Horsham_District_Council

Horsham District

Horsham District

Non-metropolitan district in England

Horsham is a local government district in West Sussex, England. It is named after the town of Horsham, which is its largest settlement and where the council is based. The district also includes the surrounding rural area and contains many villages, the largest of which are Southwater and Billingshurst. The district includes part of the South Downs National Park and part of the designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty of High Weald. At the 2021 census the district had a population of 147,487.

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The neighbouring districts are Crawley, Mid Sussex, Brighton and Hove, Adur, Arun, Chichester, Waverley and Mole Valley.

History

Horsham itself had been an ancient borough from the thirteenth century, but lost its borough status in the 1830s.[2] The town had been made a local government district in 1875, which became Horsham Urban District in 1894.[3][4]

The modern district was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972 as one of seven districts within West Sussex. The new district covered the whole area of three former districts, which were all abolished at the same time:[5]

The new district was named Horsham, after its largest settlement.[6]

Governance

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Horsham District Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by West Sussex County Council.[8] Much of the district is covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government for their areas.[9]

In the parts of the district within the South Downs National Park, town planning is the responsibility of the South Downs National Park Authority. The district council appoints one of its councillors to serve on the 27-person National Park Authority.[10]

Political control

The council has been under Liberal Democrat majority control since the 2023 election.[11]

The first elections to the council were held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new arrangements came into effect on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows:[12]

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Leadership

The leaders of the council since 2001 have been:[13]

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Composition

Following the 2023 election and two by-elections in February 2024 the composition of the council was:[19]

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The next election is due in 2027.

Elections

Map of the current ward boundaries
See also: Horsham District Council elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2019 the council has comprised 48 councillors representing 22 wards, with each ward electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years.[20]

Premises

Park House, North Street: One of the council's former offices.

The council is based at Parkside on Chart Way in Horsham, a modern office building shared with West Sussex County Council; the district council moved into the building in 2015.[21] Previously the council was based across several buildings, including Park House, an eighteenth century house on North Street which had served as the headquarters of the old Horsham Urban District Council since 1928.[22]

Towns and parishes

High Street in Billingshurst

The central part of the Horsham urban area, roughly corresponding to the pre-1974 Horsham Urban District, is an unparished area.[9] The rest of the district is divided into civil parishes. None of the parishes has been formally designated a town by its parish council, although Billingshurst, Henfield, Pulborough and Steyning are post towns.

Within the Horsham District are the following civil parishes:

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Education

The Rikkyo School in England, a Japanese boarding school, is located in the Rudgwick community in Horsham District.[23]

References

  1. [1]
    UK Census (2021). "2021 Census Area Profile – Horsham Local Authority (E07000227)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  2. [2]
    Hudson, T. P., ed. (1986). A History of the County of Sussex: Volume 6 Part 2. London: Victoria County History. pp. 189–190. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  3. [3]
    "No. 24227". The London Gazette. 13 July 1875. p. 3564.
  4. [4]
    Local Government Act 1894
  5. [5]
    "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1972/2039, retrieved 31 May 2023
  6. [6]
    "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Names) Order 1973", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1973/551, retrieved 31 May 2023
  7. [7]
    "Council minutes, 24 May 2023" (PDF). Horsham District Council. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  8. [8]
    "Local Government Act 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1972 c. 70, retrieved 31 May 2023
  9. [9]
    "Election Maps". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  10. [10]
    "Members". South Downs National Park Authority. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  11. [11]
    Luck, Flaminia (5 May 2023). "Sussex election results 2023: Tories lose Wealden for first time in 25 years". BBC News. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  12. [12]
    "Compositions calculator". The Elections Centre. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
  13. [13]
    "Council minutes". Horsham District Council. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
  14. [14]
    "Horsham council leader steps down". The Argus. 14 December 2011. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
  15. [15]
    Powling, Joshua (12 November 2021). "Sudden resignation of Horsham District Council leader". Sussex World. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
  16. [16]
    Powling, Joshua (10 January 2023). "Third Conservative council leader quits at Horsham District Council within last 20 months". Sussex Express. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  17. [17]
    Dunn, Karen (3 February 2023). "Conservative Claire Vickers elected as new leader of Horsham District Council three months before elections". Sussex World. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  18. [18]
    "Horsham's new council leader unveils his Lib Dem administration and its priorities". SussexWorld. 25 May 2023. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
  19. [19]
    "Local elections 2023: live council results for England". The Guardian.
  20. [20]
    "The Horsham (Electoral Changes) Order 2017", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2017/1065, retrieved 28 January 2024
  21. [21]
    Coe, Anna (21 March 2015). "Horsham District Council starts office sharing move". Sussex World. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  22. [22]
    Historic England. "Horsham Park (Grade II*) (1353938)". National Heritage List for England.
  23. [23]
    "INFORMATION IN ENGLISH." (Archive) Rikkyo School in England. Retrieved 8 January 2014. "Guildford Road,Rudgwick,W-Sussex RH12 3BE ENGLAND"
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