Ribble Valley
Ribble Valley | |
---|---|
![]() The Ribble Valley | |
![]() Ribble Valley shown within Lancashire and England | |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Constituent country | England |
Region | North West England |
Ceremonial county | Lancashire |
Historic county | Lancashire and West Riding |
Admin. HQ | Clitheroe |
Government | |
• Type | Ribble Valley Borough Council |
• MPs: | Maya Ellis |
Area | |
• Total | 225 sq mi (583 km2) |
• Rank | 63rd |
Population (2022) | |
• Total | 63,107 |
• Rank | Ranked 290th |
• Density | 280/sq mi (110/km2) |
Ethnicity (2021) | |
• Ethnic groups | |
Religion (2021) | |
• Religion | List
|
Time zone | UTC+0 (Greenwich Mean Time) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (British Summer Time) |
ONS code | 30UL (ONS) E07000124 (GSS) |
Ribble Valley is a local government district with borough status in Lancashire, England. Its council is based in Clitheroe, the largest town. The borough also includes the town of Longridge and numerous villages and surrounding rural areas. It is named after the River Ribble. Much of the district lies within the Forest of Bowland, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
The neighbouring districts are Pendle, Burnley, Hyndburn, Blackburn with Darwen, South Ribble, Preston, Wyre, Lancaster and North Yorkshire.
History
[edit]The district was created on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, covering the whole area of four former districts and parts of another three, which were abolished at the same time:[2]
- Blackburn Rural District (north of Arley Brook, rest went to Blackburn)
- Bowland Rural District
- Burnley Rural District (parishes of Read and Sabden only, rest split between Burnley, Hyndburn and Pendle)
- Clitheroe Municipal Borough
- Clitheroe Rural District
- Longridge Urban District
- Preston Rural District (parishes of Dutton, Hothersall and Ribchester only, rest split between Preston and South Ribble)
The new district was named Ribble Valley after the River Ribble which flows through the area.[3] The new district was awarded borough status from its creation, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor.[4]
The Bowland Rural District had been in the West Riding of Yorkshire prior to the reforms, whereas the other parts had all been in Lancashire. The council was granted a coat of arms in 1975, which includes both the Red Rose of Lancaster and White Rose of York, referencing the two historic counties.[5]
The parish of Simonstone was transferred from Burnley to Ribble Valley in 1987.[6]
Governance
[edit]Ribble Valley Borough Council | |
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Type | |
Type | |
History | |
Founded | 1 April 1974 |
Leadership | |
Marshal Scott since April 2009[8] | |
Structure | |
Seats | 40 councillors |
![]() | |
Political groups |
|
Elections | |
First past the post | |
Last election | 4 May 2023 |
Next election | 6 May 2027 |
Meeting place | |
Council Offices, Church Walk, Clitheroe, BB7 2RA | |
Website | |
www |
Ribble Valley Borough Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Lancashire County Council. The whole borough is covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government.[9]
Political control
[edit]The council has been under no overall control since the 2023 election, being led by a Conservative minority administration.[10][11]
The first election to the council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities before coming into its powers on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows:[12][13]
Party in control | Years | |
---|---|---|
Conservative | 1974–1995 | |
No overall control | 1995–2003 | |
Conservative | 2003–2023 | |
No overall control | 2023–present |
Leadership
[edit]The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Ribble Valley. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 1999 have been:[14]
Councillor | Party | From | To | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Peter Redpath[15] | Conservative | 1999 | 2002 | |
Chris Holtom | Conservative | 2002 | 6 May 2007 | |
Michael Ranson | Conservative | 15 May 2007 | 14 May 2013 | |
Stuart Hirst | Conservative | 14 May 2013 | 9 May 2017 | |
Ken Hind[16] | Conservative | 9 May 2017 | 20 Dec 2018 | |
Stephen Atkinson | Conservative | 15 Jan 2019 |
Composition
[edit]Following the 2023 election and subsequent changes of allegiance and by-elections up to July 2024, the composition of the council was:[17][18][19]
Party | Councillors | |
---|---|---|
Conservative | 17 | |
Labour | 9 | |
Independent | 7 | |
Liberal Democrats | 5 | |
Green | 2 | |
Total | 40 |
Two of the independent councillors (both former Liberal Democrats) sit with the Greens as the 'Green and Progressive Liberal Group'.[20] The next election is due in 2027.
Elections
[edit]Since the last boundary changes in 2019 the council has comprised 40 councillors representing 26 wards, with each ward electing one or two councillors. Elections are held every four years.[21]
Premises
[edit]The council is based at the Council Offices on Church Walk in Clitheroe, which was purpose-built for the council in 1980.[22][23] The council chamber is in an adjoining building at 13 Church Street, which had been offices of the old Clitheroe Borough Council prior to the 1974 reforms.[24]
Education
[edit]State-funded schools
[edit]Primary
[edit]See List of schools in Lancashire § Ribble Valley
Secondary
[edit]- Bowland High School, Grindleton
- Clitheroe Royal Grammar School
- Longridge High School
- Ribblesdale High School, Clitheroe
- St Augustine's RC High School, Billington
- St Cecilia's RC High School, Longridge
Specialist
[edit]- Hillside Specialist School, Longridge
Independent schools
[edit]- Stonyhurst Saint Mary's Hall, Hurst Green (preparatory)
- Moorland School, Clitheroe
- Oakhill School, Whalley
- Stonyhurst College, Hurst Green
Adult education
[edit]- Alston Hall, Longridge
Sport
[edit]Longridge Town FC
Local radio
[edit]Community radio
[edit]Ribble Valley Radio was a community radio station based in Clitheroe, part of the new, third sector of local radio licensed by OFCOM.[25] The project was launched in September 2004. The radio station helped six local residents into paid work within the radio sector in just three years and trained more than 100 volunteers to present and produce their own radio shows. The project was not supported by the Borough Council, which caused controversy in the area, and local newspaper the Clitheroe Advertiser and Times' held a poll which returned the result that 94% agreed that the Ribble Valley Borough Council were wrong not to fund the project and assist its long-term success. Many letters appeared in support of the project and damning the "short sighted" decision of the council. The whole episode brought excellent publicity and boosted the radio station's listening figures by 400%.
MP Nigel Evans was a staunch supporter and tabled an Early Day Motion at Parliament EDM 979[26] calling for "better resources and funding" for Ribble Valley Radio and the new and emerging sector. None of this was sufficient to save the station and on 14 October 2007 Ribble Valley Radio closed, because it was unable to gain sufficient funding to apply for a licence.[27]
A new group, known as Ribble FM,[28] was formed in 2011 with the aim of applying for a community radio licence in the third round of licensing by Ofcom. Ribble FM was set up by The Bee founder Roy Martin and includes local directors and trustees.
Settlements
[edit]Civil parishes
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ea/Borough_of_Ribble_Valley_parishes_map.svg/350px-Borough_of_Ribble_Valley_parishes_map.svg.png)
The whole borough is covered by civil parishes. The parish councils for Clitheroe and Longridge have declared their parishes to be towns, allowing them to take the style "town council".[29]
- Aighton, Bailey and Chaigley
- Balderstone
- Bashall Eaves
- Billington and Langho
- Bolton-by-Bowland
- Bowland Forest High
- Bowland Forest Low
- Bowland-with-Leagram
- Chatburn
- Chipping
- Clayton-le-Dale
- Clitheroe
- Dinckley
- Downham
- Dutton
- Easington
- Gisburn
- Gisburn Forest
- Great Mitton
- Grindleton
- Horton
- Hothersall
- Little Mitton
- Longridge
- Mearley
- Mellor
- Middop
- Newsholme
- Newton
- Osbaldeston
- Paythorne
- Pendleton
- Ramsgreave
- Read
- Ribchester
- Rimington
- Sabden
- Salesbury
- Sawley
- Simonstone
- Slaidburn
- Thornley-with-Wheatley
- Twiston
- Waddington
- West Bradford
- Whalley
- Wilpshire
- Wiswell
- Worston
Economy
[edit]Although Ribble Valley is the largest area of Lancashire, it also has the smallest population. The economy of Ribble Valley is mainly rural in nature, with a high proportion of jobs being in the private sector, due to BAE there is a bigger sway towards manufacturing jobs and less of a service economy when compared to the rest of Lancashire presumably due to the size of the authority and the dispersed nature of settlements. The authority also has the highest proportion of remote workers in Lancashire.[30]
Notable businesses
[edit]Freedom of the Borough
[edit]The following people and military units have received the Freedom of the Borough of Ribble Valley.
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Military Units
[edit]- The 14th/20th King's Hussars: 24 August 1992.[31]
- The King's Royal Hussars: 2 December 1992.[32][33]
- The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment: 10 March 2011.[34]
References
[edit]- ^ a b UK Census (2021). "2021 Census Area Profile – Ribble Valley Local Authority (E07000124)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
- ^ "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1972/2039, retrieved 22 August 2022
- ^ "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Names) Order 1973", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1973/551, retrieved 22 August 2022
- ^ "District Councils and Boroughs". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 28 March 1974. Retrieved 16 January 2012.
- ^ "North West Region". Civic Heraldry. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
- ^ "Local Government Boundary Commission For England Report No. 5O5" (PDF). Local Government Boundary Commission For England. October 1985. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 November 2015. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
- ^ "Council minutes, 14 May 2024". Ribble Valley Borough Council. 14 May 2024. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
- ^ Briggs, Ben (18 December 2008). "Burnley man appointed Ribble Valley Council chief". Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
- ^ "Local Government Act 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1972 c. 70, retrieved 31 May 2023
- ^ Jacobs, Bill (11 May 2023). "Battered Ribble Valley Tories seek to keep power as a minority". Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
- ^ "Council minutes, 23 May 2023". Ribble Valley Borough Council. 23 May 2023. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
- ^ "Compositions calculator". The Elections Centre. 4 March 2016. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
- ^ "Ribble Valley". BBC News Online. Retrieved 8 November 2009.
- ^ "Council minutes". Ribble Valley Borough Council. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
- ^ "Sudden death of former leader". Lancashire Telegraph. 8 March 2006. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
- ^ "Tory leader Ken Hind stands down as council leader". Burnley Express. 21 December 2018. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
- ^ "Local elections 2023: live council results for England". The Guardian.
- ^ Boothroyd, David (13 October 2023). "Cheltenham still enraged by bureaucracy". Local Councils. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
- ^ "Ribble Valley". Local Councils. Thorncliffe. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
- ^ "Councillors". Ribble Valley Borough Council. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
- ^ "The Ribble Valley (Electoral Changes) Order 2017", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2017/1267, retrieved 15 October 2023
- ^ "No. 48120". The London Gazette. 6 March 1980. p. 3585.
- ^ "No. 48273". The London Gazette. 7 August 1980. p. 11223.
- ^ "Council offices and meetings". Ribble Valley Borough Council. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
- ^ http://www.ofcom.org.uk/radio/ Archived 2009-07-10 at the Wayback Machine ofcom.org.uk
- ^ http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=32699&SESSION=885 edmi.parliament.uk
- ^ Radio station closes due to funding problems Archived 2008-02-23 at Wikiwix
- ^ "Home". Ribble FM. 16 May 2020. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
- ^ "Information on Town and Parish Councils". Ribble Valley Borough Council. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
- ^ "District Profile – Ribble Valley". Lancashire County Council. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
- ^ "Cavalry regiment parades through Leyland". The Lancashire Telegraph. 2 December 2008. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
- ^ "King's Royal Hussars homecoming parade in Leyland". BBC News. 10 November 2012. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
- ^ "Flag waving public line the route for Freedom parade". The Lancashire Evening Post. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
- ^ "Duke of Lancaster's Regiment's freedom of Ribble Valley". BBC News. 10 March 2011. Retrieved 16 May 2022.