Rushcliffe
Template:About Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox settlement Rushcliffe is a local government district with borough status in south Nottinghamshire, England. Its council is based in West Bridgford. The borough also includes the towns of Bingham and Cotgrave as well as numerous villages and surrounding rural areas. Some of the built-up areas in the north-west of the borough, including West Bridgford, form part of the Nottingham Urban Area.
The neighbouring districts are Broxtowe, Nottingham, Gedling, Newark and Sherwood, Melton, Charnwood, North West Leicestershire and Erewash.
History
The district was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972. The new district covered the whole area of two former districts and part of a third, which were all abolished at the same time:<ref>Template:Cite legislation UK</ref>
The new district was named after the ancient Rushcliffe Wapentake, which had covered part of the area.<ref>Template:Cite legislation UK</ref> Rushcliffe means "cliff where brushwood grows", from Old English hris "brushwood" and clif "cliff". The new Rushcliffe district was granted borough status from its creation, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Governance
Rushcliffe Borough Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Nottinghamshire County Council. Most of the borough is also covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government.<ref>Template:Cite legislation UK</ref>
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 came into effect on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows:<ref name=compositions>Template:Cite web (Put "Rushcliffe" in search box to see specific results.)</ref><ref name=bbc2007>Template:Cite news</ref>
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| Template:Party name with colour | 1974–1995 | |
| Template:Party name with colour | 1995–1999 | |
| Template:Party name with colour | 1999–present | |
Leadership
The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Rushcliffe. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 1974 have been:
| Councillor | Party | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jim Swanwick<ref name=choose>Template:Cite news</ref> | Template:Party name with colour | 1974 | 1976 | |
| Ray Cook<ref name=choose/> | Template:Party name with colour | 1976 | 1979 | |
| Jim Swanwick<ref name=choose/> | Template:Party name with colour | 1979 | May 1987 | |
| Ray Cook<ref name=choose/><ref name=change/> | Template:Party name with colour | May 1987 | May 1995 | |
| George Buckley<ref name=change>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | Template:Party name with colour | May 1995 | May 2005 | |
| Neil Clarke<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=25May2017/> | Template:Party name with colour | 12 May 2005 | 25 May 2017 | |
| Simon Robinson<ref name=25May2017>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=25May2023/> | Template:Party name with colour | 25 May 2017 | May 2023 | |
| Neil Clarke<ref name=25May2023>Template:Cite web</ref> | Template:Party name with colour | 25 May 2023 | ||
Composition
Following the 2023 election,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and subsequent changes of allegiance up to October 2025, the composition of the council was:<ref name=Thorncliffe>Template:Cite web</ref>
Of the six independent councillors, three sit together as the "Leake Independents" group and two sit together as the "Bingham Independents" group.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The next election is due in 2027.<ref name=Thorncliffe/>
Premises
The council is based at the Ruscliffe Arena on Rugby Road in West Bridgford. The building is a combined leisure centre and council headquarters. The council moved into the new building in December 2016 and the leisure centre opened the following month.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> From 1982 to 2016 the council was based at Rushcliffe Civic Centre on Pavilion Road in West Bridgford, overlooking Trent Bridge. That building had been built in 1966 as a hotel called the Bridgford Hotel.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Elections
Template:Also Since the last boundary changes in 2023 the council has comprised 44 councillors representing 24 wards, with each ward electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years.<ref name="2022order">Template:Cite web</ref>
Wards
The wards are:<ref name=2022order/> Template:Div col
- Abbey
- Bingham North
- Bingham South
- Bunny
- Compton Acres
- Cotgrave
- Cranmer
- Cropwell
- East Bridgford
- Edwalton
- Gamston
- Gotham
- Keyworth and Wolds
- Lady Bay
- Leake
- Lutterell
- Musters
- Nevile and Langar
- Newton, Nottinghamshire
- Radcliffe on Trent
- Ruddington
- Soar Valley
- Tollerton
- Trent Bridge
Wider politics
The borough straddles two parliamentary constituencies. Most of the borough is in the Rushcliffe constituency. The north-eastern part of the borough around Bingham and surrounding villages is in the Newark constituency.<ref name=electionmaps>Template:Cite web</ref>
Geography
South-east of Nottingham, the Rushcliffe boundary splits from the City of Nottingham boundary near the Holme Pierrepont Watersports Centre and then follows the River Trent to near RAF Syerston, which is the most northern part of the district, although Syerston the village itself is in the Newark and Sherwood district. It meets the River Devon near Cotham, then follows this river to the east southwards to where it meets the Leicestershire boundary. To the south, the Leicestershire/Rushcliffe boundary crosses the runways of the former RAF Langar with most of the airfield in Rushcliffe.
Rushcliffe is split between an urbanised north-west, containing suburbs of Greater Nottingham that have not been incorporated into the city, and the south and east which is predominantly rural, which stretches to the Leicestershire border. Many of these villages lie in the Vale of Belvoir. The Grantham Canal threads from nearby Grantham through Rushcliffe to the River Trent. Villages in the Vale of Belvoir include Redmile, Hickling, Harby, Stathern and Langar. Geographically, the River Soar marks the divide between the two counties.
Towns and parishes
Template:Also The former West Bridgford Urban District is an unparished area.<ref name=electionmaps/> The rest of the borough is divided into civil parishes. The parish councils for Bingham and Cotgrave take the style "town council". Some of the smaller parishes have a parish meeting rather than a parish council.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Media
In terms of television, Rushcliffe is served by BBC East Midlands and ITV Central with television signals received from the Waltham transmitter <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and the Nottingham relay transmitter.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Radio stations for the area are:
Education
Rushcliffe Spencer Academy and West Bridgford school have ranked regularly in the top 100 comprehensive schools in the UK for GCSE results. In 2014 West Bridgford was ranked at 63rd of all comprehensives in the UK with 83% achieving '5+ A*-C GCSEs (or equivalent) including English and maths GCSEs' and Rushcliffe 81st in the UK with 82% achieving 5 A*-C in 2014.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The Becket School (partly geographically outside the Rushcliffe district), West Bridgford School and Rushcliffe Spencer Academy get A level results for 'Average point score per A level student (full-time equivalent)' in the top 10% of all schools in the UK, comprehensive or selective, better than many English grammar schools.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> These scores are in the top 2% for all UK comprehensives.
Sutton Bonington is in the south of the district, which has the Sutton Bonington Campus of the University of Nottingham.
Notable residents
- Conservative politician Kenneth Clarke (the MP for the area from 1970 to 2019 and who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1993 to 1997) lives in West Bridgford
- Actress Sherrie Hewson (Coronation Street, Emmerdale, Crossroads and Loose Women)
- Famous rose grower Harry Wheatcroft lived with his family in West Bridgford
- The majority of Nottingham Forest Football Club players live in Rushcliffe Template:Citation needed and have included Stuart Pearce, Andy Cole and Ian Wright. Former Manager Frank Clark lived in Keyworth. A number of ex-Nottingham Forest Players remain in the Rushcliffe area. Template:Citation needed
- Former England Test cricketer, off spin bowler and Strictly Come Dancing contestant Graeme Swann
Arms
References
External links
Template:East Midlands Template:Nottinghamshire Template:Authority control