South_Ribble
South Ribble
Borough and non-metropolitan district in England
South Ribble is a local government district with borough status in Lancashire, England. Its council is based in Leyland. The borough also includes the towns and villages of Penwortham, Leyland, Farington, Hutton, Longton, Walmer Bridge, Salmesbury, Lostock Hall, Walton le Dale and Bamber Bridge. Many of the built-up areas in the borough form part of the wider Preston built-up area.
South Ribble | |
|---|---|
| |
Shown within the ceremonial county of Lancashire | |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Constituent country | England |
| Region | North West England |
| Ceremonial county | Lancashire |
| Founded | 1 April 1974 |
| Admin. HQ | Leyland |
| Government | |
| • Type | South Ribble Borough Council |
| • MPs: | Katherine Fletcher, Nigel Evans |
| Area | |
| • Total | 43.7 sq mi (113.1 km2) |
| • Rank | 183rd |
| Population (2021) | |
| • Total | 111,204 |
| • Rank | Ranked 215th |
| • Density | 2,500/sq mi (980/km2) |
| Ethnicity (2021) | |
| • Ethnic groups | |
| Religion (2021) | |
| • Religion | List
|
| Time zone | UTC+0 (Greenwich Mean Time) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (British Summer Time) |
| ONS code | 30UN (ONS) E07000126 (GSS) |
South Ribble Borough Council | |
|---|---|
| Type | |
| Type | |
| Leadership | |
Chris Sinnott since January 2023[4] | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 50 councillors |
Political groups |
|
| Elections | |
| Plurality block voting | |
Last election | 4 May 2023 |
Next election | 6 May 2027 |
| Meeting place | |
| Civic Centre, West Paddock, Leyland, PR25 1DH | |
| Website | |
| www | |
The neighbouring districts are Preston, Ribble Valley, Blackburn with Darwen, Chorley, West Lancashire and Fylde.
The district was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, covering the whole area of two former districts and parts of a third, which were abolished at the same time:[5]
- Leyland Urban District
- Preston Rural District (parishes of Cuerdale, Farington, Hutton, Little Hoole, Longton, Much Hoole, Penwortham and Samlesbury only, rest split between Preston and Ribble Valley)
- Walton-le-Dale Urban District (which included Bamber Bridge)
The new district was named South Ribble, reflecting the fact that the River Ribble forms its northern boundary.[6] The new district was awarded borough status from its creation, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor.[7]
South Ribble Borough Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Lancashire County Council. Parts of the borough are covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government.[8][9]
Political control
The council has been under Labour majority control since the 2023 election.
The first election to the council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until coming into its powers on 1 April 1974. Since 1974 political control of the council has been as follows:[10][11]
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| Conservative | 1974–1995 | |
| Labour | 1995–1999 | |
| No overall control | 1999–2007 | |
| Conservative | 2007–2019 | |
| No overall control | 2019–2023 | |
| Labour | 2023–present | |
Leadership
The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in South Ribble. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 2007 have been:[12]
| Councillor | Party | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Margaret Smith[13] | Conservative | 2007 | 20 Jul 2016 | |
| Peter Mullineaux | Conservative | 15 Sep 2016 | 17 May 2018 | |
| Mary Green | Conservative | 17 May 2018 | 15 Oct 2018 | |
| Paul Foster[14] | Labour | 15 Oct 2018 | 1 Nov 2018 | |
| Margaret Smith[15] | Conservative | 1 Nov 2018 | 15 May 2019 | |
| Paul Foster | Labour | 15 May 2019 | ||
Composition
Following the 2023 election the composition of the council was:[16]
| Party | Councillors | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour | 29 | |
| Conservative | 16 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 5 | |
| Total | 50 | |
The next election is due in 2027.
Elections
Since the last boundary changes in 2015 the council has comprised 50 councillors representing 23 wards, with each ward electing two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years.[17]
The borough straddles the parliamentary constituencies of Ribble Valley and South Ribble.[9]
Premises
The council is based at the Civic Centre on West Paddock in Leyland. The building was built in the early 1970s for the former Leyland Urban District Council.[18]
There are eight civil parishes in the borough. The parish council for Penwortham has declared its parish to be a town, allowing it to take the style "town council". The parishes of Samlesbury and Cuerdale share a grouped parish council.[19] The former urban districts of Leyland and Walton-le-Dale are unparished areas.[9]
The parishes are:
South Ribble is twinned with:[20]
Schleswig-Flensburg, Germany
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The following people and military units have received the Freedom of the Borough of South Ribble.
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Individuals
- Anthony Kelly: September 2010.[21]
Military Units
- The King's Royal Hussars: 1992.[22]
- UK Census (2021). "2021 Census Area Profile – South Ribble Local Authority (E07000124)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
- "Council minutes, 24 May 2023". South Ribble Borough Council. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
- "Councillors". South Ribble Borough Council. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
- Aldred, Tim (22 April 2022). "Chorley Council and South Ribble Borough Council appoint shared chief executive". Lancashire Business View. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
- "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1972/2039, retrieved 22 August 2022
- "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Names) Order 1973", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1973/551, retrieved 22 August 2022
- "District Councils and Boroughs". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 28 March 1974. Retrieved 16 January 2012.
- "Local Government Act 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1972 c. 70, retrieved 31 May 2023
- "Election Maps". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
- "Compositions calculator". The Elections Centre. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
- "South Ribble". BBC News Online. Retrieved 16 October 2009.
- "Council minutes". South Ribble Borough Council. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
- Faulkner, Paul (4 June 2021). "'I got into local politics because I'm nosey', confesses outgoing South Ribble Tory leader who ran the borough for a decade". Lancashire Post. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
- "Labour takes over scandal-hit South Ribble council". BBC News. 16 October 2018. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
- "South Ribble clocks up another leader - and it's a familiar face". Lancashire Post. 1 November 2018. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
- "Local elections 2023: live council results for England". The Guardian.
- "The South Ribble (Electoral Changes) Order 2014", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2014/3288, retrieved 19 October 2023
- "Contact us". South Ribble Borough Council. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
Civic Centre, West Paddock, Leyland, Lancashire, PR25 1DH
- "Parish council contacts". South Ribble Borough Council. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
- South Ribble Borough Council, Town Twinning retrieved 21 January 2019
- "King's Royal Hussars mark 25 years as honorary freemen with Leyland parade | South Ribble Borough Council". Archived from the original on 26 July 2019. Retrieved 7 March 2021.