The
Borough of Bournemouth has been a
unitary authorityA 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...
in South East
DorsetDorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town has been Dorchester since at least 1305, situated in the south of the county at . Between its extreme points Dorset measures from east to west and north to south, and has an area of...
since 1 April 1997. It is named after
BournemouthBournemouth is a large coastal resort town in the Borough of Bournemouth, England. The town has a population of 163,444 according to the 2001 Census, making it the largest settlement in Dorset. It is the largest town on the south coast and the largest settlement between Southampton and Plymouth...
, the town it serves. Between 1974 and 1997 it was an administrative
districtNon-metropolitan districts, or colloquially shire districts, are a type of local government district in England. As originally created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan counties in a so-called "two-tier" arrangement...
of Dorset, although historically most of the borough was part of
HampshireHampshire , sometimes historically Southamptonshire, Hamptonshire, , or the County of Southampton, is a county on the south coast of England. The county borders , Dorset, Wiltshire, Berkshire, Surrey and West Sussex...
.
The Borough can trace its history back to 27 August 1890 when the
Municipal BoroughMunicipal boroughs were a type of local government 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 Bournemouth was created by Royal Charter. On 1 April 1900 it received
County BoroughCounty borough is a term introduced in 1889 in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland , to refer to a borough or a city independent of county council control. The Local Government Act 1972 abolished them in England and Wales, but they are still used in the Republic of Ireland and Northern...
status which lasted until 1974.
Wards
The Council has 18
wardsA ward in the United Kingdom is an electoral district at subnational level represented by one or more councillors. It is the primary unit of British administrative and electoral geography ....
covering the borough.
- Boscombe East
- Boscombe West
- Central
- East Cliff & Springbourne
- East Southbourne & Tuckton
- Kinson North
- Kinson South
- Littledown & Iford
- Moordown
- Queen's Park
- Redhill & Northbourne
- Strouden Park
- Talbot & Branksome Woods
- Throop & Muscliff
- Wallisdown & Winton West
- West Southbourne
- Westbourne & Westcliff
- Winton East
Composition
The Council consists of 54 elected members, 3 from each of the 18 wards. Prior to 2003 there were 19 wards (57 members). Elections take place every four years where all seats are contested.
The current Council is composed as follows:
| Party |
Councillors |
|
ConservativeThe Conservative and Unionist Party, more commonly known as the Conservatives, the Conservative Party, or Tory Party is a conservative political party in the United Kingdom...
|
40 |
|
Liberal Democrat |
7 |
|
Independent In politics, an independent is a politician who is not affiliated with any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do not feel that any major party addresses...
|
4 |
|
Labour The Labour Party is a centre-left political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century, it has been seen since 1920 as the principal party of the Left in England, Scotland and Wales, but not Northern Ireland, where it has only recently begun to organise again...
|
3 |
| Total |
54 |
The whole Council will be up for election in 2011.
Coat of Arms
The arms of Bournemouth were granted on 24 March 1891. The crest (above the shield) consists of four English roses surmounted by a pine tree. The motto (below the shield) is "Pulchritudo et Salubritas", Latin for "beauty and health". The colours of the shield, the main part of the coat of arms, are taken from the royal arms of King Edward the Confessor, in whose royal estate the area now known as Bournemouth was situated. The four
salmonSalmon is the common name for several species of fish of the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the family are called trout; the difference is often attributed to the migratory life of the salmon as compared to the residential behaviour of trout, a distinction that holds true for the Salmo...
represent those to be found in the
River StourThe River Stour is a 60.5 mile long river which flows through Wiltshire and Dorset in southern England, and drains into the English Channel. It is sometimes called the Dorset Stour to distinguish it from rivers of the same name...
, which marks the boundary between
ChristchurchChristchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area. It is one third the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of Christchurch.The city was named by...
and Bournemouth. Each of the lions holds a rose between its paws. The six birds, also taken from Edward the Confessor's arms, are martlets, heraldic birds with no legs (based on the folk belief that swallows never stopped flying and so did not need legs). The roses in the arms are emblems both of England and of Hampshire, which Bournemouth historically belonged to.
Twin towns
The Borough of Bournemouth is twinned with the following Towns:
LucerneLucerne is a city in Switzerland. It is the capital of the Canton of Lucerne and seat of the district with the same name. With a population of 57,890, Lucerne is the most populous city in Central Switzerland and a focal point of the region...
,
SwitzerlandSwitzerland , officially the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 states named cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities...
(1981).
NetanyaNetanya is a city in the Centre District of Israel and is the capital of the Sharon plain. It is located between the 'Poleg' stream and Wingate Institute in the south and the 'Avichail' stream in the north. Its of beaches have made the city a very popular tourist resort...
,
IsraelIsrael officially the State of Israel , is a developed state in Western Asia located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its...
.
See also
Bournemouth local elections-Political control:Shire DistrictConservative 1973 - 1991No overall control 1991 - 1997Unitary AuthorityNo overall control 1996 - 2003Liberal Democrat 2003 - 2007Conservative 2007 - present-Council elections:...