Borough of Barrow-in-Furness | |
|---|---|
 Skyline of Barrow-in-Furness | |
 Logo | |
 Shown withinCumbria | |
| Coordinates (Barrow-In-Furness Town Centre):54°06′42″N3°13′34″W / 54.11155°N 3.22614°W /54.11155; -3.22614 | |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Constituent country | England |
| Region | North West England |
| Ceremonial county | Cumbria |
| Historic county | Lancashire |
| Founded | 1 April 1974 (1974-04-01) |
| Abolished | 31 March 2023 (2023-03-31) |
| Admin. HQ | Barrow Town Hall, Barrow-in-Furness |
| Government | |
| • Type | Barrow-in-Furness Borough Council |
| • Leadership: | Alternative – Sec.31 |
| Area | |
• Total | 30.08 sq mi (77.90 km2) |
| Population (2021) | |
• Total | 67,375 |
| • Density | 2,200/sq mi (860/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC+0 (Greenwich Mean Time) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (British Summer Time) |
| Area code | 01229 |
| ONS code | 16UC (ONS) E07000027 (GSS) |
| Ethnicity (2021) | 95.7%White British 1.4%White Other 1.4%Asian 0.8%Mixed Race 0.4%Black 0.4Other |
| Website | www |
Barrow-in-Furness was alocal government district withborough status inCumbria, England. It was named after its main town,Barrow-in-Furness. Other settlements includedDalton-in-Furness andAskam-in-Furness. It was the smallest district in Cumbria, but the most densely populated, with 924 people per square kilometre. The population was 71,980 in 2001,[1] reducing to 69,087 at the 2011 Census.[2]
In July 2021 theMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local Government announced that in April 2023, Cumbria would be reorganised into twounitary authorities.[3] On 1 April 2023, Barrow-in-Furness Borough Council was abolished and its functions transferred to the new authorityWestmorland and Furness, which also covers the former districts ofEden andSouth Lakeland.[4]
The area covered by the district was at the edge of theFurness peninsula. It jolted into theIrish Sea, being north ofMorecambe Bay and south of theDuddon Estuary. The borough was formed on 1 April 1974 by the merger of the formercounty borough ofBarrow-in-Furness and theDalton-in-Furnessurban district from theadministrative county ofLancashire. Despite being one of England's smallest local authorities it had a coastline of 63 km and has equally diverse built and natural environments. This included 274Listed buildings and fourSSSIs, ranking as the seventh highest concentration of 325 districts on the English Heritage Index as of 2015.[5]
Barrow-in-Furness Borough Council sat at theTown Hall in Barrow. It was led by a mayor, who was elected by council members. In 2006, the Council was fined £125,000 for violation of health and safety laws that led to thedeaths of seven people in the United Kingdom's worst outbreak ofLegionnaires' disease.[clarification needed] The council also became the UK's first public body to be charged withcorporate manslaughter, but was foundnot guilty.[6]
Following boundary changes in 2008,[7] the council was composed of 36 seats, elected across 13 wards. From 2011 the council switched from the previous system of elections occurring over a four-year cycle, with a third of seats elected each year and one 'fallow' year, to one where full council elections occur every four years.[8]
From its inception in 1973 until abolition in 2023, the council was often underLabour control, most recently from the2011 election, but with three years ofConservative control (1976–1979) and ten years ofno overall control (most recently from 2006 to 2011).[9]
Composition at abolition
As of 31 March 2023[10]
| Affiliation | Members | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party | 22 | |
| Conservative Party | 8 | |
| Furness Independent Councillors | 3 | |
| Communist Party of Britain | 1[11] | |
The Borough of Barrow-in-Furness comprised thirteenelectoral wards, all of which can be seen on the map below.
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The following people and military units had received theFreedom of the Borough of Barrow-in-Furness.
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