South Bedfordshire
Encyclopedia
South Bedfordshire was, from 1974 to 2009, a non-metropolitan district
of Bedfordshire
, in the East of England
. Its main towns were Dunstable
, Houghton Regis
and Leighton Buzzard
.
. South Bedfordshire was formed by the amalgamation of three districts: the municipal borough
of Dunstable, Leighton-Linslade
urban district
and Luton Rural District
.
took place in years that there were none to the district council. In 2002 the wards were again redrawn, and the size of the council was reduced to 50 members. An election of the whole council was held on the new boundaries. The electoral cycle continued by thirds in later years. The elections due to take place in May 2008 were cancelled, with councillors staying in office until the abolition of the council in 2009.
The first council elected was under no overall control, with the Conservative Party
having the largest number of councillors. The party dominated the council for most of its existence, gaining a majority in 1976 which they held until 1995. In 1996 they were supplanted by the Labour Party
as the largest grouping on the council, in a year that saw a strong vote against the unpopular Conservative government of John Major
. In 1999 the Liberal Democrats briefly became the largest group on the council, which remained under no overall control. The Conservatives staged a recovery in 2000, taking 10 seats from Labour and the Liberal Democrats, and again gaining a plurality of councillors. They subsequently regained their majority, which they held until the council's abolition.
† New ward boundaries
by the College of Arms
. The arms combined elements from the devices of the three merged councils, and were blazon
ed as follows:
The gold and red colouring was derived from the arms of the Bedfordshire County Council. The triangular "pile" and black engrailed border around the shield came from the device of Dunstable Borough Council, itself based on the arms of Dunstable Priory
. The bridge across the centre of the shield was from the arms of Leighton Linslade UDC, and the sickles from those of Luton RDC. The crest above the shield was a gold bull, one of the supporters of the county council arms. The motto
of Leighton-Linslade, "By Truth and Dilgence" was adopted.
considered reorganising Bedfordshire's administrative structure as part of the 2009 structural changes to local government in England
. On the 6th March 2008 it was announced that South Bedfordshire would merge with Mid Bedfordshire to form a new unitary authority
called Central Bedfordshire
. The new council was formed on 1 April 2009.
Non-metropolitan district
Non-metropolitan districts, or colloquially shire districts, are a type of local government district in England. As created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan counties in a so-called "two-tier" arrangement...
of Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
, in the East of England
East of England
The East of England is one of the nine official regions of England. It was created in 1994 and was adopted for statistics from 1999. It includes the ceremonial counties of Essex, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk. Essex has the highest population in the region.Its...
. Its main towns were Dunstable
Dunstable
Dunstable is a market town and civil parish located in Bedfordshire, England. It lies on the eastward tail spurs of the Chiltern Hills, 30 miles north of London. These geographical features form several steep chalk escarpments most noticeable when approaching Dunstable from the north.-Etymology:In...
, Houghton Regis
Houghton Regis
Houghton Regis is a town and civil parish sandwiched between the major towns of Luton to the east and Dunstable to the west. The parish includes the ancient hamlets of Bidwell, Thorn and Sewell...
and Leighton Buzzard
Leighton Buzzard
-Lower schools:*Beaudesert Lower School - Apennine Way*Clipstone Brook Lower School - Brooklands Drive*Greenleas Lower School - Derwent Road*Dovery Down Lower School - Heath Road*Heathwood Lower School - Heath Road*Leedon Lower School - Highfield Road...
.
Creation
The district was formed on 1 April 1974 as part of a general reorganisation of local authorities in England and Wales carried out under the Local Government Act 1972Local Government Act 1972
The Local Government Act 1972 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974....
. South Bedfordshire was formed by the amalgamation of three districts: the municipal borough
Municipal borough
Municipal boroughs were a type of local government district which existed in England and Wales between 1835 and 1974, in Northern Ireland from 1840 to 1973 and in the Republic of Ireland from 1840 to 2002...
of Dunstable, Leighton-Linslade
Leighton-Linslade
Leighton-Linslade is a civil parish in the district of Central Bedfordshire in Bedfordshire, England, with a population of 32,417 ....
urban district
Urban district
In the England, Wales and Ireland, an urban district was a type of local government district that covered an urbanised area. Urban districts had an elected Urban District Council , which shared local government responsibilities with a county council....
and Luton Rural District
Luton Rural District
Luton was a rural district in Bedfordshire, England from 1894 to 1974. It covered an area surrounding Luton on the north, west and south. In 1933 it was expanded greatly by adding nearly all of the former Eaton Bray Rural District....
.
Civil parishes
The district comprised the following civil parishes:- Barton-le-ClayBarton-le-ClayBarton-le-Clay is a large village and a civil parish located in Bedfordshire, England. The village has existed since at least 1066 and is mentioned in the Domesday Book...
- CaddingtonCaddingtonCaddington is a village and civil parish in the Central Bedfordshire district of Bedfordshire, England. It is between the Dunstable/Luton urban area , and Hertfordshire ....
- ChaltonChalton, BedfordshireChalton is a village and civil parish in the Central Bedfordshire district of Bedfordshire, England, immediately north of the Luton/Dunstable conurbation and bounded to the east by the M1 motorway and the Midland Main Line railway line....
- DunstableDunstableDunstable is a market town and civil parish located in Bedfordshire, England. It lies on the eastward tail spurs of the Chiltern Hills, 30 miles north of London. These geographical features form several steep chalk escarpments most noticeable when approaching Dunstable from the north.-Etymology:In...
(Town) - Eaton Bray
- Heath and ReachHeath and ReachHeath and Reach is a village, civil parish, and political ward near the Chiltern Hills in Bedfordshire. It is about two miles north of Leighton Buzzard and three miles south of Woburn and adjoins the county boundary with Buckinghamshire....
- Houghton RegisHoughton RegisHoughton Regis is a town and civil parish sandwiched between the major towns of Luton to the east and Dunstable to the west. The parish includes the ancient hamlets of Bidwell, Thorn and Sewell...
- HockliffeHockliffeHockliffe is a village and civil parish in Bedfordshire on the crossroads of the A5 road which lies upon the course of the roman road known as Watling Street and the A4012 road.It is about four miles east of Leighton Buzzard...
- HydeHyde, BedfordshireHyde is a civil parish in the county of Bedfordshire. It lies just south-east of Luton.Most of the land to the west of the River Lea is occupied by the Luton Hoo estate, which includes West Hyde...
- Leighton-LinsladeLeighton-LinsladeLeighton-Linslade is a civil parish in the district of Central Bedfordshire in Bedfordshire, England, with a population of 32,417 ....
(Town) - KensworthKensworthKensworth is a village and civil parish located in the Central Bedfordshire district of Bedfordshire, England. The parish is located on the edge of Dunstable Downs, and includes the hamlets of California and Kensworth Lynch....
- Slip EndSlip EndSlip End is a village and civil parish in Central Bedfordshire, near Luton. As well as the village of Slip End, the parish contains the hamlets of Lower Woodside, Woodside and Pepperstock...
- StanbridgeStanbridge, BedfordshireStanbridge is a village and civil parish in Bedfordshire which lies east of Leighton Buzzard. It also borders the Bedfordshire villages of Hockliffe, Eggington, Tilsworth, Totternhoe and Billington...
- StreatleyStreatley, BedfordshireStreatley is a village and civil parish in the Central Bedfordshire district of Bedfordshire, England.-Geography:Streatley is situated just to the west of the A6, and is the first village on the A6 north of Luton, being about north of central Luton...
- StudhamStudhamStudham is a village and civil parish in the county of Bedfordshire. It has a population of 1,125. The parish bounds to the south the Buckinghamshire border, and to the east is the Hertfordshire border. The village lies in the wooded south facing rolls of the Chiltern Hills...
- SundonSundonSundon is a civil parish in the English county of Bedfordshire.There are two settlements: the one called Upper Sundon at the top of the hill is now the main village, and the presumably older one by the church is now a hamlet called Lower Sundon....
- ToddingtonToddington, BedfordshireToddington is a large village and civil parish in the county of Bedfordshire, England which is situated 5 miles NNW of Luton, north of Dunstable, south west of Woburn and 35 miles NNW of London on the A5120 and B579. It is 0.5 miles from Junction 12 of the M1 motorway and lends its...
- TotternhoeTotternhoeTotternhoe is a village and civil parish in the Manshead hundred of the county of Bedfordshire, England.-Overview:Totternhoe is an ancient village in southern Bedfordshire, near Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard. Totternhoe Knolls has been a fort for many peoples including Romans and Normans...
- WhipsnadeWhipsnadeWhipsnade is a small village and civil parish in the county of Bedfordshire. It lies on the eastward tail spurs of the Chiltern Hills, about 2.5 miles South-South-West of Dunstable...
Elections and political control
The first election to South Bedfordshire District Council took place on 7 June 1973, with the 45 councillors elected forming a shadow authority until 1 April 1974. Following ward boundary changes, the number of councillors was increased to 53, with an election of the whole council held in 1976. The council resolved to hold elections by thirds thereafter. Councillors had a four-year term of office, and one third of the council was elected in three years out of four. Elections to Bedfordshire County CouncilBedfordshire County Council
Bedfordshire County Council was the county council of the non-metropolitan county of Bedfordshire in England. It was established in 1889 and was abolished on 1 April 2009. The county council was based in Bedford. It was replaced with three unitary authorities: Bedford Borough Council, Central...
took place in years that there were none to the district council. In 2002 the wards were again redrawn, and the size of the council was reduced to 50 members. An election of the whole council was held on the new boundaries. The electoral cycle continued by thirds in later years. The elections due to take place in May 2008 were cancelled, with councillors staying in office until the abolition of the council in 2009.
The first council elected was under no overall control, with the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
having the largest number of councillors. The party dominated the council for most of its existence, gaining a majority in 1976 which they held until 1995. In 1996 they were supplanted by the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
as the largest grouping on the council, in a year that saw a strong vote against the unpopular Conservative government of John Major
John Major
Sir John Major, is a British Conservative politician, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990–1997...
. In 1999 the Liberal Democrats briefly became the largest group on the council, which remained under no overall control. The Conservatives staged a recovery in 2000, taking 10 seats from Labour and the Liberal Democrats, and again gaining a plurality of councillors. They subsequently regained their majority, which they held until the council's abolition.
| Year | Conservative | Labour | Liberal/ Liberal Democrat |
Independent | Other | Control | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 17 | 13 | 8 | 7 | 0 | No overall control | |
| 1976 † | 40 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 0 | Conservative gain from no overall control | |
| 1978 | 37 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 0 | Conservative hold | |
| 1979 | 37 | 9 | 6 | 1 | 0 | Conservative hold | |
| 1980 | 35 | 11 | 7 | 0 | 0 | Conservative hold | |
| 1982 | 34 | 11 | 6 | 2 | 0 | Conservative hold | |
| 1983 | 38 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 0 | Conservative hold | |
| 1984 | 41 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 0 | Conservative hold | |
| 1986 | 37 | 10 | 5 | 1 | 0 | Conservative hold | |
| 1987 | 39 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 0 | Conservative hold | |
| 1988 | 39 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 0 | Conservative hold | |
| 1990 | 37 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 0 | Conservative hold | |
| 1991 | 34 | 11 | 6 | 2 | 0 | Conservative hold | |
| 1992 | 37 | 9 | 6 | 0 | 1 vacancy | Conservative hold | |
| 1994 | 35 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 0 | Conservative hold | |
| 1995 | 24 | 15 | 11 | 2 | Ratepayers 1 | Conservative loss to no overall control | |
| 1996 | 15 | 24 | 11 | 3 | 0 | No overall control | |
| 1998 | 13 | 21 | 13 | 3 | 0 | No overall control | |
| 1999 | 16 | 15 | 19 | 3 | 0 | No overall control | |
| 2000 | 26 | 7 | 17 | 3 | 0 | No overall control | |
| 2002 † | 28 | 7 | 15 | 0 | 0 | Conservative hold | |
| 2003 | 31 | 6 | 13 | 0 | 0 | Conservative hold | |
| 2004 | 34 | 4 | 12 | 0 | 0 | Conservative hold | |
| 2006 | 35 | 4 | 11 | 0 | 0 | Conservative hold | |
| 2007 | 34 | 4 | 11 | 1 | 0 | Conservative hold | |
† New ward boundaries
Coat of arms
On 27 November 1976 South Bedfordshire District Council was granted armorial bearingsCoat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
by the College of Arms
College of Arms
The College of Arms, or Heralds’ College, is an office regulating heraldry and granting new armorial bearings for England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
. The arms combined elements from the devices of the three merged councils, and were blazon
Blazon
In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image...
ed as follows:
Or a pile gules over all a single-arched bridge throughout argent masoned sable the keystone charged with an ear of wheat between on the pile three sickles proper all within a bordure engrailed sable; and for a Crest on a wreath of the colours out of a mural crown argent masoned sable in front of a demi-Bull three cog-wheels in fesse Or; and for a Badge or Device: Upon a roundel embattled gules irradiated with rays of the sun a demi-bull rampant couped Or.
The gold and red colouring was derived from the arms of the Bedfordshire County Council. The triangular "pile" and black engrailed border around the shield came from the device of Dunstable Borough Council, itself based on the arms of Dunstable Priory
Dunstable Priory
The Priory Church of St Peter with its monastery was founded in 1132 by Henry I for Augustinian Canons in Dunstable, Bedfordshire, England. St Peter’s today is a large and impressive building, but this is only the nave of what remains of an originally much larger Augustinian priory church...
. The bridge across the centre of the shield was from the arms of Leighton Linslade UDC, and the sickles from those of Luton RDC. The crest above the shield was a gold bull, one of the supporters of the county council arms. The motto
Motto
A motto is a phrase meant to formally summarize the general motivation or intention of a social group or organization. A motto may be in any language, but Latin is the most used. The local language is usual in the mottoes of governments...
of Leighton-Linslade, "By Truth and Dilgence" was adopted.
Abolition
In 2006 the Department for Communities and Local GovernmentDepartment for Communities and Local Government
The Department for Communities and Local Government is the UK Government department for communities and local government in England. It was established in May 2006 and is the successor to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, established in 2001...
considered reorganising Bedfordshire's administrative structure as part of the 2009 structural changes to local government in England
2009 structural changes to local government in England
Structural changes to local government in England were effected on 1 April 2009, whereby a number of new unitary authorities were created in parts of the country which previously operated a 'two-tier' system of counties and districts...
. On the 6th March 2008 it was announced that South Bedfordshire would merge with Mid Bedfordshire to form a new unitary authority
Unitary authority
A unitary authority is a type of local authority that has a single tier and is responsible for all local government functions within its area or performs additional functions which elsewhere in the relevant country are usually performed by national government or a higher level of sub-national...
called Central Bedfordshire
Central Bedfordshire
Central Bedfordshire is a unitary authority in the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire, England. It was created from the merger of Bedfordshire County Council, Mid Bedfordshire and South Bedfordshire on 1 April 2009...
. The new council was formed on 1 April 2009.