Wiltshire | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 51°21′07″N1°58′41″W / 51.352°N 1.978°W | |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Country | England |
Region | South West England |
County | Wiltshire |
Unitary Authority | 1 April 2009 |
Government | |
• Type | Non-metropolitan district |
• Local Authority | Wiltshire Council |
• Council Leader | Richard Clewer |
Population (2022) | |
• Total | 515,885 (Ranked 11th) |
Ethnicity (2021) | |
• Ethnic groups | |
Religion (2021) | |
• Religion | List
|
Time zone | UTC+0 (Greenwich Mean Time) |
Postcode | |
Post town | Bath, Salisbury, Swindon and Reading |
Dialling code | 01249 and others |
ISO 3166 code | GB-WIL |
Police | Wiltshire Police |
Fire | Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service |
Ambulance | South Western |
Website | www |
Wiltshire is a unitary authority area [2] [3] in the ceremonial county of Wiltshire, [4] South West England. It was formed in April 2009 following the abolition of Wiltshire County Council and the districts of Kennet, North Wiltshire, Salisbury, and West Wiltshire. They were all replaced by Wiltshire Council, [5] which is based at County Hall in Trowbridge. The remaining part of the ceremonial county is the Borough of Swindon, administered by a separate unitary authority. In 2022 it had a population of 515,885.
Salisbury is the only city in the district and its largest settlement. [6] After the city, the next largest urban areas are Chippenham and Trowbridge.
Until 2009, Wiltshire had four districts – Kennet, North Wiltshire, Salisbury, and West Wiltshire [7] [8] – together with the Borough of Swindon which had been made a separate unitary authority in 1997. Proposals were made to abolish the four districts and form one unitary area to cover the county of Wiltshire, outside the Borough of Swindon. In April 2009, Wiltshire Council assumed the roles and responsibilities of the four former districts. [9] [10]
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It borders Gloucestershire to the north, Oxfordshire to the north-east, Berkshire to the east, Hampshire to the south-east, Dorset to the south, and Somerset to the west. The largest settlement is Swindon, and Trowbridge is the county town.
Trowbridge is the county town of Wiltshire, England; situated on the River Biss in the west of the county, close to the border with Somerset. The town lies 8 miles (13 km) south-east of Bath, 31 miles (50 km) south-west of Swindon and 20 miles (32 km) south-east of Bristol. The parish had a population of 37,169 in 2021.
Hampshire County Council (HCC) is the upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Hampshire in England. The council was created in 1889. The county council provides county-level services to eleven of the thirteen districts geographically located within the ceremonial county of Hampshire. The county council acts as the upper tier of local government to approximately 1.4 million people. It is one of 21 county councils in England.
Telford and Wrekin is a borough and unitary authority in Shropshire, England. In 1974, a non-metropolitan district of Shropshire was created called the Wrekin, named after a prominent hill to the west of Telford. In 1998, the district became a unitary authority and was renamed "Telford and Wrekin", which remains part of the Shropshire ceremonial county and shares institutions such as the Fire and Rescue Service and Community Health with the rest the county.
The counties of England are a type of subdivision of England. Counties have been used as administrative areas in England since Anglo-Saxon times. There are three definitions of county in England: the 48 ceremonial counties used for the purposes of lieutenancy; the 84 metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties for local government; and the 39 historic counties which were used for administration until 1974.
The Borough of Swindon is a unitary authority area with borough status in Wiltshire, England. Centred on Swindon, it is the most north-easterly district of South West England.
North Wiltshire was a local government district in Wiltshire, England, between 1974 and 2009, when it was superseded by Wiltshire Council.
A non-metropolitan county, or colloquially, shire county, is a subdivision of England used for local government.
Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service was the county-wide, statutory emergency fire and rescue service for the ceremonial county of Wiltshire, England between 1948 and 2016.
Swindon Borough Council is the local authority of the Borough of Swindon in the ceremonial county of Wiltshire, England. It was founded in 1974 as Thamesdown Borough Council, and was a lower-tier district council until 1997. In 1997 it was renamed Swindon Borough Council and became a unitary authority, being a district council which also performs the functions of a county council; it is independent from Wiltshire Council, the unitary authority which administers the rest of the county.
Wiltshire Council, known between 1889 and 2009 as Wiltshire County Council, is the local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Wiltshire in South West England. Since 2009 it has been a unitary authority, being a county council which also performs the functions of a district council. The non-metropolitan county is smaller than the ceremonial county, the latter additionally including Swindon. Wiltshire Council has been controlled by the Conservative Party since 2000, and has its headquarters at County Hall in Trowbridge.
The Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre in Chippenham, Wiltshire, England, serves as a focal point for heritage services relating to Wiltshire and Swindon. The centre opened in 2007 and is funded by Wiltshire Council and Swindon Borough Council. It has purpose-built archive storage and research facilities and incorporates the local studies library, museums service, archaeology service, Wiltshire buildings record and the conservation service.
Jane Antoinette Scott, Baroness Scott of Bybrook, is a British Conservative politician who served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Social Housing and Faith from September 2022 to July 2024. She is a member of the House of Lords and was a government whip from 2020 to 2022. She was leader of Wiltshire County Council between 2003 and 2009 and then of its successor the Wiltshire Council unitary authority from June 2009 until July 2019, when she stood down, also retiring as a councillor in February 2020.
Derby City Council is the local authority for the city of Derby, in the ceremonial county of Derbyshire in the East Midlands region of England. Derby has had a council from medieval times, which has been reformed on numerous occasions. Since 1997 the council has been a unitary authority, being a district council which also performs the functions of a county council. Since 2024 the council has been a member of the East Midlands Combined County Authority.
Elections to Wiltshire Council, a new unitary authority, were held on 4 June 2009.
Swindon Borough Council is the local authority for the unitary authority of Swindon in Wiltshire, England. Until 1 April 1997 its area was a non-metropolitan district called Thamesdown Borough Council, with Wiltshire County Council providing the county-level services.