Arun District

Arun is a local government district in West Sussex, England. It contains the towns of Arundel, Bognor Regis and Littlehampton, and takes its name from the River Arun, which runs through the centre of the district.[1]

Arun District
Non-metropolitan district
Arun shown within West Sussex
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Constituent countryEngland
RegionSouth East England
Non-metropolitan countyWest Sussex
StatusNon-metropolitan district
Admin HQLittlehampton
Incorporated1 April 1974
Government
 • TypeNon-metropolitan district council
 • BodyArun District Council
 • LeadershipLeader & Cabinet (Liberal Democrats)
 • MPsPeter Bottomley
Nick Gibb
Andrew Griffith
Area
 • Total85.3 sq mi (221.0 km2)
Area rank153rd (of 317)
Population
 (mid-2019 est.)
 • Total160,758
 • Rank122nd (of 317)
 • Density1,900/sq mi (730/km2)
 • Ethnicity
96.7% White
1.1% S.Asian
Time zoneUTC0 (GMT)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+1 (BST)
ONS code45UC (ONS)
E07000224 (GSS)
OS grid referenceTQ029020
Websitewww.arun.gov.uk
Arun Civic Centre, Littlehampton
Bognor Regis Town Hall, Arun's civic offices in Bognor Regis

History

Arun was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, merging the Urban Districts of Bognor Regis and Littlehampton, the municipal borough of Arundel and parts of Chichester and Worthing Rural Districts.

Governance

The council was under the control of the Conservative Party since the district's formation in 1973 until 2019 where it fell into no overall control and the Liberal Democrats became the largest group. The last elections to the council were held on 2 May 2019.[2]

Following those elections, the composition of the council is as follows:

Arun District Council Composition
PartySeats
Liberal Democrats22
Conservatives21
Independent8
||

The Green Party

 2
Labour1

Although the 2019 local elections returned a result meaning that the Council was in No overall control, the Liberal Democrats formed a new administration. On the 22nd May 2019 this was confirmed and veteran councillor Cllr. Dr James Walsh was elected Leader of the Council replacing Cllr. Mrs Gillian Brown who had led the Council for the previous 13 years. Cllr. Brown and much of her cabinet also lost their seat as a result of the same elections.[3]

In the months following the 2019 election 2 members of the Liberal Democrats resigned from the party and now sit as Independents.[4] In April 2020 a Liberal Democrat member passed away triggering a bye-election, however the Coronovirus pandemic has delayed the election until 6 May 2021.[5] The current composition is as follows:

Arun District Council Composition
PartySeats
Conservatives21
Liberal Democrats19
Independent10
||

The Green Party

 2
Labour1
Vacancy1[6]

Although the Conservatives are once again the largest single group on the Council, there is an agreement between the Liberal Democrats and 7 of the 10 Independent councillors to ensure that the Council has political leadership.

Wards

Arun District Council is a non-metropolitan district council formed of 54 councillors from across the following 23 wards:[7]

WardCouncillors
Aldwick East2
Aldwick West2
Angmering & Findon3
Arundel & Walberton3
Barnham3
Beach (Littlehampton)2
Bersted3
Brookfield (Littlehampton)2
Courtwick with Toddington 3
East Preston3
Felpham East2
Felpham West2
Ferring2
Hotham (Bognor Regis)2
Marine (Bognor Regis)2
Middleton-on-Sea2
Orchard (Bognor Regis)2
Pagham2
Pevensey (Bognor Regis)2
River (Littlehampton)3
Rustington East2
Rustington West3
Yapton2

Civil parishes

The following 31 civil parishes are located within the district:[8]

ParishTypeArea (Hectare)Population (2001)Pop Density /Hectare
AldingbourneParish Council125336122.88
AldwickParish Council4251088425.61
AngmeringParish Council178256393.16
ArundelTown Council122734082.78
BarnhamParish Council37313723.68
BerstedParish Council713844311.85
Bognor RegisTown Council4862255546.44
BurphamParish Meeting12451930.15
ClaphamParish Council5153170.62
ClimpingParish Council6916000.87
East PrestonParish Council241591924.53
EastergateParish Council37131078.39
FelphamParish Council426961124.53
FerringParish Council431436110.13
FindonParish Council161418481.14
FordParish Council41513583.27
HoughtonParish Meeting743760.10
KingstonParish Council2297023.07
LittlehamptonTown Council11352559322.55
LyminsterParish Council5873510.60
MadehurstParish Meeting7661050.14
Middleton-on-SeaParish Council412510512.41
PaghamParish Council105957295.41
PatchingParish Council8462300.27
PolingParish Meeting3201730.54
RustingtonParish Council4321321030.60
SlindonParish Council12865900.46
South StokeParish Meeting535440.08
WalbertonParish Council104419411.86
WarningcampParish Meeting3781610.43
YaptonParish Council79135224.46
ArunTotal227701407596.18

Geography

Arun District occupies the central southern area of West Sussex, and is bordered by Chichester District to the west, Horsham District to the north and Worthing borough and Adur District to the east. The district is bisected by the River Arun, and is divided between a broad rural area in the north of the district that contains Arundel and a host of small villages, part of which sits within the South Downs National Park, and an urban coastal strip that includes Bognor Regis and Littlehampton.

Economy

Although set within the typically prosperous county of West Sussex, much of Bognor Regis and Littlehampton are ranked amongst the 20% most deprived areas in the UK as a whole on the Index of Multiple Deprivation.[9] The district contains a large tourism sector, attracting visitors to the South Downs in the north, and the beaches of Bognor Regis and Littlehampton in the south, the latter of which holds a prestigious Blue Flag Award.[10] Consequently, the district suffers from high amounts of seasonal employment, with the Office for National Statistics estimating that nearly 11% of the population of Arun is employed in the tourism sector, compared to 8% nationally, whilst 28% of people work in the distribution, hotels and restaurants sector, compared to just 23% nationally. Arun also has a higher number of public sector workers than either the regional or national average, and a significantly smaller finance and IT sector than the rest of the South East and wider UK.

Awards

In 2008, the district council won an Ashden Award for their work on energy efficiency.[11]

The District Council is regularly awarded the prestigious Green Flag Award which is given for excellent parks. Currently five parks in the District are recognised as meeting the requirements of Green Flag; Mewsbrook Park, Hotham Park, Norfolk Gardens, Old Rectory Gardens and Marine Park Gardens.[12]

Football clubs
gollark: `B-O-B-T-H-E-D-R-A-G-O-N`
gollark: Or dashes!
gollark: ward (stupidly limited)fog (not possible for trades, stops people looking at stuff anyway, ineffective against existing sickness)
gollark: There are two viable methods:
gollark: Also, it's far, *far* easier to attack than defend eggs.

See also

References
  1. "Arun" in The New Encyclopædia Britannica. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th edn., 1992, Vol. 1, p. 609.
  2. Council, Arun District. "Arun District Council Elections". Arun District Council. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
  3. "Conservatives lose overall majority on Arun District Council in historic local elections". www.littlehamptongazette.co.uk. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  4. "Littlehampton mayor resigns from Lib Dems". www.littlehamptongazette.co.uk. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  5. Johnston, Neil (6 May 2020). "Coronavirus: FAQs on postponed elections". Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  6. "Cllr Chris Blanchard-Cooper". Arun District Council. Archived from the original on 29 June 2019. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  7. "Ward Profiles". Arun District Council. Archived from the original on 28 July 2009. Retrieved 27 March 2009.
  8. "2001 Census: West Sussex – Population by Parish" (PDF). West Sussex County Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 June 2011. Retrieved 26 March 2009.
  9. "Index of Multiple Deprivation". West Sussex County Council. Archived from the original on 18 March 2012. Retrieved 12 April 2011.
  10. "Littlehampton Coastguards". Blue Flag. Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 12 April 2011.
  11. "District council brings energy efficiency throughout its operations". Ashden Awards. Archived from the original on 15 June 2009. Retrieved 22 May 2009.
  12. Council, Arun District. "News Archive". Arun District Council. Retrieved 26 December 2018.

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