57-473: South Gloucestershire is a unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of Gloucestershire , South West England . Towns in the area include Yate , Chipping Sodbury , Kingswood , Thornbury , Filton , Patchway and Bradley Stoke . The southern part of its area falls within the Greater Bristol urban area surrounding the city of Bristol . South Gloucestershire was created in 1996 to replace
114-527: A county council. It thus is not a unitary authority as those are such authorities created under the Local Government Act 1992 . The 36 metropolitan borough councils are also the sole elected local government units in their areas (except for parish councils in a few locations), but share strategic functions with joint boards and arrangements. On the other hand, the City of London Corporation and
171-448: A high degree of autonomy as counties corporate . Some smaller settlements also enjoyed some degree of autonomy from regular administration as boroughs or liberties . The Local Government Act 1972 created areas for local government where large towns and their rural hinterlands were administered together. The concept of unitary units was abandoned with a two-tier arrangement of county and district councils in all areas of England, except
228-579: A local government authority which combines the functions of a county council and a district council. Strictly speaking, the term does not necessarily mean a single level of local government within an area, because in some cases there are also parish councils in the same area. Although the term was not applied to them, county boroughs between 1889 and 1974 were effectively unitary authority areas, that is, single-tier administrative units. Before 1889, local government authorities had different powers and functions, but from medieval times some cities and towns had
285-528: A number of multiple member wards from which councillors are elected in the same way as in two-tier district council elections. The exceptions, which are divided into electoral divisions as in county council elections, are Cornwall, County Durham, the Isle of Wight, Northumberland, Shropshire and Wiltshire. Districts are usually named after a town, city, geographical area or county (historic and or ceremonial). With no effect on powers or functions, districts can have
342-519: A population of 59,495 in 2011. Filton is an ethnically diverse town, with a proportion of white British residents close to the national average. Filton Town Council is a parish council made up of thirteen councillors and forming the first tier of local government. Filton was in Gloucestershire until 1974 when it became part of the newly formed county of Avon . In 1996 the Avon authority
399-543: A structure based on unitary authorities is called 'restructuring'. The Secretary of State responsible for local government invites proposals from local areas to restructure into unitary authorities, and the Secretary decides whether or not the change should be implemented. The restructuring is carried out by an Order. There are no examples in the UK of councils restructuring back into a two-tier system. Unitary authorities combine
456-560: A type of local authority responsible for all local government services in an area. They combine the functions of a non-metropolitan county council and a non-metropolitan district council, which elsewhere in England provide two tiers of local government. Unitary authorities are constituted under the Local Government Act 1992 , which amended the Local Government Act 1972 to allow the existence of non-metropolitan counties that do not have multiple districts. Most were established during
513-547: Is another escarpment running roughly north–south, passing between Yate and Chipping Sodbury and west of Pucklechurch. The Cotswolds Escarpment forms the eastern edge of South Gloucestershire, while the western half is mainly urbanised. A small part of the Cotswolds and the National Trust site of Dyrham Park are also in the district. South of the motorways are suburbs of Bristol while areas north are rural. Some of
570-513: Is close to major centres of employment such as BAE Systems , and Defence Equipment & Support at Abbey Wood . Filton's educational facilities include South Gloucestershire and Stroud College , Abbeywood Community School and several primary schools. The University of the West of England is at nearby Frenchay . Filton has two main shopping areas – the Shield Centre (on the site of
627-709: Is home to 99 primary schools, 16 secondary schools, and post-16 colleges and centres. There is one university, the University of the West of England , which was a former polytechnic. In 2008, DCSF figures revealed that there was a 6.6% overall absence in the district's secondary schools, whilst 7.4% is the national average. In 2005, the then Chancellor of the Exchequer recognised the City of Bristol's ties to science and technology by naming it one of six "science cities", and promising funding for further development of science in
SECTION 10
#1732772681443684-402: Is mainly privately owned, semi-detached and 1930s built. Pre- World War I properties in the district tend to be quite large, with generous gardens. Extensive playing fields border the north-western side of Southmead Road. The golf links, on the hillside beyond, is owned by Filton Golf Club. The area has a primary school and a playgroup. Filton Park is regarded as a desirable place to live since it
741-574: Is mostly in the neighbouring civil parish of Stoke Gifford , contains the offices of the Ministry of Defence 's Defence Procurement Agency , plus a shopping park. Filton Park is a suburb of Bristol and lies directly on the city border, sandwiched between the A38 trunk road and Southmead Road. Filton itself lies to the north and east of Filton Park. Monks Park is to the south. Housing in Filton Park
798-499: The 2024 general election , and in her Autumn budget statement , Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves outlined that a forthcoming English Devolution Bill would include plans for "working with councils to move to simpler structures that make sense for their local areas", suggesting that a new round of local government reorganisation could be likely. The process of changing from a two-tier local government to
855-554: The A4174 , passes through South Gloucestershire. The Metrobus express bus network extends from Bristol into South Gloucestershire, and is supported by the district council. The area also has an important and well used railway network, with many direct routes to towns and cities across the UK. This includes eastward to London and westward through the Severn Tunnel to Cardiff and the rest of South Wales. There are also routes to
912-634: The Isles of Scilly where the small size and distance from the mainland made it impractical. In 1986 a broadly unitary system of local government was introduced in the six metropolitan counties and Greater London , where the upper-tier authorities were abolished and their functions were split between central government, the borough councils and joint boards. A review in the 1990s was initiated to select non-metropolitan areas where new unitary authorities could be created. The resulting structural changes were implemented between 1995 and 1998. Bristol, Herefordshire,
969-542: The Liberal Democrats had a majority. After the 2023 elections, Labour and the Liberal Democrats formed a coalition which took control of the council, this being Labour's first time in control and the Liberal Democrats for the first time in twenty years. In 2012, it became one of the first authorities in the UK to return to a Committee System , abolishing the single party Cabinet, as allowed under
1026-571: The Localism Act . This was later reverted to a leader and cabinet system in 2017 during the Conservative majority. For Westminster elections, the area is covered by three constituencies , all lying within the authority boundary. These are: County/Borough is a legal term denoting the type of constituency. County is a rural area, Borough is an urban area. Unitary authorities of England The unitary authorities of England are
1083-577: The M32 motorway , or from Junction 16 of the M5 motorway . The town is well served by rail with Filton Abbey Wood serving areas in the south of the town, Bristol Parkway serving areas to the north and east and Patchway in the west of the town. Districts within the town include East Filton, Filton Park and Northville. East Filton, which has grown up east of the Bristol-South Wales railway line and
1140-649: The MOD , Viridor , Hewlett-Packard , Hewlett Packard Enterprise and the Royal Mail . Filton is also home to the regional blood processing facility, NHS Blood and Transplant Filton. Bristol Cars made hand-built luxury cars in Filton from 1946 until 2011. The company has neither distributors nor dealers and deals directly with customers; they have a showroom and head office in Kensington , London. They claimed to be
1197-727: The North Fringe of Bristol . This includes the Cribbs Causeway shopping centre , comprising The Mall regional shopping centre and the surrounding retail parks. East of Patchway are the Aztec West and Almondsbury business parks either side of the A38 , extending to Bradley Stoke and the M4/M5 Almondsbury Interchange . Employers with sites in this area include EE and the RAC . South Gloucestershire
SECTION 20
#17327726814431254-517: The Northavon district of the abolished county of Avon . It is separate from Gloucestershire County Council , but is part of the ceremonial county and shares Gloucestershire's Lord Lieutenant (the Sovereign's representative to the county). Because of its history as part of the county of Avon, South Gloucestershire works closely with the other unitary authorities that took over when that county
1311-490: The Rural Districts of Warmley , Sodbury and Thornbury . However, under the terms of that act, the area was removed from Gloucestershire, and became part of the county of Avon , forming the districts of Kingswood and Northavon . In 1996, the county of Avon was abolished, and South Gloucestershire was created as a unitary authority area comprising the former districts of Kingswood and Northavon. The area borders
1368-466: The city and county of Bristol , the Bath and North East Somerset unitary authority area, and the shire counties of Gloucestershire and Wiltshire. The geographic area currently known as South Gloucestershire should not be confused with Southern Gloucestershire. Nor should organisations or bodies in the past titled 'South Gloucestershire' (meaning Southern Gloucestershire) be confused with the area covered by
1425-415: The 'bigger is better' assumption and highlight that larger councils breed mistrust of councillors and reduction in public engagement and voter turnout. Outside the UK, multi-level local government is the prevailing system, with major towns normally having a local authority. The average size of a local authority in England is 170,000, three times that of Europe. Most unitary authority areas are divided into
1482-507: The 1990s , with more created in 2009 and 2019–23 . The size of the areas governed by unitary authorities varies greatly; the authorities created in the 1990s were generally created from single districts and covered a single large town or city, while those created since 2009 often cover entire non-metropolitan counties. The term " unitary authority " was first used in the Redcliffe-Maud Report in 1969 in its current sense of
1539-627: The 32 London borough councils, although they have a high degree of autonomy, share strategic functions with the directly elected Mayor of London and London Assembly . Unitary authorities should not be confused with another formation in English local government, the combined authority . Filton Filton is a town and civil parish in South Gloucestershire , England, 6 miles (10 km) north of Bristol . Along with nearby Patchway and Bradley Stoke , Filton forms part of
1596-601: The Bristol urban area and has become an overflow settlement for the city. Filton Church dates back to the 12th century and is designated a Grade II listed building . The name of the town comes from the Old English feleþe (hay), and tūn (farm, field). The name dates back to at least 1187. Filton has large areas of open space which include several playing fields, a golf course and the former Filton Airport (closed in 2012). Filton can be reached from Junction 1 of
1653-489: The Isle of Wight and Rutland were established as counties of a single district; the district councils of Berkshire became unitary; the counties of Avon , Humberside and Cleveland were broken up to create several unitary authorities; and a number of districts were split off from their associated counties. The changes caused the ceremonial counties to be defined separately, as they had been before 1974. The review caused 46 unitary authorities to be created. A further review
1710-558: The Naval Support Command with 7,000 employees. Other key employers include Airbus , Rolls-Royce and the Royal Mail , which dominates the Filton - Patchway area of South Gloucestershire. Friends Provident and Hewlett-Packard also have major offices in nearby Stoke Gifford . Many employers operate in the heavily developed area between the northern edge of Bristol and the M5 motorway , an area sometimes described as
1767-489: The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, proposed structural changes to local government in Northamptonshire . These changes would see the existing county council and district councils abolished and two new unitary authorities created in their place. One authority, West Northamptonshire , would consist of the existing districts of Daventry , Northampton and South Northamptonshire and
South Gloucestershire - Misplaced Pages Continue
1824-531: The South-West counties and north to England's second city, Birmingham . Many routes cross in Stoke Gifford at Bristol Parkway station . There are six stations within the district, mainly located near the border with Bristol in the west of the district. The Conservatives held an overall majority on the council from 2015 until 2023; previously no party had overall control, except for 1999–2003 when
1881-516: The alternate rail route from Bristol to London was finished. In 1907 the northern terminus for Bristol Tramways was moved out from Horfield to Filton. Tram production in the tramway sheds commenced in 1908. The manufacture of aeroplanes started in the Bristol Tramway sheds in 1910 and aero-engine production started in 1920. Between the wars, Filton expanded rapidly to become a suburb of Bristol. Initially development (semi-detached housing)
1938-406: The city of Bristol to the south. Farming was the principal occupation. However, there was a large factory-like laundry in the village, opposite Filton House, owned by Samuel Shield. The Bristol to South Wales railway line passed through the village. There was a small station near the site of the current Abbey Wood station . A much larger railway station, known as Filton Junction, opened in 1910, after
1995-559: The city, with a £300 million science park planned at Emersons Green , in South Gloucestershire. The area is served by BBC West and ITV West Country broadcasting from the Mendip TV transmitter. Radio stations for the area are: The River Severn forms the north-western edge of the area, with a wide coastal plain terminated by an escarpment. East of this is the wide River Frome Valley drainage area. Further east
2052-451: The college were also basic training workshops. In 1960 the education authority opened Filton Technical College on the opposite side of Filton Avenue to the BAC college. Later the various colleges merged and eventually became the South Gloucestershire and Stroud College . Sandwiched between roads, factories, railway lines and the aerodrome, Filton expanded little after World War II. However, from
2109-533: The former Shield Laundry) and Abbey Wood Retail Park, as well as other shops. To the east of the town there is a small area of woodland known as Splatt's Abbey Wood. Filton has an aerospace connection dating back to the establishment of the Bristol Aeroplane Company . Aerospace companies in Filton include BAE Systems , Airbus , GKN , Rolls-Royce and MBDA , all located around the former Filton Aerodrome . The Concorde supersonic airliner
2166-481: The growing number of school-age children in the area. Many of these children were evacuated when World War II started in 1939, but returned later, during the Phoney War . Filton High School, originally a grammar school, but later a comprehensive, started to take pupils in 1960. In 2010 Filton High was demolished and replaced with Abbeywood Community School . In the late 1940s, the main runway of Filton Aerodrome
2223-403: The inner green belts have been taken away by developments like the new town of Bradley Stoke. Many areas of South Gloucestershire have easy commuting access to Bristol (via the A38 and M32 ) and to Bath , as well as westward to South Wales and Cardiff via the two Severn bridges . The M5 and M4 motorways provide access to Gloucester and London. Bristol's northern and eastern ring road,
2280-560: The last wholly British-owned luxury car builder. The company went into administration in March 2011, and was acquired by the research and development firm Kamkorp . The population of the parish at the 2011 Census was 10,607. The Filton built-up area defined by the Office for National Statistics is a large outer suburban area north of Bristol which includes Almondsbury , Patchway , Little Stoke , Stoke Gifford and Bradley Stoke , and had
2337-656: The late 1970s a trading estate slowly developed on the eastern side of the Bristol/South Wales railway line in what is now known as East Filton. During the mid-1970s the A38 trunk road was upgraded to a dual carriageway. Station Road, a country lane in the early part of the 20th century, was also widened to become a dual carriageway and form part of the Avon Ring Road . In 1973, the Rolls-Royce car division
South Gloucestershire - Misplaced Pages Continue
2394-521: The non-metropolitan districts of Aylesbury Vale , Chiltern , South Bucks , and Wycombe in Buckinghamshire were replaced by a single unitary authority known as Buckinghamshire Council on 1 April 2020. The existing unitary authority of Milton Keynes was not affected; from 1 April 2020, therefore, the ceremonial county of Buckinghamshire has been composed of two unitary authority areas. In March 2018, an independent report commissioned by
2451-801: The other authority, North Northamptonshire would consist of Corby , East Northamptonshire , Kettering and Wellingborough districts. This was confirmed in May 2019, with the new councils being created in April 2021. In July 2021 the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government announced that in April 2023, the non-metropolitan counties of Cumbria , North Yorkshire and Somerset would be reorganised into unitary authority areas. The new authorities, Cumberland , Westmorland and Furness , North Yorkshire Council and Somerset Council were first elected in May 2022 and formally assumed their powers on 1 April 2023. The Labour Party returned to power following
2508-470: The parish. Filton is represented on South Gloucestershire District Council by Cllr Alex Doyle (Lab) and Cllr Adam Monk (Lab). Thousands of mites , farthings and other coins of the Roman emperors, Domitian , Constantine and Constans were found in a bank by some boys in 1880. Many of the coins were in excellent condition. At the dawn of the 20th century, Filton was a small village, still detached from
2565-425: The population is in towns that form the 'suburbs' to the north and east of Bristol. There are also the large towns of Yate and its neighbour Chipping Sodbury , Thornbury , the large villages of Winterbourne and Frampton Cotterell , Wickwar , Alveston , Olveston and Tockington . The main employers are the local authority with 9,500 people and the Ministry of Defence Headquarters for Defence Procurement and
2622-508: The powers and functions that are normally delivered separately by the councils of non-metropolitan counties and non-metropolitan districts. These functions are housing, waste management, waste collection, council tax collection, education, libraries, social services, transport, planning, consumer protection, licensing, cemeteries and crematoria. The breakdown of these services is as follows: Unitary government has been criticised for damaging local democracy. Opponents to unitary authority criticise
2679-468: The status of royal borough , borough or city . A district having a charter is dependent on the charter's wording: as a charter trustee to a place in the district; having joint charter to the place and district or to the district itself. Notes The Council of the Isles of Scilly is a sui generis single-tier authority, created in 1890 and since 1930 has held the "powers, duties and liabilities" of
2736-499: The unitary authority. At the 2001 census , the population of South Gloucestershire was 245,641. At the 2011 census, the population had increased to 262,767. At the 2021 census , the population estimate for South Gloucestershire is 290,400. According to the 2001 census estimates, 97.6 percent of the population was described as white, 0.8 percent as dual heritage, 0.7 percent as Asian or Asian British, 0.4 percent as Black or Black British and 0.5 percent as Chinese or other. Much of
2793-498: Was "minded to approve the proposals" and a final decision to implement the two unitary authority model was confirmed in February 2018. Statutory instruments for the creation of two unitary authorities, to be named Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council and Dorset Council , have been made and shadow authorities for the new council areas were formed ahead of their creation on 1 April 2019 . Buckinghamshire County Council and
2850-467: Was abolished and the area became part of the unitary authority of South Gloucestershire and rejoined the ceremonial county of Gloucestershire. Filton is represented in the House of Commons by Jack Lopresti , Conservative Party Member of Parliament (MP) for the constituency of Filton and Bradley Stoke . An electoral ward with the same name exists. The area and population are identical to those of
2907-446: Was abolished, including shared services such as Avon Fire and Rescue Service and Avon and Somerset Police , together with co-operation in planning strategy for transport, roads and housing. Prior to the implementation of the Local Government Act 1972 on 1 April 1974, the area that now forms South Gloucestershire formed part of the shire county of Gloucestershire , comprising the urban districts of Kingswood and Mangotsfield and
SECTION 50
#17327726814432964-576: Was built here in the late 1960s and 1970s; on 26 November 2003 Concorde 216 (G-BOAF) made the final flight of a Concorde, returning to Filton to be kept there permanently as the centrepiece of the Aerospace Bristol museum, which opened in 2017. This museum also houses the Bristol Aero Collection and examples of planes, helicopters, missiles and other engineering projects built in Filton and Bristol. Other employers include
3021-402: Was concentrated on the western side of the A38 , in an area known as Filton Park. In the 1930s, the area on the eastern side of the A38 started to be developed. Eventually, Filton became part of the Bristol conurbation, although it remained, as it does now, outside the city boundary. During the 1920s and 1930s, two infant/primary schools and one secondary school were built in Filton to accommodate
3078-553: Was greatly extended for the Bristol Brabazon project. Charlton village was demolished and the pre-war Filton bypass was severed. In the early 1960s, a new bypass was constructed, roughly parallel to the old one, and this later became part of the M5 motorway . In the early 1950s the Bristol Aeroplane Company opened a purpose-built technical college to help train their apprentice intake. Attached to
3135-523: Was initiated in 2007 and was enacted in 2009. The review established Cornwall and Northumberland as counties of a single district; established unitary authorities in County Durham , Shropshire and Wiltshire covering the part of the county that was not already split off in the 1990s review; and divided the remainder of Bedfordshire and Cheshire into two unitary authority areas. The review caused nine unitary authorities to be created. In 2017, it
3192-416: Was proposed that two unitary authority areas be formed to cover the ceremonial county of Dorset . One of the authorities would consist of the existing unitary authorities of Bournemouth , Poole and the non-metropolitan district of Christchurch , the other would be composed of the remainder of the county. In November 2017, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Sajid Javid stated that he
3249-592: Was separated as Rolls-Royce Motors . Rolls-Royce (1971) Limited (the engine division) was privatised in 1987 as Rolls-Royce plc . Later, the Ministry of Defence set up a large office complex, known as Abbey Wood , in the same area. Filton is twinned with: Filton has a temperate maritime climate, with comfortable, mostly dry summers and cold, mostly wet winters. The temperature is usually between at or below freezing (0 °C (32 °F)) on 39.4 days per year and 23.1 °C (73.6 °F), but between 2005 and 2022,
#442557