Torridge District

Torridge is a local government district in North Devon, England. Its council is based in Bideford. Other towns and villages in the district include Holsworthy, Great Torrington, Hartland and Westward Ho!. The island of Lundy is administratively part of the district. To the south of the district bordering Cornwall, near Welcombe, the rugged coastline has a wild untouched beauty, due to its inaccessibility, but the South West Coast Path is well defined. The district is named after the River Torridge.

This article is about the local government district in Devon, England. For the river, see River Torridge.

Torridge

Torridge District
Non-metropolitan district
Torridge shown within Devon
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Constituent countryEngland
RegionSouth West England
Non-metropolitan countyDevon
StatusNon-metropolitan district
Admin HQBideford
Incorporated1 April 1974
Government
 • TypeNon-metropolitan district council
 • BodyTorridge District Council
 • LeadershipAlternative - Sec.31 (Conservative)
 • MPsGeoffrey Cox
Area
 • Total380.4 sq mi (985.3 km2)
Area rank29th (of 317)
Population
 (mid-2019 est.)
 • Total68,267
 • Rank298th (of 317)
 • Density180/sq mi (69/km2)
 • Ethnicity
99.0% White
Time zoneUTC0 (GMT)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+1 (BST)
ONS code18UK (ONS)
E07000046 (GSS)
OS grid referenceSS4072412895
Websitewww.torridge.gov.uk

Governance
See also: Torridge District Council elections

The district was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, by the merger of the boroughs of Bideford and Great Torrington, the Northam urban district, Bideford Rural District, Holsworthy Rural District and Torrington Rural District.[1]

Torridge District Council is elected every four years, with currently 36 councillors being elected at each election. In 2007, Torridge registered the high number of opposed candidates in the country, with seven. Independents have had a strong presence on the council for much of its history, with no political party having won a majority until 2015.[2] In 2015 the Conservative party won a small majority of 2 with 19 of the seats on the council,[3] however the council returned to no overall control in 2019 after a large number of independents were elected.

The political composition of the borough has been as follows:

Date Conservative +/- UKIP +/- Independent +/- Greens +/- Liberal Democrat +/- Labour +/- Community Alliance +/- Control
1999[4] 1 0 20 1 12 2 0 NOC
2003[5] 1 = 1 +1 17 -3 1 = 7 -5 0 = 9 +9 NOC
2007[6] 13 +12 0 -1 13 -4 2 +1 8 +1 0 = 0 -9 NOC
2011[7] 18 +5 0 = 10 -3 1 -1 6 -2 1 +1 0 = NOC
2015[8] 19 +1 7 +7 6 -4 2 +1 1 -5 1 = 0 = Conservative
2019 11 -8 0 -7 18 +11 2 = 2 +1 3 +2 0 = NOC

Services

Services provided by Torridge District Council to the local community include the administration of council tax and local benefits, transportation services, road maintenance, the provision of car parking services, the collection of refuse and the recycling of waste, planning and building control, housing services, the provision of sport and leisure facilities, libraries, schools and colleges, social care and health, environmental services, business-related services and contingency planning.[9]

TorridgeCVS is a charitable organisation providing vulnerable people across the Torridge district with day-to-day living assistance. It provides advice, befriending schemes, support for carers, help to older people and help with charitable fund-raising, liaising with voluntary and community groups where necessary. It offers placements for individuals who want to get more involved in their local communities and relies on local volunteers, with over 2000 volunteers registered. It has been in operation since 1988 and is a member of NAVCA, the National Association for Voluntary and Community Action, being largely funded by Devon County Council and Torridge District Council.[10]

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gollark: But glancing at different bits of the screen for such information is far easier.
gollark: And battery and network status and open windows.
gollark: But I like seeing the time.
gollark: But there are quite possibly exciting things in featurespace which I haven't considered and/or forgot about.

See also

References
  1. The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972  – via Wikisource.
  2. "England council elections". BBC News Online. 10 May 2011. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
  3. "Torridge District Elections 2015". Torridge District Council. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
  4. "Full District Council Election Results, 1999". Torridge District Council. Retrieved 13 February 2017.
  5. "Full District Council Election Results, 2003". Torridge District Council. Retrieved 13 February 2017.
  6. "Full District Council Election Results, 2007". Torridge District Council. Retrieved 13 February 2017.
  7. "Full District Council Election Results, 2011". Torridge District Council. Retrieved 13 February 2017.
  8. "Torridge District Elections 2015". Torridge District Council. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
  9. "Torridge District Council". Torridge District Council. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
  10. "Torridge CVS". Torridge CVS. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
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