Borough of Burnley | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Coat of Arms of the Borough Council | |
 Shown within ceremonialLancashire | |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Constituent country | England |
| Region | North West England |
| Ceremonial county | Lancashire |
| Admin. HQ | Burnley |
| Government | |
| • Type | Burnley Borough Council |
| • MPs: | Oliver Ryan |
| Area | |
• Total | 43 sq mi (111 km2) |
| • Rank | 186th |
| Population (2024) | |
• Total | 99,233 |
| • Rank | Ranked 251st |
| • Density | 2,320/sq mi (894/km2) |
| Ethnicity(2021) | |
| • Ethnic groups | |
| Religion(2021) | |
| • Religion | List
|
| Time zone | UTC+0 (Greenwich Mean Time) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (British Summer Time) |
| Postcode | BB10-12 |
| Area code | 01282 |
| ONS code | 30UD (ONS) E07000117 (GSS) |
TheBorough of Burnley (/ˈbɜːrnli/) is alocal government district with theborough status inLancashire, England. It has an area of 42.9 square miles (111 km2) and a population of 99,233 (2024), and is named after its largest town,Burnley. The borough also contains the town ofPadiham along with several villages and surrounding rural areas.
The neighbouring districts areRossendale,Hyndburn,Ribble Valley,Pendle andCalderdale.
The town of Burnley had been governed byimprovement commissioners from 1819.[2] The commissioners were replaced in 1861 when the town was made amunicipal borough, governed by a body formally called the "mayor, aldermen and burgesses of the borough of Burnley" but generally known as the corporation or town council.[3] After elections, the corporation first met in January 1862 when Burnley's first mayor was appointed.[4] When elected county councils were established in 1889, Burnley was considered large enough to provide its own county-level services, and so it became acounty borough, independent from the newLancashire County Council.[5]
The modern district was created on 1 April 1974 under theLocal Government Act 1972, covering the whole area of two former districts and part of a third, which were all abolished at the same time:[6]
The new district was named Burnley after the area's largest town.[7] It was granted borough status from its creation, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor, continuing Burnley's series of mayors dating back to 1862.[8]
The parish of North Town (which had been created in 1894 from the parts of Padiham parish outside the urban district) was abolished in 1983, being absorbed into Simonstone.[9][10] Simonstone was subsequently transferred toRibble Valley in 1987, with some adjustments to its boundaries with neighbouring areas.[11]
In 2007 a proposal to merge Burnley with neighbouringPendle Borough Council to form a largerunitary authority was rejected by the government.[12]
The creation of the Burnley Bondholders scheme, an initiative which brings together local firms to promote Burnley as a place for business saw Burnley awarded an Enterprising Britain award from the UK Government in 2013, for being the 'Most Enterprising Area in the UK'.[13]
The Borough of Burnley roughly covers the upper part of thecatchment basin of theRiver Calder, a majortributary of theRiver Ribble. This includes the catchment of theRiver Brun, which meets the Calder in Burnley town centre, but not that ofPendle Water. The Calder has its source in theClivigergorge which cuts through thePennines into Yorkshire, very close to that of theWest Yorkshire river with the same name. The gorge is located in the south east of the district and separates theSouth Pennines to the east from the area known as theForest of Rossendale to the south. After passing through Burnley, the Calder turns aroundIghten Hill forming part of the northern boundary and exits the borough at the west once it has flowed throughPadiham. The exceptions to this occur along the southern boundary. TheRiver Irwell and its feederWhitewell Brook both have their sources on Deerplay Moor inCliviger. Another tributary,Limy Water begins inDunnockshaw and supplies the Clowbridge Reservoir. All three flow south into Rossendale. Catlow Brook forms part of the northern boundary (from the Coldwell Reservoirs to Walverden Reservoir) before continuing asWalverden Water intoNelson in Pendle. The banks of the Calder on the western boundary lie approximately 70 metres (230 ft)AOD, but the hilltops on the eastern side—also the border between Lancashire andWest Yorkshire—exceed 450 metres (1,480 ft) in several places.Hameldon Hill (409 metres (1,342 ft)) stands in the southwest corner, forming part of the boundary withHyndburn.[14][15]
TheBurnley Way, a 40-mile (64 km) waymarked circular footpath, visits much of the district, also passing briefly into theCalderdale district of West Yorkshire. It is considered to start/end at theWeavers' Triangle Visitor Centre at Burnley Wharf on theLeeds and Liverpool Canal.[16]
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The borough contains eightcivil parishes. The parish council of Padiham takes the style "town council". The central part of the borough, roughly corresponding to the pre-1974 borough of Burnley, is anunparished area.[17] The parishes are:[18]
Padiham was also unparished from the abolition of its old urban district council in 1974 until a new parish was created in 2002, covering a similar area to the old urban district.[19][20]
| UK Census 2021 | Burnley[21] | NW England[22] | England[23] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total population | 94,646 | 7,417,397 | 56,490,048 |
| Foreign born | 12.7% | 11.7% | 17.4% |
| White | 82.5% | 85.6% | 81.0% |
| Asian | 14.7% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
| Black | 0.3% | 2.3% | 4.2% |
| Christian | 48.2% | 52.5% | 46.3% |
| Muslim | 14.0% | 7.6% | 6.7% |
| Hindu | 0.2% | 0.7% | 1.8% |
| No religion | 31.5% | 32.6% | 36.7% |
| Under 19 | 23.1% | 23.4% | 23.1% |
| Over 65 | 17.9% | 18.7% | 18.3% |
| Unemployed | 3.6% | 3.4% | 3.5% |
| Perm. sick / disabled | 6.7% | 5.3% | 4.1% |
The borough's population has fallen from a high of 130,339 in 1911 to an estimated 87,700 in 2005.[24] Between 1991 and 2001, it fell by 2.6%. Its employment rate of 59.0% places it 261st out of 376 local authorities in England & Wales; just 12.6% of its workforce are graduates, placing it 325th out of 376 local authorities.[25]
The2001 census recorded the population as 89,542 and the average (mean) age of residents was 37.7 years. The area of 11,070 hectares (42.7 sq mi; 110.7 km2), giving apopulation density of 8.09 inhabitants per hectare (2,100/sq mi; 809/km2). The gender makeup of the population was 43,408 male and 46,134 female. 64.3% of residents aged 16 to 74 were classed as economically active, with 0.8% long-term unemployed, but 8.9% classified as long-term sick or disabled. The largest employment sectors were manufacturing 29.3%, wholesale and retail trade including motor vehicle repairs 18.2%, and health and social work 12.9%. The ethnic makeup of the district was 91.8% white and 7.2% Asian, with the other ethnic minorities and people of mixed heritage making up the remaining 1%.[26]
A 2010 report commissioned by theBBC and compiled byExperian ranked the borough as having the second lowest property prices in England, this combined with GCSE results and crime rates, led to the borough being ranked as the worst place in England.[27]
By the2011 census the population was 87,059 (a decline of2.9% from 2001). The average age of residents had increased to 39.4 years. The population density then 7.86 inhabitants per hectare (2,040/sq mi; 786/km2). The gender makeup of the population was 42,794 male and 44,265 female. 66.1% of residents aged 16 to 74 were classed as economically active, with 2.1% long-term unemployed and 7% long-term sick or disabled. The largest employment sectors continued to be manufacturing 17.9%, wholesale and retail trade including motor vehicle repairs 16.7%, and health and social work 15.7%. The ethnic makeup of the district had shifted slightly to 87.4% white and 11% Asian, with other ethnic minorities and mixed-heritage people at 1.6%.[28]
At the2021 census the population was 94,646 (an increase of8.7% from 2011). The population density then 8.55 inhabitants per hectare (2,210/sq mi; 855/km2). The gender makeup of the population was 46,797 male and 47,849 female. 56.8% of residents aged 16 and over were classed as economically active, with 3.6% unemployed and 6.7% long-term sick or disabled. Although the largest employers continued to be in the same sectors, the mix had changed to wholesale and retail trade including motor vehicle repairs 19.6%, health and social work 17.2% and manufacturing 14.4%. The ethnic makeup of the district then 82.5% white and 14.7% Asian, with other ethnic minorities and mixed-heritage people at 2.8%.[21]
| Ethnic Group | Year | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 estimations[29] | 1991 census[30] | 2001 census[31] | 2011 census[32] | 2021 census[33] | ||||||
| Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | |
| White: Total | 87,755 | 96.5% | 86,988 | 94.3% | 82,171 | 91.7% | 76,054 | 87.3% | 78,112 | 82.5% |
| White:British[a] | – | – | – | – | 80,685 | 90.1 | 74,464 | 85.5 | 73,752 | 77.9% |
| White:Irish | – | – | – | – | 848 | 0.9 | 527 | 0.6 | 457 | |
| White:Gypsy or Irish Traveller[b] | – | – | – | – | 10 | 0.0 | 83 | |||
| White:Roma | – | – | – | – | 106 | |||||
| White:Other[a] | – | – | – | – | 638 | 0.7 | 1,053 | 1.2 | 3,714 | |
| Asian or Asian British: Total | 2,888 | 3.2% | 4,795 | 5.2% | 6,527 | 7.3% | 9,578 | 11.1% | 13,930 | 14.7% |
| Asian or Asian British:Indian | 225 | 302 | 426 | 0.5 | 321 | 0.4 | 378 | |||
| Asian or Asian British:Pakistani | 1996 | 3260 | 4,426 | 4.9 | 5,924 | 6.8 | 10,102 | |||
| Asian or Asian British:Bangladeshi | 512 | 991 | 1,411 | 1.6 | 2,425 | 2.8 | 2,737 | |||
| Asian or Asian British:Chinese[c] | 75 | 105 | 118 | 0.1 | 222 | 0.3 | 164 | |||
| Asian or Asian British: Other Asian | 80 | 137 | 146 | 0.2 | 686 | 0.8 | 549 | |||
| Black or Black British: Total | 154 | 216 | 121 | 0.1% | 211 | 0.2% | 326 | |||
| Black or Black British:African | 53 | 66 | 72 | 0.1 | 76 | 0.1 | 180 | |||
| Black or Black British:Caribbean | 30 | 45 | 37 | 0.0 | 120 | 0.1 | 95 | |||
| Black or Black British:Other Black | 71 | 105 | 12 | 0.0 | 15 | 0.0 | 51 | |||
| Mixed or British Mixed: Total[a] | – | – | – | – | 630 | 976 | 1.1% | 1,505 | ||
| Mixed: White and Black Caribbean | – | – | – | – | 130 | 0.1 | 228 | 0.3 | 191 | |
| Mixed: White and Black African | – | – | – | – | 78 | 0.1 | 90 | 0.1 | 165 | |
| Mixed: White and Asian | – | – | – | – | 332 | 0.4 | 476 | 0.5 | 826 | |
| Mixed: Other Mixed | – | – | – | – | 90 | 0.1 | 182 | 0.2 | 323 | |
| Other: Total | 139 | 202 | 93 | 240 | 0.3% | 778 | ||||
| Other: Arab[b] | – | – | – | – | – | – | 55 | 0.1 | 157 | |
| Other: Any other ethnic group | 93 | 0.1 | 185 | 0.2 | 621 | |||||
| Non-White: Total | 3,181 | 3.5% | 5,213 | 5.7% | 7,371 | 11,005 | 16,539 | |||
| Total | 90,936 | 100% | 92,201 | 100% | 89,542 | 100% | 87,059 | 100% | 94,651 | 100% |
There are severalindustrial estates andbusiness parks within the borough of varying ages and sizes. The largest are:[34][15]
There are also a number of smaller sites throughout historically industrial parts of Burnley. Burnham Gate Trading Estate was the site of Duckett's earthensanitary ware works.[35] Smallshaw & Chestnut Business Park was built over part of therailway sidings connected withRose Grove railway station.[36] Elm Street and Gannow Business Parks along with Healeywood Industrial Estate all incorporate converted Victoriancotton mill buildings. Empire Business Park, located between Rosegrove and Lowerhouse also opened in 2008.[34]
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Education Services in the borough are provided and controlled byLancashire County Council.
Fire and rescue services in the borough are provided byLancashire Fire and Rescue Service and controlled by Lancashire County Council.
Health services in the borough are provided byEast Lancashire Primary Care Trust andEast Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, with additional services provided by theNorth West Ambulance Service andNorth West Air Ambulance.
The Hospital Trust operatesBurnley General Hospital, while the PCT operates the network ofGP surgeries, and recently opened 2 Primary Health Care Centres in the borough (St. Peters Centre in 2006 and Briercliffe in 2007).[37]
In 2000 Burnley Council transferred its stock of around 5300council houses to Burnley & Padiham Community Housing. Re-branded as Calico Homes in 2004, a nod tothe cotton fabric historically so important to the area's economic success, thehousing association has since grown and diversified into construction, support and training. The council is still able nominate tenants, prioritised by need, to Calico and the other associations that provide accommodation in the borough. All have agreements stipulating that they will allocate approximately half of their vacancies to council nominees.[38][39]
Burnley Council's development control team deals withplanning permission applications within the borough, subject to appeal to the GovernmentPlanning Inspectorate.[40] The council adopted a new planning framework in July 2018, which sets out the overall development strategy for the district up to 2032.[41]
The museum atTowneley Hall is owned, funded and managed by the borough council.[42]Queen Street Mill Textile Museum is owned and operated by Lancashire County Council.[43] Since cost-cutting measures saw a temporary closure of the site, a transfer to another operator, possibly theNational Trust, is reportedly being investigated.[44]Gawthorpe Hall on the edge of Padiham is owned by theNational Trust but managed by the county council.[45]
The county council is also responsible for library provision in the district. As well as the Central Library in Burnley there are smaller sites atPadiham Town Hall, Burnley Campus in Daneshouse, on Coal Clough Lane, and Pike Hill. Themobile library service also serves the area.[46]
The borough council owns and manages sixGreen Flag Award parks: Ightenhill Park, Padiham Memorial Park,Queens Park,Scott Park,Thompson Park, andTowneley Park. In addition it is also responsible for the maintenance of over 500 hectares (1,200 acres) of public woodlands and informal open spaces including: Byerden Holme Linear Park in Stoneyholme; Cemetery Wood near Rosegrove; Healey Heights in Rosehill; Rowley Lake and woodland in Brunshaw.[47] Additionally Gawthorpe Hall is situated within over 16 hectares (40 acres) of wooded grounds.[45]
Policing Services in the borough are provided by the Pennine division ofLancashire Constabulary based at Burnley Police station, and controlled byLancashire County Council. Plans are in place to merge the pennine division into the neighbouring eastern division, based in Blackburn.[48]Policing Services of the borough's Railways are provided by Pennine division of theBritish Transport Police – the nearest Transport Police office being inPreston.[49]
From 2014, management of the majority of the borough's leisure facilities has been transferred from Burnley Council's sport and culture services department to the Burnley Leisure trust, a registered charity. Overseen by a board of trustees made up of local community members, the trust works in partnership with the council to deliver cultural services, leisure facilities, sport and play development, and promotion of healthy lifestyles.[50]
As of 2021, the trust operates the following sites:[51]
Also the council's green spaces team still manage sports pitches and courts at: Briercliffe Recreation Ground (football), Ightenhill Park (tennis), Padiham Fennyfold Playing Fields (football), Hapton Recreation Ground (football), Prairie Playing Fields (football, rugby), Scott Park (tennis), Sycamore Avenue (juniors football), Towneley Park (football, tennis), Queens Park (football, tennis).[47]
Refuse and Recycling Collections, and Street Cleansing services are the responsibly of the borough council, and these services are currently contracted to Urbaser Ltd.
The borough Council has signed up to Lancashire's Municipal Waste Management Strategy, which specifies that the borough must recycle or compost 56% of all waste by 2015 and 61% by 2020.
There are currently 2household waste recycling centres run byLancashire County Council in the borough. One located on Grosvenor Street inBurnley and the second on Park Road inPadiham.Lancashire County Councils long-term plans to replace the Burnley site with facility at Heasandford Industrial Estate on the north eastern edge of the town, where approved in 2010 despite local objections regarding the site's suitability. 3 months later they then announced the closure of the Padiham site as part of cost-cutting measures, increasing the unsuitability of the new Burnley site's location.[52]
The following people and military units have received theFreedom of the Borough of Burnley.
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{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link) CS1 maint: publisher location (link){{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link) CS1 maint: publisher location (link)Geography of theBorough of Burnley | |||||||
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