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31-494: Cotswold is a local government district in Gloucestershire , England. It is named after the wider Cotswolds region and range of hills. The council is based in the district's largest town of Cirencester . The district also includes the towns of Chipping Campden , Fairford , Lechlade , Moreton-in-Marsh , Northleach , Stow-on-the-Wold and Tetbury , along with numerous villages and surrounding rural areas. In 2021
62-421: A parish council must take place between 1 March and 1 June, both dates inclusive, and must take place no earlier than 6pm. In areas where there is a parish council, the chairman of the parish council shall chair the parish meeting, and the parish meeting has none of the powers listed in the next section of this article. It acts only as an annual democratic point of communication. In areas with no parish council,
93-496: A parish meeting by the same process by which such liability is transferred to parish council (s.215 (2) of the Local Government Act 1972 ). i.e. by serving written request on the chairman of the meeting. See also LTN 65 - Closed Churchyards and Disused Burial Grounds. Commons: a parish meeting may be registered as the owner of common land if it has inherited ownership from the appropriate pre-1894 authority (often
124-483: A parish meeting has the same powers as a parish council to appoint trustees to parochial charities. The audited accounts of all parochial charities (except those for the relief of poverty) must be sent to the chairman of the parish meeting who must lay them before the next meeting (s.79 (2) of the Charities Act 1993 ); Churchyards: liability to maintain a closed Church of England churchyard may be transferred to
155-402: A parish meeting is a precepting authority . This means that where there is no parish council the parish meeting must meet its own expenses, usually by precepting on council tax collected by the district council. A parish meeting may only precept for expenditure relating to specific functions, powers and rights which have been conferred on it by legislation. A parish meeting may request that
186-546: A parish meeting may maintain, repair or protect any war memorial in the parish (ss.1 and 4 of the War Memorials (Local Authorities' Powers) Act 1923 ). Staff: Parish meetings do not have the power to appoint staff. Generally speaking it is not a local authority and its powers are not as wide as those of a parish council. Section 39(2) of the Local Government Finance Act 1972 provides that
217-631: A population of 139,000 in 2016. Eighty per cent of the district lies within the River Thames catchment area, with the Thames itself and several tributaries including the River Windrush and River Leach running through the district. Lechlade is an important point on the river as the upstream limit of navigation. In the 2007 floods in the UK , rivers were the source of flooding of 53 per cent of
248-418: A third tier of local government. The council has been under Liberal Democrat majority control since the 2019 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: The council has a ceremonial chair of
279-576: A two-tier arrangement. Non-metropolitan districts with borough status are known as boroughs , able to appoint a mayor and refer to itself as a borough council. Some shire counties now have no sub divisions so are a single Non-metropolitan district such as Cornwall. Typically a district will consist of a market town and its more rural hinterland. However districts are diverse with some being mostly urban such as Dartford, and others more polycentric such as Thurrock. Non-metropolitan districts are subdivisions of English non-metropolitan counties which have
310-461: A two-tier structure of local government. Two-tier non-metropolitan counties have a county council and several districts, each with a borough or district council. In these cases local government functions are divided between county and district councils, to the level where they can be practised most efficiently: Many districts have borough status , which means the local council is called a borough council instead of district council and gives them
341-471: A unitary authority or those that transferred from one county to another, including those that changed name. Nor does it include unitary authorities that have been abolished ( Bournemouth and Poole ). Parish meeting A parish meeting is a meeting all the electors in a civil parish in England are entitled to attend. In some cases, where a parish or group of parishes has fewer than 200 electors,
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#1732773314172372-450: Is a burial authority. It may therefore provide burial grounds and may contribute towards the cost of burial facilities provided by others (Para 1(c) of schedule 26 to the Local Government Act 1972 ); Cemeteries and crematoria : power to adopt byelaws made by a district or London borough council or the City of London (Para11(1) of schedule 26 to the Local Government Act 1972 ); Charities:
403-604: The District Councils' Network , special interest group which sits within the Local Government Association . The network's purpose is to "act as an informed and representative advocate for districts to government and other national bodies, based on their unique position to deliver for local people." This is a list of two-tier non-metropolitan counties and their districts. All unitary authorities are also non-metropolitan districts, which, with
434-536: The Licensing Act 2003 ); Lighting: a parish meeting may light roads and other public places (section 3 of the Parish Councils Act 1957 ); Rights of way: a parish meeting is entitled to be notified of a public path creation order; an extinguishment order, a diversion order or a definitive map modification order. In relation to the last named, the meeting is also entitled to be consulted by
465-429: The 1972 act). Section 13(3) of the Local Government Act 1972 provides that the parish trustees shall be the chairman of the parish meeting and the proper officer of the district council. The parish trustees may hold on behalf of the parish meeting the following categories of land: Licensing: a parish meeting may be an "interested party" and may be consulted in respect of applications for premises licenses (s.13(3) of
496-628: The Churchwardens and Overseers of the Poor) pursuant to section 67 of the Local Government Act 1894 ( 56 & 57 Vict. c. 73); Land: a parish meeting has no general power of acquisition but may acquire land to exercise its allotments or burial powers. It may appropriate land from one purpose to another with the approval of the Secretary of State. A parish meeting may dispose of land on the same conditions applicable to parish councils (s.126 of
527-401: The area of five former districts, which were all abolished at the same time: The new district was named Cotswold, reflecting its central position within the hills and wider region of that name. Cotswold District Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Gloucestershire County Council . The whole district is also covered by civil parishes , which form
558-454: The areas for Wales and England had been enacted separately and there were no Welsh metropolitan areas, the term 'non-metropolitan district' does not apply to Wales. A similar system existed in Scotland , which in 1975 was divided into regions and districts, this was also abolished in 1996 and replaced with a fully unitary system . In England most of the district councils are represented by
589-647: The council who presides at council meetings and acts as the district's first citizen. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council . The leaders since 2001 have been: At the 2023 election the Liberal Democrats extended their majority. As of August 2024 the current composition of the council is: The next election is due in 2027. The council is based at the Council Offices on Trinity Road in Cirencester. The building
620-592: The county council before the order is made (part III Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and schedule 15); Village greens: a parish meeting may prosecute a person who damages or encroaches upon a village green in the parish and thus commits an offence under section 12 of the Inclosure Act 1857 or section 29 of the Commons Act 1876 ( 39 & 40 Vict. c. 56). See also LTN 56 - The Provision of Play and Sports Equipment on Village Greens); War memorials:
651-559: The district had a population of 91,125. The district covers nearly 450 square miles (1,200 km), with some 80% of the land located within the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty . The much larger area referred to as the Cotswolds encompasses nearly 800 square miles, spanning five counties: Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire , Warwickshire , Wiltshire , and Worcestershire . This large Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty had
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#1732773314172682-542: The exception of those of Berkshire , are coterminous with non-metropolitan counties. For a full list of districts of all types including unitary authorities, metropolitan districts and London boroughs , see Districts of England . This is a list of former two-tier districts in England which have been abolished, by local government reorganisations such as the 2009 structural changes to local government in England . It does not include districts that still exist after becoming
713-411: The locations affected and the Thames at Lechlade reached record levels with over 100 reports of flooding. The neighbouring districts are South Gloucestershire , Stroud , Tewkesbury , Cheltenham , Wychavon , Stratford-on-Avon , West Oxfordshire , Vale of White Horse , Swindon and Wiltshire . The district was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972 . The new district covered
744-462: The parish meeting can take on the role of a parish council , with statutory powers, and electing a chairman and clerk to act on the meeting's behalf. Every parish in England has a parish meeting. Parish meetings are a form of direct democracy , which is uncommon in the United Kingdom , which primarily uses representative democracy . In England, the annual parish meeting of a parish with
775-471: The parish meeting has the following powers: Allotments: a parish meeting may hold and administer allotments for cultivation (s.33 (3) Small Holdings and Allotments Act 1908 ); Bus shelters: a parish meeting may provide and maintain a bus shelter (s. 4 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1953 and s.179 of the Local Government Act 1972 ); Burials: a parish meeting
806-584: The rest electing one each. Elections are held every four years. There are 34 councillors. After the May 2019 election, there were 18 Liberal Democrats, 14 Conservatives, one independent and one Green. [REDACTED] Media related to Cotswold at Wikimedia Commons Non-metropolitan district Non-metropolitan districts , or colloquially " shire districts ", are a type of local government district in England. As created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan counties (colloquially shire counties ) in
837-565: The right to appoint a mayor . Borough status is granted by royal charter and, in many cases, continues a style enjoyed by a predecessor authority, which can date back centuries. Some districts such as Oxford or Exeter have city status , granted by letters patent , but this does not give the local council any extra powers other than the right to call itself a city council . By 1899, England had been divided at district level into rural districts , urban districts , municipal boroughs , county boroughs and metropolitan boroughs . This system
868-488: The style "town council". Some of the smaller parishes have a parish meeting rather than a parish council. 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. Since the last full review of boundaries in 2015 the council has comprised 34 councillors representing 32 wards , with two wards electing two councillors and
899-526: The two-tier structure, but reforms in the 1990s and 2009 reduced their number to 192. A further 55 non-metropolitan districts are now unitary authorities, which combine the functions of county and borough/district councils. In Wales , an almost identical two-tier system of local government existed between 1974 and 1996 (see Districts of Wales ). In 1996, this was abolished and replaced with an entirely unitary system of local government, with one level of local government responsible for all local services. Since
930-620: Was abolished by the London Government Act 1963 and the Local Government Act 1972 . Non-metropolitan districts were created by this act in 1974 when England outside Greater London was divided into metropolitan counties and non-metropolitan counties. Metropolitan counties were sub-divided into metropolitan districts and the non-metropolitan counties were sub-divided into non-metropolitan districts. The metropolitan districts had more powers than their non-metropolitan counterparts. Initially, there were 296 non-metropolitan districts in
961-665: Was built in 1837 as the Cirencester Union Workhouse, later serving as Watermoor Hospital following the creation of the National Health Service in 1948. After the hospital closed the building was converted to become the council's headquarters, being formally opened by Prince Charles on 21 May 1981. 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