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72-624: Luton Rural District was a local authority in Bedfordshire , England from 1894 to 1974. It covered an area which almost surrounded but did not include the towns of Luton and Dunstable . The district had its origins in the Luton Rural Sanitary District . This had been created under the Public Health Acts of 1872 and 1875, giving public health and local government responsibilities for rural areas to

144-731: A (ceremonial) Mayor of Milton Keynes. On 1 April 1997, the Borough became a self-governing unitary authority , independent of the County Council. Following award of Letters Patent in 2022, the Borough became the City of Milton Keynes , and its council became Milton Keynes City Council . The remit of the City Council extends beyond the Milton Keynes urban area , encompassing a significant rural area with villages, hamlets, and

216-589: A 40-mile (64  km) walk traversing the county from Leighton Buzzard at the southern endpoint and Sandy, Bedfordshire / Gamlingay in southern Cambridgeshire to the east; this is called the Greensand Ridge Walk . For cyclists, there is a parallel route called the Greensand Cycle Way that follows minor country roads. Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire ( / ˈ b ʌ k ɪ ŋ ə m ʃ ər , - ʃ ɪər / , abbreviated Bucks )

288-683: A key part in the life of the British nation during the Second World War as the church of the BBC. The Millbrook Proving Ground , near Junction 13 of the M1, has 70 kilometres (43 miles) of varied vehicle test tracks. Bedfordshire is home to Premier League team Luton Town F.C. and the Ampthill RUFC and Bedford Blues rugby teams, amongst other various sporting teams. Bedfordshire boasts

360-407: A population of 840,138 at the 2021 census. Besides Milton Keynes, which is in the north-east, the largest settlements are in the southern half of the county and include Aylesbury, High Wycombe , and Chesham . For local government purposes Buckinghamshire comprises two unitary authority areas, Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes . The historic county had slightly different borders, and included

432-576: A range of further education courses. Additionally, Stella Mann College is a private college which offers a range of further education courses relating to the performing arts . There are a number of independent schools , many of which have links to the Harpur Trust . These include Bedford School , Bedford Modern School and Bedford Girls' School . In Central Bedfordshire, the school systems in Dunstable and Sandy have been re-organised into

504-449: A three-tier education system, though its organisation of infant, junior and high schools mirrors the traditional transfer age into secondary education of 11 years. However, most of Luton's high schools do not offer sixth-form education. Instead, this is handled by Luton Sixth Form College , though Barnfield College and Cardinal Newman Catholic School also offer a range of further education courses. There are two universities based in

576-471: A unitary authority, the Borough of Milton Keynes; for ceremonial purposes Milton Keynes remains part of Buckinghamshire. The administration of the remainder of the county continued to be called Buckinghamshire County Council. Buckinghamshire County Council was a large employer in the county and provided a variety of services, including education (schools, adult education and youth services), social services, highways, libraries, County Archives and Record Office,

648-466: Is 243 m (797 ft) on Dunstable Downs in the Chilterns . The first recorded use of the name in 1011 was " Bedanfordscir ", meaning the shire or county of Bedford, which itself means "Beda's ford" (river crossing). Bedfordshire was historically divided into nine hundreds : Barford , Biggleswade , Clifton , Flitt , Manshead , Redbornestoke , Stodden , Willey , Wixamtree , along with

720-519: Is a ceremonial county in South East England and one of the home counties . It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-east, Hertfordshire to the east, Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, and Oxfordshire to the west. The largest settlement is the city of Milton Keynes , and the county town is Aylesbury . The county has an area of 1,874 km (724 sq mi) and had

792-520: Is a principal train operating company in Buckinghamshire, providing the majority of local commuter services from the centre and south of the county, with trains running into London Marylebone . Great Western operates commuter services from Taplow and Iver into London Paddington . West Midlands Trains provides these services from Milton Keynes Central into Euston or Birmingham New Street , and Southern operates commuter services via

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864-558: Is also one motorway service station in the county: Toddington Services. Former trunk roads, now local roads managed by the local highway authorities, include the A428 (Cambridge-Coventry) running east–west through Bedford Borough, and the A6 from Luton to Carlisle . Three of England's main lines pass through Bedfordshire. The West Coast Main Line has but a short section where it passes through

936-726: Is another local delicacy. A chocolate tart , Chocolate Toothpaste consists of a gritty chocolate filling (said to resemble the texture of toothpaste) within a pastry tart, commonly finished with a swirl of whipped cream on top. Bedfordshire lies on many of the main transport routes which link London to the Midlands , Northern England and the rest of the UK. Two of England's six main trunk roads pass through Bedfordshire. The A1 London to Edinburgh road (the Great North Road) runs close by Biggleswade and Sandy, and Watling Street ,

1008-654: Is based in Houghton Regis and Costa Coffee is now based in Dunstable . UltraVision is based in Leighton Buzzard , while Moto Hospitality is based at Toddington service station. The " Bedfordshire clanger " is a local dish consisting of a suet crust pastry filled with meat in one end and a fruit preserve in the other. It was traditionally a farm labourers' meal, designed so as to produce no waste as well as two separate meals. Chocolate Toothpaste

1080-442: Is divided into seven constituencies, each returning a single Member of Parliament (MP): The present constituencies date from 1997 . The boundaries were slightly modified for the 2010 general election . This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of Bedfordshire at current basic prices published (pp. 240–253) by Office for National Statistics with figures in millions of British Pounds Sterling. Bedfordshire

1152-489: Is now a Grade II listed building . From 1974 (following the Local Government Act 1972 ) local administration was run on a two-tier system where public services were split between the county council and five district councils ( Aylesbury Vale , Chiltern , Milton Keynes , South Bucks and Wycombe ). In 1997, the northernmost part of Buckinghamshire, until then Milton Keynes District, was separated to form

1224-636: Is provided by BBC East and ITV Anglia from Cambridge , the southern part of the county such as Luton can also receive BBC London & ITV London meaning the area can get news and television programmes from Cambridge and London . Local radio stations are BBC Three Counties Radio (broadcast from Dunstable ), Heart East , Greatest Hits Radio Bucks, Beds and Herts (formerly Mix 96), BigglesFM (covering Biggleswade , Potton and Sandy ), In2beats ( Bedford ) and Radio LaB ( Luton ). The state education system for all of Bedfordshire used to be organised by Bedfordshire County Council. Unlike most of

1296-613: Is served by four motorways, although two are on its borders: Six important A roads also enter the county (from north to south): Also less important primary A roads enter the country: The county is poorly served with internal routes, with the A413 and A418 linking the south and north of the county. As part of the London commuter belt , Buckinghamshire is well connected to the national rail network, with both local commuter and inter-city services serving some destinations. Chiltern Railways

1368-434: Is the home of various notable people in connection with whom tourist attractions have been established: for example the author Roald Dahl who included many local features and characters in his works. Artists William Callow and Harriet Anne Smart Callow produced many paintings of the area in the late 19th century. Sports facilities in Buckinghamshire include half of the international Silverstone Circuit which straddles

1440-702: Is the location of a number of notable UK and international companies who have either headquarters or major bases in the county. Autoglass , Boxclever and Charles Wells Pubs are all based in Bedford , while the Kier Group and Kingspan Timber Solutions are based in Sandy , and Jordans Cereals are based in Biggleswade . EasyJet , Impellam , TUI Airways and Vauxhall Motors are all based in Luton , Whitbread

1512-528: The 2009 structural changes to local government in England , Bedfordshire County Council was abolished, and its responsibilities for education were passed to Bedford Borough Council and Central Bedfordshire Council . Bedford Borough Council voted in November 2009 to change to the two-tier model in its area. The change was due to be introduced over a five-year period and be completed in 2015. However, with

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1584-735: The County Museum and the Roald Dahl Children's Gallery in Aylesbury, consumer services and some aspects of waste disposal and planning. Buckinghamshire Council is a unitary authority covering most of the ceremonial county of Buckinghamshire. It was created in April 2020 from the areas that were previously administered by Buckinghamshire County Council and the district councils of South Bucks, Chiltern, Wycombe, and Aylesbury Vale. A local authority for North Buckinghamshire

1656-637: The Hemel Hempstead Rural District in Hertfordshire and the Luton Rural District. Luton Rural District also included the parts of the parish of Luton outside the municipal borough of Luton , with that area initially becoming a parish that was also called Luton Rural. The Luton Rural parish was split into four civil parishes called Hyde , Leagrave , Limbury , and Stopsley on 1 April 1896. On 1 April 1928

1728-529: The Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, with some limestone . Local clay has been used for brick-making of Fletton-style bricks in the Marston Vale . Glacial erosion of chalk has left hard flint nodules deposited as gravel—these have been commercially extracted in the past at pits which are now lakes: at Priory Country Park , Wyboston and Felmersham . The Greensand Ridge is an escarpment across

1800-841: The Marston Vale Line . The River Great Ouse links Bedfordshire to the Fenland waterways. As of 2004 there are plans by the Bedford & Milton Keynes Waterway Trust to construct a canal linking the Great Ouse at Bedford to the Grand Union Canal at Milton Keynes, 14 miles (23 km) distant. Luton Airport (the fifth busiest in the United Kingdom) has flights to many UK, European, Middle Eastern and North African destinations, operated largely (but not exclusively) by low-cost airlines. Local news

1872-726: The River Thames up the gentle slopes of the Chiltern Hills to the more abrupt slopes on the northern side leading to the Vale of Aylesbury and the City of Milton Keynes UA, a large and relatively level expanse of land that is the southern catchment of the River Great Ouse . The county includes parts of two of the four longest rivers in England. The Thames forms the southern boundary with Berkshire , which has crept over

1944-660: The River Thames . The Ridgeway Path, a long-distance footpath, passes through the county. The county also has many historic houses. Some of these are opened to the public by the National Trust , such as Waddesdon Manor , West Wycombe Park and Cliveden . Other historic houses are still in use as private homes, such as the Prime Minister 's country retreat Chequers . Claydon House (near Steeple Claydon ), Hughendon Manor (near High Wycombe), Stowe Landscaped Gardens, and Waddesdon Manor (near Aylesbury) are in

2016-626: The Rothschild banking family of England in the 19th century (see Rothschild properties in England ). The county has several annual agricultural shows, with the Bucks County Show established in 1859. Manufacturing industries include furniture-making (traditionally centred at High Wycombe ), pharmaceuticals and agricultural processing. Pinewood Studios in Iver Heath is a principal centre of operations for film and TV production in

2088-625: The West London Line from Milton Keynes Central to East Croydon . Avanti West Coast operates inter-city services from Milton Keynes Central to Euston, North West England , the West Midlands , the Scottish Central Belt , and North Wales . Great Western operates non-stop services through the south of the county from Paddington to South West England and South Wales . There are four main lines running through

2160-535: The 19th century, when a combination of cholera and famine hit the rural county, forcing many to migrate to larger towns to find work. Not only did this alter the local economic situation, it meant a lot of land was going cheap at a time when the rich were more mobile, and leafy Bucks became a popular rural idyll: an image it still has today. Buckinghamshire is a popular home for London commuters, leading to greater local affluence; however, some pockets of relative deprivation remain. The expansion of London and coming of

2232-666: The Buckinghamshire and Northamptonshire border, the Adams Park Stadium in the south and Stadium MK in the north, and Dorney Lake (named 'Eton Dorney' for the event) was used as the rowing venue for the 2012 Summer Olympics . The county is covered by three overlapping TV regions Local radio stations are BBC Three Counties Radio , BBC Radio Berkshire (covering Marlow ), Heart Thames Valley (now Heart South ), Heart Four Counties (now Heart East ), Greatest Hits Radio Bucks, Beds and Herts (formerly Mix 96) and Wycombe Sound (covering High Wycombe ). Buckinghamshire

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2304-541: The Chiltern Forest that once covered almost half the county. Either side of the shield are a buck , for Buckingham, and a swan, the county symbol. The motto of the shield is Vestigia Nulla Retrorsum . This is Latin and means 'no stepping back' (or 'no steps backwards'). Buckinghamshire has a modern service-based economy and is part of the Berkshire , Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire NUTS-2 region, which

2376-594: The Chocolate Factory' and 'Batman Begins' and as a rehearsal space for Take That , with the other having been extensively refurbished and now accommodating Hybrid Air Vehicles, a British modern airship design and manufacturing company. St Paul's Church, Bedford is a Church of England parish church and the Civic Church of the Borough of Bedford and the County of Bedfordshire. Located on St Paul's Square,

2448-539: The Milton Keynes UA, is home to Cowper and Newton Museum which celebrates the work and lives of two famous figures: William Cowper (1731–1800) a celebrated 18th-century poet; and John Newton , a prominent slave trade abolitionist who was curate in the local church. Together, Cowper and Newton wrote the Olney Hymns , including one of the world's most popular hymns, Amazing Grace . Buckinghamshire

2520-678: The Roman road between London and Chester, passes through Dunstable. Until it was diverted in 2017, this was also the route of the A5 road between London and Holyhead . The Bedfordshire section of the A5 now runs from junction 11a of the M1 to rejoin Watling Street between Dunstable and Hockliffe , then continues on to cross the Buckinghamshire border at the City of Milton Keynes . To these

2592-542: The UK. This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of Buckinghamshire at current basic prices published by the Office for National Statistics with figures in millions of Pounds sterling (except GVA index). Buckinghamshire is notable for its open countryside and natural features, including the Chiltern Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty , Stowe Landscaped Gardens near Buckingham , and

2664-537: The United Kingdom, Bedfordshire County Council operated a three-tier education system arranged into lower, middle and upper schools, as recommended in the Plowden Report of 1967, although Luton continued to operate a two-tier system. The three-tier arrangement continued in the rest of the county, though in 2006 a vote was held with a view to moving to the two-tier model, but this was rejected. After

2736-766: The board room of the Luton Union Workhouse on Dunstable Road in Luton. The council's first chairman, Edward Barnard, had been the chairman of the previous board of guardians. He would continue to serve as chairman of the district council until 1912. A small part of the Luton Rural Sanitary District was in Hertfordshire . When rural district councils were created in 1894 that area became the short-lived Markyate Rural District , until boundary changes in 1897 split that district between

2808-515: The border at Eton and Slough so that the river is no longer the sole boundary between the two counties. The Great Ouse rises just outside the county in Northamptonshire and flows east through Buckingham, Milton Keynes and Olney . The main branch of the Grand Union Canal passes through the county as do its arms to Slough and Aylesbury , as well as the disused arms to Wendover and Buckingham . The canal has been incorporated into

2880-670: The cancellation of the Building Schools for the Future programme in 2010, the borough changed its proposals, and the switch proceeded on school by school basis where council funds allowed. However as of 2020 all of Bedford Borough has a two-tier education structure apart from in the Marston Vale area (one upper school remains). Most of the secondary schools in the area offer sixth form courses (such as A Levels ), though Bedford College and The Bedford Sixth Form also offer

2952-659: The care of the National Trust . Mentmore Towers , a 19th-century English country house built by the Rothschilds is located the village of Mentmore . It is the largest of the English Rothschild houses and is known for its Jacobean-styled architecture designed by Joseph Paxton . Bletchley Park in Milton Keynes is the site of World War II British codebreaking and Colossus , the world's first programmable electronic digital computer . Together with

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3024-601: The co-located National Museum of Computing , it is a nationally important visitor attraction. Examples of historical architecture in the Chiltern region are preserved at the Chiltern Open Air Museum , an open-air folk museum near Chalfont St Giles . The 45-acre (180,000 m ) site contains reconstructed buildings which might otherwise have been destroyed or demolished as a result of redevelopment or road construction. The market town of Olney , in

3096-525: The council moved to new purpose-built offices on Sundon Road in Houghton Regis . The district was abolished in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972 , combining with other districts to become part of South Bedfordshire . The new South Bedfordshire District Council continued to use the offices on Sundon Road in Houghton Regis until 1989, when new offices were opened in Dunstable. The Sundon Road offices were demolished and Hammersmith Close built on

3168-480: The county and two-thirds of its population, and Milton Keynes City Council , which administers the remainder. Buckinghamshire County Council was founded in 1889 with its base in new municipal buildings in Walton Street, Aylesbury (which are still there). In 1966, the council moved into new premises: a 15-storey tower block in the centre of Aylesbury (pictured) designed by county architect Fred Pooley . It

3240-544: The county from near Leighton Buzzard to near Gamlingay in Cambridgeshire . Bedfordshire, being situated in the east of England, has a relatively dry mixed climate for the UK with regular but generally there is sometimes rainfall. Average annual rainfall is 608.6 millimetres (23.96 in) at Bedford. October is the wettest month, with 65.3 millimetres (2.57 in), and March the driest, with 37.3 millimetres (1.47 in). Although temperatures are usually moderate,

3312-660: The county has one of the largest absolute temperature ranges in the UK – of more than 60 °C (108 °F). Average temperatures in Bedford range from a low of 1.5 °C (34.7 °F) overnight in February to a high of 22.4 °C (72.3 °F) during the day in July. The highest official temperature recorded in Bedfordshire was 39.7 °C (103.5 °F) in 2022. The lowest official temperature recorded in Bedfordshire

3384-510: The county – the University of Bedfordshire and Cranfield University . These institutions attract students from all over the UK and abroad, as well as from Bedfordshire. The enormous Cardington airship sheds are situated to the south of Bedford, near the villages of Cardington and Shortstown. They were originally built for the construction of large airships during World War I. Since falling out of their intended use, one has been used for many purposes including housing film sets for 'Charlie and

3456-514: The county's southern boundary. Notable service amenities in the county are Pinewood Film Studios , Dorney rowing lake and part of Silverstone race track on the Northamptonshire border. Many national companies have head offices or major centres in Milton Keynes. Heavy industry and quarrying is limited, with agriculture predominating after service industries. The name Buckinghamshire is Anglo-Saxon in origin and means The district (scire) of Bucca's home . Bucca's home refers to Buckingham in

3528-419: The county, alongside the City of Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire . Policing and fire and rescue services continue to be provided on a county-wide basis, with Bedfordshire Police governed by the Bedfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner and Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service governed by a Fire Authority comprising members of the three councils. For elections to the House of Commons , Bedfordshire

3600-641: The county. The ceremonial county of Buckinghamshire consists of both unitary authority areas combined. The ceremonial county has a Lord Lieutenant and a High Sheriff . Since November 2020, the Lord Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire is The Countess Howe and the High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire is Dame Ann Geraldine Limb , DBE of Stony Stratford The office of Custos rotulorum has been combined with that of Lord Lieutenant since 1702. The ceremonial county has two top-level administrations – both are unitary authorities – Buckinghamshire Council , which administers about four-fifths of

3672-406: The existing boards of guardians of poor law unions . Under the Local Government Act 1894 , rural sanitary districts became rural districts from 28 December 1894. The link with the poor law union continued, with all the elected councillors of the rural district council being ex officio members of the Luton Board of Guardians. The first meeting of the new council was held on 5 January 1895 in

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3744-712: The far west of the county, with one station at Leighton Buzzard served by West Midlands Trains to London Euston and Northampton . The East Coast Main Line has stations at Arlesey , Biggleswade and Sandy , served by Great Northern services to King's Cross and Peterborough . The Midland Main Line serves Luton , Luton Airport (via Luton DART link from the station at Luton Airport Parkway ) and Bedford , with trains to many destinations operated by East Midlands Railway and Thameslink . Intermediate stations at Flitwick , Harlington and Leagrave are served by Thameslink. There are London North Western rural services also running between Bedford and Bletchley along

3816-423: The following civil parishes : Until 1939 the council met at the board room of the Luton Union Workhouse, later called the Public Assistance Institution, at 11a Dunstable Road in Luton. That building later became St Mary's Hospital, Luton . In 1939 the council moved to 42 Bute Street in the centre of Luton, holding its meetings there from September 1939. The council remained at 42 Bute Street until 1967. In 1967

3888-416: The greatest impact on Buckinghamshire: the geography of the rural county is largely as it was in the Anglo-Saxon period. Later, Buckinghamshire became an important political arena, with King Henry VIII intervening in local politics in the 16th century, and just a century later the English Civil War was reputedly started by John Hampden in mid-Bucks. Historically, the biggest change to the county came in

3960-403: The landscaping of Milton Keynes. The southern part of the county is dominated by the Chiltern Hills. The two highest points in Buckinghamshire are Haddington Hill in Wendover Woods (a stone marks its summit) at 267 m (876 ft) above sea level and Coombe Hill near Wendover at 260 m (850 ft). Quarrying has taken place for chalk, clay for brickmaking and gravel and sand in

4032-420: The large medieval and later church of cathedral proportions and iconic spire dominates the town and area, exercises a ministry of welcome to thousands of visitors and pilgrims from far and wide each year, and is a focus for special commemorations and celebrations in the borough, county, region and wider community, as well as being a central venue for concerts, recitals and exhibitions. Historically, St Paul's played

4104-522: The last quarter of the 20th century, a large number of Londoners in Milton Keynes. Between 6 and 7% of the population of Aylesbury are of Asian or Asian British origin. Likewise Chesham has a similar-sized Asian community, and High Wycombe is the most ethnically diverse town in the county, with large Asian and Afro-Caribbean populations. During the Second World War there were many Polish settlements in Bucks, Czechs in Aston Abbotts and Wingrave, and Albanians in Frieth. Remnants of these communities remain in

4176-476: The liberty and the ancient borough of Bedford . There have been several changes to the county boundary; for example, in 1897 Kensworth and part of Caddington were transferred from Hertfordshire to Bedfordshire. The southern end of the county is on the chalk ridge known as the Chiltern Hills . The remainder forms part of the broad drainage basin of the River Great Ouse and its tributaries. Most of Bedfordshire's rocks are clays and sandstones from

4248-413: The market town of Olney. The traditional flag of Buckinghamshire comprises a chained swan on a bicolour of red and black. The flag was registered with the Flag Institute on 20 May 2011. The coat of arms of the former Buckinghamshire County Council features a white mute swan in chains. This dates back to the Anglo-Saxon period, when swans were bred in Buckinghamshire for the king's pleasure. That

4320-418: The north of the county, and is named after the Anglo-Saxon landowner, Bucca . The county has been so named since about the 12th century; however, the county has existed since it was a subdivision of the kingdom of Mercia (585–919). The history of the area predates the Anglo-Saxon period and the county has a rich history starting from the Brittonic and Roman periods, though the Anglo-Saxons perhaps had

4392-467: The parishes of Leagrave and Limbury were abolished, being absorbed into the borough of Luton. The parish of Stopsley followed suit on 1 April 1933. Also on 1 April 1933 the Luton Rural District was substantially enlarged when it took in nearly all the former Eaton Bray Rural District , as well as the parish of Toddington from the Ampthill Rural District . The district council was granted a coat of arms on 20 September 1959. The rural district contained

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4464-401: The railways promoted the growth of towns in the south of the county such as Aylesbury , Amersham and High Wycombe , leaving the town Buckingham itself to the north in a relative backwater. As a result, most county institutions are now based in the south of the county or Milton Keynes , rather than in Buckingham. The county can be split into two sections geographically. The south leads from

4536-424: The river valleys. Flint, also extracted from quarries, was often used to build older local buildings. Several former quarries, now flooded, have become nature reserves. The administration of Buckinghamshire is further sub-divided into civil parishes. Today Buckinghamshire is ethnically diverse, particularly in the larger towns. At the end of the 19th century some Welsh drover families settled in north Bucks and, in

4608-402: The site. South Bedfordshire in turn was abolished in 2009, with the area becoming part of Central Bedfordshire . Bedfordshire Bedfordshire ( / ˈ b ɛ d f ər d ʃ ɪər , - ʃ ər / ; abbreviated Beds ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England . It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Hertfordshire to the south and

4680-551: The south-east, and Buckinghamshire to the west. The largest settlement is Luton (225,262), and Bedford is the county town . The county has an area of 1,235 km (477 sq mi) and had a population of 704,736 at the 2021 census. Its other towns include Leighton Buzzard , Dunstable , Biggleswade , Houghton Regis , and Flitwick . Much of the county is rural. For local government purposes, Bedfordshire comprises three unitary authority areas: Bedford , Central Bedfordshire , and Luton. The county's highest point

4752-413: The swan is in chains illustrates that the swan is bound to the monarch , an ancient law that still applies to wild swans in the UK today. The arms were first borne at the Battle of Agincourt by the Duke of Buckingham . Above the swan is a gold band, in the centre of which is Whiteleaf Cross , representing the many ancient landmarks of the county. The shield is surmounted by a beech tree, representing

4824-446: The towns of Slough and Eton . The Chiltern Hills , an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty , occupy the south of the county and contain its highest point, Haddington Hill (267 m (876 ft)). The Chilterns are the source of the River Ouzel , which flows across the lowland Vale of Aylesbury in the north of the county and through Milton Keynes before meeting the River Great Ouse at Newport Pagnell . The Thames forms part of

4896-417: The two-tier model in response to parent and school demand, but elsewhere in the authority the three-tier model continues. Plans for the construction of new settlements in Marston Vale have included lower, middle and upper schools. As well as sixth form departments in schools, the main further education providers in the district are Central Bedfordshire College and Shuttleworth College Luton also operates

4968-417: Was added in 1959 the M1 motorway , running from London to Leeds . Running from junctions 10 to 13 in Bedfordshire, there are two junctions serving Luton (at the southern end), with another one serving Bedford and Milton Keynes (at the northern end). Between these lies two other junctions in the county, with one connecting to the A5 and serving Dunstable , and the other serving the town of Flitwick . There

5040-462: Was formed by the Local Government Act 1972, styled as the "Milton Keynes District Council" and subordinate to Buckinghamshire County Council. Its (district) council was first elected in 1973 , a year before formally coming into its powers and prior to the creation of the District of Milton Keynes on 1 April 1974. The council was granted borough status on its foundation, entitling it to be known as "Milton Keynes Borough Council" and to annually appoint

5112-430: Was the seventh richest subregion in the European Union in 2002. As well as the highest GDP per capita outside Inner London, Buckinghamshire has the highest quality of life, the highest life expectancy and the best education results in the country. The southern part of the county is a prosperous section of the London commuter belt . The county has fertile agricultural lands, with many landed estates , especially those of

5184-508: Was −20.6 °C (−5.1 °F) in 1947. The Bedfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner is John Tizard , a member of the Labour Party . For local government purposes, Bedfordshire is divided into three unitary authorities : the boroughs of Bedford and Luton , and the district of Central Bedfordshire . Healthcare in the county is dealt with by a single Clinical Commission Group (CCG), which serves all three local authorities in

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