Английская Википедия:Breckland District

Материал из Онлайн справочника
Перейти к навигацииПерейти к поиску

Шаблон:Infobox settlement Breckland is a local government district in Norfolk, England. Its council is based in Dereham, although the largest town is Thetford. The district also includes the towns of Attleborough, Swaffham and Watton, along with numerous villages and surrounding rural areas.

The district derives its name from the Breckland landscape region, a gorse-covered sandy heath of south Norfolk and north Suffolk. The term "Breckland" dates back to at least the 13th century.

The neighbouring districts are King's Lynn and West Norfolk, North Norfolk, Broadland, South Norfolk, Mid Suffolk and West Suffolk.

History

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

The new district was named Breckland after the distinctive landscape which covers parts of the area.[2] The name was chosen following a competition organised by the outgoing authorities which invited local schools, organisations and individuals to put forward suggested names.[3]

Governance

Шаблон:Infobox legislature

Файл:Cmglee Thetford market.jpg
Thetford is the largest settlement in the district

Breckland District Council, which styles itself "Breckland Council", provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Norfolk County Council. The whole district is also covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government.[4][5]

Political control

The council has been under Conservative majority control since 1999.

The first election to the council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new arrangements took effect on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows:[6]

Party in control Years
Шаблон:Party name with colour 1974–1979
Шаблон:Party name with colour 1979–1995
Шаблон:Party name with colour 1995–1999
Шаблон:Party name with colour 1999–present

Leadership

The leaders of the council since 1998 have been:[7]

Councillor Party From To
Cliff Jordan[8] Шаблон:Party name with colour 1998 2005
William Nunn[9] Шаблон:Party name with colour 2005 5 Sep 2013
Michael Wassell[10][11] Шаблон:Party name with colour 11 Sep 2013 31 Mar 2016
William Nunn[12][13] Шаблон:Party name with colour 31 Mar 2016 16 May 2019
Sam Chapman-Allen Шаблон:Party name with colour 16 May 2019

Composition

Following the 2023 election the composition of the council was:[14]

Party Councillors
Шаблон:Party name with colour 30
Шаблон:Party name with colour 12
Шаблон:Party name with colour 5
Шаблон:Party name with colour 1
Шаблон:Party name with colour 1
Total 49

The next election is due in 2027.

Файл:St Mary's church Attleborough - geograph.org.uk - 3269362.jpg
Attleborough, the third-largest settlement in the district
Файл:The buttercross at Swaffham Market Place - geograph.org.uk - 2108169.jpg
Swaffham, the fourth-largest settlement in the district

Elections

Шаблон:Also Since the last boundary changes in 2015 the council has comprised 49 councillors representing 27 wards, with each ward electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years.[15]

UK Youth Parliament

Although the UK Youth Parliament is an apolitical organisation, the elections are run in a way similar to that of the Local Elections. The votes come from 11 to 18 year olds and are combined to make the decision of the next, 2 year Member of Youth Parliament. The elections are run at different times across the country with Breckland's typically being in early Spring and bi-annually.[16][17][18]

Файл:St. Mary, the parish church of Watton - geograph.org.uk - 2967395.jpg
Watton, the fifth-largest settlement in the district

Premises

The council has its headquarters at Elizabeth House, a modern office building on the edge of Dereham; the council moved its main offices there in 2003.[19] Prior to that it had been based at the Guildhall on St Withburga Lane in Dereham, which had previously been the offices of Mitford and Launditch Rural District Council, one of the council's predecessors.[20][21]

Файл:Minstergate, Thetford - geograph.org.uk - 4726382.jpg
Breckland House, St Nicholas Street, Thetford: Council's area office in Thetford, built 1992.

The council also maintains an area office at Breckland House on St Nicholas Street in Thetford, which was completed in 1992 and formally opened on 20 May 1993 by Elizabeth II.[22][23]

Towns and parishes

Шаблон:Also The district is entirely divided into 113 civil parishes. The parish councils for Attleborough, Dereham, Swaffham, Thetford and Watton have declared their parishes to be towns, allowing them to take the style "town council". Some of the smaller parishes have a parish meeting rather than a parish council. The parishes are:[24]

References

Шаблон:Reflist

External links

Шаблон:Commons category

  • Diss Express - website of local newspaper covering part of district

Шаблон:Norfolk Шаблон:East of England

Шаблон:Coord