West Suffolk (district)
West Suffolk is a local government district in Suffolk, England, which was established on 1 April 2019, following the merger of the existing Forest Heath district with the borough of St Edmundsbury.[1] The two councils had already had a joint Chief Executive since 2011.[2] At the 2011 census, the two districts had a combined population of 170,756.
West Suffolk West Suffolk District | |
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![]() Coat of arms | |
![]() West Suffolk district within the county of Suffolk | |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Constituent country | England |
Region | East of England |
Non-metropolitan county | Suffolk |
Status | Non-metropolitan district |
Admin HQ | Bury St Edmunds |
Incorporated | 1 April 2019 |
Government | |
• Type | Non-metropolitan district council |
• Body | West Suffolk District Council |
Area | |
• Total | 400 sq mi (1,035 km2) |
Area rank | 28th (of 317) |
Population (mid-2019 est.) | |
• Total | 179,045 |
• Rank | 107th (of 317) |
• Density | 450/sq mi (170/km2) |
• Density rank | 263rd |
Time zone | UTC0 (GMT) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (BST) |
Website | www |
The main towns in the new district are Bury St Edmunds, Newmarket, Brandon, Haverhill and Mildenhall.
The district covers a smaller area compared to the former administrative county of West Suffolk, which was abolished by the Local Government Act 1972.
Communities
Governance
As of its 2019 creation, the Conservative Party control West Suffolk Council.[3] The result of the council elections held on 2 May 2019 are shown in the table below.
Party | Seats |
---|---|
Conservative | 36 |
Independent | 15 |
West Suffolk Independents | 7 |
Labour | 5 |
Green | 1 |
See also
- 2019 structural changes to local government in England
- East Suffolk, another district that was created in Suffolk on 1 April 2019.
References
- Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (24 May 2018). "The West Suffolk (Local Government Changes) Order 2018". legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 12 August 2018.
- "West Suffolk: Councils to merge workforces in move to save cash". East Anglian Daily Times. 27 October 2011. Retrieved 12 August 2018.
- "West Suffolk Council election results". www.westsuffolk.gov.uk. Retrieved 2019-05-30.