A*-C including English and maths GCSEs%
Level 2 in functional English and maths
Level 1 in functional English and maths
Level 2 (5 or more grades A*-C)
Level 1 (5 or more grades A*-G)
2 grades A*-C which cover the Key Stage 4 science programme of study
A*C in a modern foreign language
A*G in a modern foreign language
At least one qualification
Local Authority average
48.1%
56.9%
92.8%
63.6%
93.0%
50.3%
30.6%
49.7%
98.0%
England average
48.1%
52.0%
90.2%
65.3%
91.6%
50.3%
30.7%
44.8%
98.6%
In 2005, the then Chancellor of the Exchequer recognised the City of Bristol's ties to science and technology by naming it one of six "science cities", and promising funding for further development of science in the city,[12] with a £300 million science park planned at Emersons Green, in South Gloucestershire.[13]
The River Severn forms the north-western edge of the area, with a wide coastal plain terminated by an escarpment. East of this is the wide River Frome Valley drainage area. Further east is another escarpment running roughly north–south, passing between Yate and Chipping Sodbury and west of Pucklechurch. The Cotswolds Escarpment forms the eastern edge of South Gloucestershire, while the western half is mainly urbanised.
A small part of the Cotswolds and the National Trust site of Dyrham Park are also in the district. South of the motorways are suburbs of Bristol while areas north are rural. Some of the inner green belts have been taken away by developments like the new town of Bradley Stoke.
Transport
Map of South Gloucestershire; the blue lines are motorways
Many areas of South Gloucestershire have easy commuting access to Bristol (via the A38 and M32) and to Bath, as well as westward to South Wales and Cardiff via the two Severn bridges. The M5 and M4 motorways provide access to Gloucester and London. Bristol's northern and eastern ring road, the A4174, passes through South Gloucestershire. The Metrobus express bus network extends from Bristol into South Gloucestershire, and is supported by the district council.[16]
The area also has an important and well used railway network, with many direct routes to towns and cities across the UK. This includes eastward to London and westward through the Severn Tunnel to Cardiff and the rest of South Wales. There are also routes to the South-West counties and north to England's second city, Birmingham. Many routes cross in Stoke Gifford at Bristol Parkway station. There are six stations within the district, mainly located near the border with Bristol in the west of the district.
This section needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(February 2024)
The Conservatives held an overall majority on the council from 2015 until 2023; previously no party had overall control, except for 1999–2003 when the Liberal Democrats had a majority. After the 2023 elections, Labour and the Liberal Democrats formed a coalition which took control of the council,[17] this being Labour's first time in control and the Liberal Democrats for the first time in twenty years.
In 2012, it became one of the first authorities in the UK to return to a Committee System, abolishing the single party Cabinet, as allowed under the Localism Act.[18] This was later reverted to a leader and cabinet system in 2017 during the Conservative majority.[19]
For Westminster elections, the area is covered by three constituencies, all lying within the authority boundary. These are:
County/Borough is a legal term denoting the type of constituency. County is a rural area, Borough is an urban area.
Related Research Articles
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.
Avon was a non-metropolitan and ceremonial county in the west of England that existed between 1974 and 1996. The county was named after the River Avon, which flows through the area. It was formed from the county boroughs of Bristol and Bath, together with parts of the administrative counties of Gloucestershire and Somerset.
Yate is a town and civil parish in South Gloucestershire, England. It lies just to the southwest of the Cotswold Hills and is 12 miles northeast of Bristol and 12 miles from Bath.
Almondsbury is a large village and civil parish in South Gloucestershire, England. It is situated on the A38 road in the Avon Green Belt 7 miles (11 km) north of Bristol city centre. It is adjacent to junction 16 of the M5 motorway and Almondsbury Interchange, where the M4 and M5 cross. It is part of the Bristol Built-up Area.
Filton is a town and civil parish in South Gloucestershire, England, 6 miles (10 km) north of Bristol. Along with nearby Patchway and Bradley Stoke, Filton forms part of the Bristol urban area and has become an overflow settlement for the city. Filton Church dates back to the 12th century and is designated a Grade II listed building.
Patchway is a town and civil parish in South Gloucestershire, England, situated 6 mi (9.7 km) north-north west of central Bristol. The town has become an overflow settlement for Bristol and is contiguous with Bristol's urban area, along with the nearby towns of Filton and Bradley Stoke.
Northavon was a district in the English county of Avon from 1974 to 1996.
Bristol North West is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2017 by Darren Jones of the Labour Party.
Northavon was, from 1983 until 2010, a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.
Greater Bristol is a term used for the conurbation which contains and surrounds the city of Bristol in the South West of England. There is no official "Greater Bristol" authority, but the term is sometimes used by local, regional and national authorities, and others as a synonym for either the "Bristol Urban Area" or a wider area of the former County of Avon, and by some, TfGB, to refer to the Province of Bristol as defined by C. B. Fawcett (1919) or Derek Senior (1969).
Filton and Bradley Stoke is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Claire Hazelgrove from the Labour Party.
Thornbury and Yate is a constituency encompassing an area to the north-east of Bristol within the South Gloucestershire Unitary Authority Area. It is represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since the 2024 election by Claire Young, a member of the Liberal Democrats.
The city of Bristol, England, is divided into many areas, which often overlap or have non-fixed borders. These include Parliamentary constituencies, council wards and unofficial neighbourhoods. There are no civil parishes in Bristol.
The BS postcode area, also known as the Bristol postcode area, is a group of 37 postcode districts in South West England, within eight post towns. These cover the city of Bristol, north Somerset and south Gloucestershire.
South Gloucestershire Council is the local authority of South Gloucestershire, a local government district in the ceremonial county of Gloucestershire, England, covering an area to the north of the city of Bristol. The council is a unitary authority, being a district council which also performs the functions of a county council; it is independent from Gloucestershire County Council. Since 2017 the council has been a member of the West of England Combined Authority.
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