| Bedford | |||
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| — unitary authority and borough — | |||
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| Coordinates: 52°8′0″N 0°27′0″W / 52.133333°N 0.45°W | |||
| Country | United Kingdom | ||
| Constituent area | England | ||
| Region | East of England | ||
| Ceremonial county | Bedfordshire | ||
| Admin HQ | Bedford | ||
| Government | |||
| - Type | unitary authority | ||
| - Governing body | Bedford Borough Council | ||
| - Executive: | Independent mayor | ||
| Area | |||
| - Total | 476.4 km2 (183.9 sq mi) | ||
| Population 2008 est.[1] | |||
| - Total | 155,700 Ranked 116th | ||
| - Density | 327/km2 (846.9/sq mi) | ||
| - Ethnicity | 85.5% White 8.1% S.Asian 2.9% Black 1.3% Chinese or other 2.2% Mixed |
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| Time zone | GMT (UTC) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | British Summer Time (UTC) | ||
| ONS code | 00KB | ||
| NUTS 3 | UKH22 | ||
| Website | www.bedford.gov.uk | ||
Bedford is a unitary authority with the status of a borough in the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire, England. Its council is based at Bedford, which is also the county town of Bedfordshire. The borough contains a single urban area that comprises Bedford and the adjacent town of Kempston, surrounded by a rural area with many villages. The borough is also the location of the Wixams new town development, which received its first residents in 2009. Unlike most English districts, Bedford's council is led by a directly-elected mayor, who has been Dave Hodgson since October 16, 2009.[2]
The District of Bedford was formed on 1 April 1974 as a merger of the existing borough of Bedford, along with Kempston urban district and Bedford Rural District. In 1975 the district was granted a royal charter granting borough status as North Bedfordshire. The borough was renamed as Borough of Bedford in 1992. Over half of the former municipal borough of Bedford is unparished, however Brickhill is a parish, and Queens Park as well as Cauldwell & Kingsbrook elect their own urban community councils who have similar functions to parish councils. The rest of the district including Kempston is parished.
The Department for Communities and Local Government have reorganised Bedfordshire's administrative structure as part of the 2009 structural changes to local government in England, meaning that Bedford Borough Council became a unitary authority in April 2009. This means Bedford Borough has assumed responsibility in areas such as education, social services and transport which were previously provided by Bedfordshire County Council.[3][4][5]
Contents |
Council and cabinet
See also: Bedford local elections
As of 2009 there are 36 councillors in addition to the mayor. Following the June 2009 local elections, these are broken down as follows:
| Year | Conservative | Labour | Liberal Democrat | Independent | Other | Control | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 [6] | 9 | 7 | 13 | 7 | 0 | No overall control | |
Bedford Borough Council’s executive committee (cabinet) is headed by the mayor and includes 9 members from the Liberal Democrat and Labour groups, as well as some independents. Conservative members sit in opposition on the council.[7]
Wards and civil parishes
The towns of Bedford and Kempston are divided into 13 wards, some of which are also civil parishes:
- Brickhill
- Castle, Cauldwell
- De Parys
- Goldington
- Harpur
- Kempston East, Kempston North, Kempston South, Kingsbrook
- Newnham
- Putnoe
- Queens Park
The civil parishes in the rural part of the borough are as follows:
- Biddenham, Bletsoe, Bolnhurst and Keysoe, Bromham
- Cardington, Carlton and Chellington, Clapham, Colmworth, Cople
- Dean and Shelton
- Eastcotts, Elstow
- Felmersham
- Great Barford, Great Denham
- Harrold
- Kempston Rural, Knotting and Souldrop
- Little Barford, Little Staughton
- Melchbourne and Yielden, Milton Ernest
- Oakley, Odell
- Pavenham, Pertenhall, Podington
- Ravensden, Renhold, Riseley, Roxton
- Sharnbrook, Stagsden, Staploe, Stevington, Stewartby, Swineshead
- Thurleigh, Turvey
- Wilden, Willington, Wilshamstead, Wootton, Wyboston, Chawston and Colesden, Wymington
See also
References
- ^ "Population estimates for UK, England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, Mid-2008" (ZIP). National Statistics Online. Office for National Statistics. 27 August 2009. http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_population/Mid_2008_UK_England_&_Wales_Scotland_and_Northern_Ireland_27_08_09.zip. Retrieved 26 September 2009.
- ^ "Lib Dem win in mayoral election". BBC News. 2009-10-16. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/beds/bucks/herts/8311065.stm.
- ^ Unitary solution confirmed for Bedfordshire - New flagship unitary councils approved for Cheshire - Corporate - Communities and Local Government
- ^ County council to be abolished in shake-up - Bedford Today
- ^ http://www.bedford.gov.uk/unitary/
- ^ http://www.bedfordtoday.co.uk/bed-news/Lib-Dems-the-winners-in.5340524.jp
- ^ http://www.bedfordshire-news.co.uk/bedsonsunday/DisplayArticle.asp?ID=458793
External links
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