51°43′08″N1°58′05″W / 51.719°N 1.968°W /51.719; -1.968
Cotswold District | |
|---|---|
 Cirencester, the administrative centre of the Cotswold District | |
 Cotswold shown within Gloucestershire | |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Constituent country | England |
| Region | South West England |
| Non-metropolitan county | Gloucestershire |
| Status | Non-metropolitan district |
| Admin HQ | Cirencester |
| Incorporated | 1 April 1974 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Non-metropolitan district council |
| • Body | Cotswold District Council |
| • MPs | Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (C) Roz Savage (LD) |
| Area | |
• Total | 449.6 sq mi (1,164.5 km2) |
| • Rank | 20th(of 296) |
| Population (2024) | |
• Total | 91,661 |
| • Rank | 266th(of 296) |
| • Density | 203.87/sq mi (78.713/km2) |
| Ethnicity(2021) | |
| • Ethnic groups | |
| Religion(2021) | |
| • Religion | List
|
| Time zone | UTC0 (GMT) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (BST) |
| ONS code | 23UC (ONS) E07000079 (GSS) |
| OS grid reference | SP0221002304 |
Cotswold is alocal government district inGloucestershire, England. It is named after the widerCotswolds region and range of hills. The council is based in the district's largest town ofCirencester. The district also includes the towns ofChipping Campden,Fairford,Lechlade,Moreton-in-Marsh,Northleach,Stow-on-the-Wold andTetbury, along with numerous villages and surrounding rural areas.
In 2021 the district had a population of 91,125. The district covers nearly 450 square miles (1,200 km2), with some 80% of the land located within the CotswoldsArea of Outstanding Natural Beauty.[2][3] The much larger area referred to as the Cotswolds encompasses nearly 800 square miles, spanning five counties: Gloucestershire,Oxfordshire,Warwickshire,Wiltshire, andWorcestershire.[4][5] This large Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty had a population of 139,000 in 2016.[6]
Eighty per cent of the district lies within theRiver Thames catchment area, with the Thames itself and several tributaries including theRiver Windrush andRiver Leach running through the district.Lechlade is an important point on the river as the upstream limit of navigation. In the2007 floods in the UK, rivers were the source of flooding of 53 per cent of the locations affected and the Thames at Lechlade reached record levels with over 100 reports of flooding.[7]
The neighbouring districts areSouth Gloucestershire,Stroud,Tewkesbury,Cheltenham,Wychavon,Stratford-on-Avon,West Oxfordshire,Vale of White Horse,Swindon andWiltshire.
The district was formed on 1 April 1974 under theLocal Government Act 1972. The new district covered the area of five former districts, which were all abolished at the same time:[8]
The new district was named Cotswold, reflecting its central position within the hills and wider region of that name.[9]
Cotswold District Council | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| Leadership | |
Robert Weaver since January 2021[11] | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 34 councillors |
 | |
Political groups |
|
| Elections | |
| First past the post | |
Last election | 4 May 2023 |
Next election | 6 May 2027 |
| Meeting place | |
| Council Offices, Trinity Road, Cirencester, GL7 1PX | |
| Website | |
| www | |
Cotswold District Council providesdistrict-level services.County-level services are provided byGloucestershire County Council.[12] The whole district is also covered bycivil parishes, which form a third tier of local government.[13]
The council has been underLiberal Democrat majority control since the2019 election.
The first election to the council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new arrangements took effect on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows:[14][15]
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| Independent | 1974–1999 | |
| No overall control | 1999–2003 | |
| Conservative | 2003–2019 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 2019–present | |
The council has a ceremonialchair of the council who presides at council meetings and acts as the district's first citizen. Political leadership is instead provided by theleader of the council. The leaders since 2003 have been:
| Councillor | Party | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Julie Girling[16] | Conservative | May 2003 | May 2006 | |
| Lynden Stowe[17] | Conservative | May 2006 | 16 May 2017 | |
| Mark Annett[18][19] | Conservative | 16 May 2017 | Sep 2018 | |
| Tony Berry[20][21] | Conservative | 11 Dec 2018 | 14 May 2019 | |
| Joe Harris[21][22] | Liberal Democrats | 14 May 2019 | 20 May 2025 | |
| Mike Evemy[10] | Liberal Democrats | 21 May 2025 | ||
At the2023 election the Liberal Democrats extended their majority.[23] Following subsequent by-elections up to January 2026, the composition of the council was:[24]
| Party | Councillors | |
|---|---|---|
| Liberal Democrats | 22 | |
| Conservative | 10 | |
| Green | 1 | |
| Independent | 1 | |
| Total | 34 | |
The next election is due in 2027.[24]
The council is based at the Council Offices on Trinity Road in Cirencester.[25] The building was built in 1837 as the Cirencester Union Workhouse, later serving as Watermoor Hospital following the creation of theNational Health Service in 1948. After the hospital closed the building was converted to become the council's headquarters, being formally opened byPrince Charles on 21 May 1981.[26][27]
The whole district is covered by civil parishes. The parish councils for Chipping Campden, Cirencester, Fairford, Lechlade, Moreton-in-Marsh, Northleach with Eastington, Stow-on-the-Wold and Tetbury take the style "town council". Some of the smaller parishes have aparish meeting rather than a parish council.[28]
In terms of television, the area receives various transmitters from different regions:
Radio stations for the area are:
The district is served by the weekly local newspaper, Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard.[33]
Since the last full review of boundaries in 2015 the council has comprised 34councillors representing 32wards, with two wards electing two councillors and the rest electing one each. Elections are held every four years.[34]
There are 34 councillors. After the May 2019 election, there were 18 Liberal Democrats, 14 Conservatives, one independent and one Green.
 | This section needs to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(August 2023) |
| Ward | Councillor | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abbey | Mark Harris | Liberal Democrats | |
| Blockley | Clare Turner | Green | |
| Bourton Vale | Len Wilkins | Conservative | |
| Bourton Village | Jon Wareing | Liberal Democrats | |
| Campden and Vale | Gina Blomefield | Conservative | |
| Tom Stowe | Conservative | ||
| Chedworth and Churn Valley | Paul Hodgkinson | Liberal Democrats | |
| Chesterton | Andrea Pellegram | Liberal Democrats | |
| Coln Valley | David Fowles | Conservative | |
| Ermin | Julia Judd | Conservative | |
| Fairford North | Michael Vann | Liberal Democrats | |
| Fosseridge | David Cunningham | Conservative | |
| Four Acres | Ray Brassington | Liberal Democrats | |
| Grumbolds Ash with Avening | Tony Slater | Conservative | |
| Kemble | Mike McKeown | Liberal Democrats | |
| Lechlade, Kempsford and Fairford South | Tristan Wilkinson | Liberal Democrats | |
| Helene Mansilla | Liberal Democrats | ||
| Moreton East | Angus Jenkinson | Liberal Democrats | |
| Moreton West | Daryl Corps | Conservative | |
| New Mills | Claire Bloomer | Liberal Democrats | |
| Northleach | Tony Dale | Liberal Democrats | |
| Sandywell | Jeremy Theyer | Conservative | |
| Siddington and Cerney Rural | Mike Evemy | Liberal Democrats | |
| South Cerney Village | Juliet Layton | Liberal Democrats | |
| St Michael's | Joe Harris | Liberal Democrats | |
| Stow | Dilys Neill | Liberal Democrats | |
| Stratton | Patrick Coleman | Liberal Democrats | |
| Tetbury East and Rural | Nikki Ind | Independent | |
| Tetbury Central | Ian Watson | Liberal Democrats | |
| Tetbury with Upton | Laura Hall-Wilson | Conservative | |
| The Ampneys and Hampton | Lisa Spivey | Liberal Democrats | |
| The Beeches | Nigel Robbins | Liberal Democrats | |
| The Rissingtons | Craig Thurling | Liberal Democrats | |
| Watermoor | Nick Bridges | Liberal Democrats | |
| Councillor | Party | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| D C Leadbeater | Independent | 1973 | 1976 | |
| C Staite | Independent | 1976 | 1977 | |
| J Clark | Independent | 1977 | 1981 | |
| I Lamb | Conservative | 1981 | 1983 | |
| H Groves | Independent | 1983 | 1986 | |
| P Cutts | Independent | 1986 | 1989 | |
| I Maitland Hume | Independent | 1989 | 1991 | |
| D Godman | Independent | 1991 | 1993 | |
| M Brown | Independent | 1993 | 1995 | |
| Sue Herdman | Independent | 1995 | 1998 | |
| P Pretty | Independent | 1998 | 1999 | |
| B Evans | Independent | 1999 | 2001 | |
| Tim Royle | Conservative | 2001 | 2004 | |
| Sue Jepson | Conservative | 2004 | 2007 | |
| Sheila Jeffery | Conservative | 2007 | 2009 | |
| Ben Jeffrey | Conservative | 2009 | 2010 | |
| Carolyn Nicolle | Conservative | 2010 | 2012 | |
| Edward Horsfall | Conservative | 2012 | 2014 | |
| Clive Bennett | Conservative | 2014 | 2015 | |
| Mark Annett | Conservative | 2015 | 2017 | |
| Julian Beale | Conservative | 2017 | 2019 | |
| Nigel Robbins | Liberal Democrats | 2019 | 2021 | |
| Dilys Neill | Liberal Democrats | 2021 | 2023 | |
| Nikki Ind | Independent | 2023 | 2025 | |
| Mark Harris | Liberal Democrats | 2025 | ||
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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