Borough of Broxbourne

Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use British English Template:Infobox settlement The Borough of Broxbourne is a local government district with borough status in Hertfordshire, England. Its council is based in Cheshunt. Other settlements in the borough include Broxbourne, Hoddesdon and Waltham Cross. The eastern boundary of the district is the River Lea. The borough covers Template:Convert in south east Hertfordshire, and had an estimated population of 99,000 in 2021.

Much of the borough lies within the Metropolitan Green Belt which surrounds London. The western side of the borough is largely rural with extensive areas of woodland, whilst the eastern part, particularly between the A10 road and the River Lea, is generally urban. Most of the built-up parts of Broxbourne fall within the Greater London Urban Area. The Lee Valley Park lies on the borough's eastern boundary.

The borough is twinned with the Sicilian city of Sutera.

History

The borough of Broxbourne was created on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, covering the area of two districts, which were both abolished at the same time:<ref>Template:Cite legislation UK</ref>

• Cheshunt Urban District
• Hoddesdon Urban District

The new district was named Broxbourne after the old village of that name at the centre of the area. The village had been administratively part of Hoddesdon Urban District since 1935.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite legislation UK</ref> The name Broxbourne means "badger's stream", a fact referenced in the council's logo of a badger.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The new district was awarded borough status from its creation, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Governance

Hertfordshire has a two-tier structure of local government, with the ten district councils (including Broxbourne Borough Council) providing district-level services, and Hertfordshire County Council providing county-level services.<ref>Template:Cite legislation UK</ref>

Political control

The first elections to the council were held in 1973, initially acting as a shadow authority until the new arrangements took effect on 1 April 1974. The Conservatives have held a majority of the seats on the council since 1974:<ref name=electionscentre>Template:Cite web (Put "Broxbourne" in search box to see specific results.)</ref>

Party in control		Years
Template:Party name with colour	1974–present

Leadership

The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Broxbourne, and is usually held by a different councillor each year. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 2010 have been:

Councillor	Party		From	To
Paul Mason<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>	Template:Party name with colour	2010	May 2014
Mark Mills-Bishop<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=Page/>	Template:Party name with colour	2014	14 May 2019
Lewis Cocking<ref name=Page>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>	Template:Party name with colour	14 May 2019	May 2024
Mark Mills-Bishop<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=Day/>	Template:Party name with colour	14 May 2024	May 2025
Corina Gander<ref name=Day>Template:Cite news</ref>	Template:Party name with colour	13 May 2025

Composition

Following the 2024 election and changes of allegiance up to March 2025, the composition of the council was as follows:<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=Thorncliffe>Template:Cite web</ref>

Party		Councillors
Template:Party name with colour	25
Template:Party name with colour	3
Template:Party name with colour	2
Total		30

The next election is due in 2026.<ref name=Thorncliffe/>

Premises

The council is based at Bishops' College on Churchgate in Cheshunt. The building had been a college for training clergy and comprised an early eighteenth century house to which substantial extensions had been added in 1810 and 1871.<ref>Template:NHLE</ref> The college closed in 1968 and the vacant building was bought in 1972 by Cheshunt Urban District Council.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The building then passed to Broxbourne Borough Council on local government reorganisation in 1974. The council added a large modern extension, which was formally opened on 10 December 1986 by Prince Edward, Duke of Kent.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Elections

Template:Main Since the last ward boundary changes in 2012 the council has comprised 30 councillors, with the borough being divided into 10 wards each electing three councillors. Elections are held three years out of every four, electing one councillor from each ward each time. Elections to Hertfordshire County Council are held in the fourth year of the cycle when there are no borough council elections.<ref name=2012order>Template:Cite legislation UK</ref>

Wards

The borough's wards are:<ref name=2012order/> Template:Div col

• Hoddesdon North
• Hoddesdon Town & Rye Park
• Broxbourne & Hoddesdon South
• Wormley & Turnford
• Rosedale & Bury Green
• Goffs Oak
• Cheshunt North
• Cheshunt South & Theobalds
• Flamstead End
• Waltham Cross

Business

The main industrial areas of the borough are around Waltham Cross and the Essex Road area of Hoddesdon.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Park Plaza at Waltham Cross is home to the world's largest printing plant, which produces publications for News International including The Sun, The Times and The Sun on Sunday (formerly the News of the World). Employing 200 people on a Template:Convert site to produce 86,000 newspapers per hour on each of its twelve printing presses (a total capacity of over 1,000,000 newspapers per hour),<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> the plant cost £350 million and replaced the News International press in Wapping.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

External links

• Broxbourne Council
• Broxbourne population change through time