Borough of Hinckley and Bosworth
Borough and non-metropolitan district
Hinckley, the administrative centre and largest town in the borough
Hinckley, the administrative centre and largest town in the borough
Shown within Leicestershire
Shown within Leicestershire
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Constituent countryEngland
RegionEast Midlands
Administrative countyLeicestershire
Admin. HQHinckley
Government
 • TypeHinckley and Bosworth Borough Council
 • MPs:Luke Evans & Edward Argar (Groby only)
Area
 • Total114.8 sq mi (297.4 km2)
 • Rank119th
Population
 (2021)
 • Total113,660
 • RankRanked 211th
 • Density990/sq mi (380/km2)
Time zoneUTC+0 (Greenwich Mean Time)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+1 (British Summer Time)
ONS code31UE (ONS)
E07000132 (GSS)
Ethnicity97.9% White

Hinckley and Bosworth is a local government district with borough status in Leicestershire, England. The council is based in Hinckley, the largest town. The borough also includes the town of Earl Shilton and numerous villages and surrounding rural areas. The Bosworth in the borough's name refers to the small market town of Market Bosworth, near which the Battle of Bosworth Field was fought in 1485.

The neighbouring districts are North West Leicestershire, Charnwood, Blaby, Rugby, Nuneaton and Bedworth and North Warwickshire.

History

The district was created on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, covering the area of two former districts, which were both abolished at the same time:[1]

The government initially named the new district "Bosworth".[2] The shadow council elected to oversee the transition to the new system requested a change to "Hinckley and Bosworth", which was agreed by the government on 20 November 1973, before the new district formally came into being.[3] The new district was awarded borough status from its creation, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor.[4]

Governance

Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council
Logo
Type
Type
History
Founded1 April 1974
Leadership
Scott Gibbens,
Liberal Democrat
since 23 May 2023[5]
Stuart Bray,
Liberal Democrat
since 21 May 2019
Bill Cullen
since 1 January 2017[6]
Structure
Seats34 councillors
Political groups
Administration (22)
  Liberal Democrat (22)
Other parties (12)
  Conservative (10)
  Labour (2)
Length of term
4 years
Elections
Last election
4 May 2023
Next election
6 May 2027
Meeting place
Hinckley Hub, Rugby Road, Hinckley, LE10 0FR
Website
www.hinckley-bosworth.gov.uk

Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Leicestershire County Council. Much of the borough is also covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government.[7][8]

Political control

The council has been under Liberal Democrat majority control since 2019.

The first election to the council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until coming into its powers on 1 April 1974. Since 1974 political control of the council has been as follows:[9]

Party in controlYears
No overall control1974–1976
Conservative1976–1995
No overall control1995–2003
Conservative2003–2007
Liberal Democrats2007–2015
Conservative2015–2019
Liberal Democrats2019–present

Leadership

The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Hinckley and Bosworth. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 2003 have been:[10]

CouncillorPartyFromTo
Carole Claridge[11] Conservative2003Feb 2006
Mike Bevins Conservative27 Feb 20066 May 2007
David Bill Liberal Democrats15 May 2007Dec 2009
Stuart Bray Liberal Democrats15 Dec 200919 May 2015
Mike Hall Conservative19 May 20155 May 2019
Stuart Bray Liberal Democrats21 May 2019

Composition

Following the 2023 election the composition of the council was:[12][13]

Party Councillors
Liberal Democrats 22
Conservative 10
Labour 2
Total 34

The next election is due in 2027.

Elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2003 the council has comprised 34 councillors, representing 16 wards, with each ward electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years.[14]

The district is broadly coterminous to the Bosworth parliamentary constituency, which is represented by Luke Evans (Conservative). The Groby ward is the only part of the district not in the Bosworth constituency, forming instead part of the Charnwood constituency.[8]

Premises

Former Council Offices, Argents Mead, Hinckley: demolished 2014.

The council is based at the Hinckley Hub on Rugby Road in Hinckley. The building was completed in 2013.[15] Prior to 2013 the council was based at the Council Offices at Argents Mead, which had been built in 1968 for the old Hinckley Urban District Council.[16]

Geography

Earl Shilton, the second largest town in the borough
Market Bosworth, best known for the Battle of Bosworth and the third largest town in the borough

There are a number of geographical features which shape the landscape of Hinckley & Bosworth.

Two large neighbouring urban areas lie to the south of the borough: Hinckley and Burbage and Barwell and Earl Shilton. A narrow green wedge separates the two conurbations, which is increasingly being occupied by leisure facilities such as the Marston's Stadium and a new leisure centre.[17] To the east of the wedge lies Burbage Common and Woods, a large popular green recreational area.

The west of the borough is largely flat in nature, dominated by the River Sence flood plain. This area of the borough is largely rural, consisting of a number of very small villages and hamlets.

At the northern and eastern edges of the borough lie several settlements (including Bagworth, Desford, Groby, Markfield, Ratby and Thornton) which largely relate to Leicester; in particular the most northern villages have little to do with the main administrative centre of Hinckley. The northern area of the borough also forms part of Charnwood Forest, an area which it is hoped can be enhanced to provide an attractive natural resource.[18]

Places of interest

The framework knitters cottages, Hinckley

Railways

The only railway station in the borough on the National Rail network is Hinckley railway station on the South Leicestershire Line opened by the LNWR between 1862 and 1864. Currently there are direct services to Birmingham New Street and Leicester only with additional services to/from Cambridge and Stansted Airport in the peak.

There was also a branch line serving the market town of Market Bosworth which connected both Nuneaton and Hinckley to both Coalville and Ashby. The line closed to regular traffic in 1970 and is now part of the Battlefield Line. There was also a small stub to Hinckley but was never opened or used. There was also a stub to Nuneaton via Stoke Golding.

The last line that runs through part the borough is the Leicester to Burton Line which had a station in Desford, the station closed in 1964 but the line remains open for traffic. The station also served as a junction for the branch line to Leicester West Bridge on the now defunct Swannington and Leicester Railway. Although the section from Desford to Swannington remains open for freight traffic.

Demography

Hinckley and Bosworth is the second largest borough by population in Leicestershire[21] and has seen significant population growth over recent decades; a trend forecast to continue at least into the short-medium term.

Population growth in Hinckley and Bosworth
Year 1951 1961 1971 1981 1991 2001 2011 2016 2021 2031
Population 59,720 64,242 74,744 86,622 96,203 100,142 105,078 110,100 114,000 121,000
Census [22] ONS[23] ONS Projections [24]

Parishes

Most of the borough is covered by civil parishes. The pre-1974 Hinckley Urban District became an unparished area on the borough's creation in 1974, but four new parishes have since been created from parts of that area: Burbage, Stoke Golding (both created 1986),[25] Earl Shilton (1995)[26] and Barwell (2007),[27] leaving just the central part of Hinckley itself as unparished. The parish council for Earl Shilton has declared its parish to be a town, allowing it to take the style "town council". (Whilst often referred to as a town, Market Bosworth Parish Council has not formally declared that parish to be a town.)[28]

Coat of arms

Coat of arms of Hinckley and Bosworth
Notes
Granted 15 November 1974[29]
Crest
On a wreath of the colours a dragon Gules preying on a boar passant Argent.
Escutcheon
Per pale indented Argent and Gules on a chief Or three torteaux that in the centre charged with a pierced cinquefoil Ermine the others each charged with a mascle Or.
Supporters
On either side a ram reguardant Sable armed Or.
Motto
Post Proelia Concordia (After The Battle Concord)

References

  1. ↑ "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1972/2039, retrieved 22 August 2022
  2. ↑ "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Names) Order 1973", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1973/551, retrieved 22 August 2022
  3. ↑ "Historical information from 1973 onwards". Boundary-Line support. Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  4. ↑ "District Councils and Boroughs". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 28 March 1974. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  5. ↑ "Council minutes, 23 May 2023". Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  6. ↑ Hambridge, Karen (16 September 2016). "New Hinckley and Bosworth boss is keen to grow town". Hinckley Times. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  7. ↑ "Local Government Act 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1972 c. 70, retrieved 31 May 2023
  8. 1 2 "Election Maps". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  9. ↑ "Compositions calculator". The Elections Centre. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
  10. ↑ "Council minutes". Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
  11. ↑ Hambridge, Karen (26 March 2015). "Tributes are paid to former council leader". Hinckley Times. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
  12. ↑ "Local elections 2023: live council results for England". The Guardian.
  13. ↑ "Hinckley & Bosworth result - Local Elections 2023". BBC News.
  14. ↑ "The Borough of Hinckley and Bosworth (Electoral Changes) Order 2002", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2002/2888, retrieved 30 October 2023
  15. ↑ Eccleston, Ben (13 June 2013). "Hinckley Hub opens its doors to the public". Hinckley Times. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  16. ↑ "The Council Offices - 1968". Hinckley Past and Present. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  17. ↑ Press release about a new Leisure Centre on the A47
  18. ↑ Charnwood Forest information
  19. ↑ Burbage Common and Woods information at HBBC
  20. ↑ Shackerstone Diesel Group
  21. ↑ excluding the City of Leicester part of Ceremonial Leicestershire
  22. ↑ Vision of Britain through time
  23. ↑ mid year estimate
  24. ↑ ONS population projections 2014 base / projections uplifted by '21-1000/'31-1,000 given underestimation at 2016 – 1,000/
  25. ↑ "The Hinckley and Bosworth (Parishes) Order 1986" (PDF). Local Government Boundary Commission for England. The National Archives. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  26. ↑ "The Hinckley and Bosworth (Parishes) Order 1995" (PDF). Local Government Boundary Commission for England. The National Archives. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  27. ↑ "The Hinckley and Bosworth (Parish) Order 2006" (PDF). Local Government Boundary Commission for England. The National Archives. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  28. ↑ "Parish Council contact details". Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  29. ↑ "East Midlands Region". Civic Heraldry of England. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
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