South Ribble

South Ribble is a local government district with borough status in Lancashire, England. Its council is based in Leyland. The borough includes the towns and villages of Penwortham, Leyland, Farington, Farington Moss, Hutton, Longton, Walmer Bridge, Much Hoole, Coupe Green, Samlesbury, Lostock Hall, Walton-le-Dale and Bamber Bridge. Many of the built-up areas in the borough form part of the wider Preston built-up area.

The neighbouring districts are Preston, Ribble Valley, Blackburn with Darwen, Chorley, West Lancashire and Fylde.

History

The district was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, covering the whole area of two former districts and parts of a third, which were abolished at the same time:<ref>Template:Cite legislation UK</ref>

• Leyland Urban District
• Preston Rural District (parishes of Cuerdale, Farington, Hutton, Little Hoole, Longton, Much Hoole, Penwortham and Samlesbury only, rest split between Preston and Ribble Valley)
• Walton-le-Dale Urban District (which included Bamber Bridge)

The new district was named South Ribble, reflecting the fact that the River Ribble forms its northern boundary.<ref>Template:Cite legislation UK</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

South Ribble Borough Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Lancashire County Council. Parts of the borough are covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government.<ref>Template:Cite legislation UK</ref><ref name=electionmaps>Template:Cite web</ref>

Political control

The council has been under Labour majority control since the 2023 election.

The first election to the council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until coming into its powers on 1 April 1974. Since 1974 political control of the council has been as follows:<ref name=compositions>Template:Cite web (Put "South Ribble" in search box to see specific results.)</ref><ref name=gain>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	1999–2007
Template:Party name with colour	2007–2019
Template:Party name with colour	2019–2023
Template:Party name with colour	2023–present

Leadership

The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in South Ribble. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 2007 have been:

Councillor	Party		From	To
Margaret Smith<ref name=Faulkner>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	Template:Party name with colour	2007	20 Jul 2016
Peter Mullineaux<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=17May2018/>	Template:Party name with colour	15 Sep 2016	17 May 2018
Mary Green<ref name=17May2018>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=BBC15Oct2018/>	Template:Party name with colour	17 May 2018	15 Oct 2018
Paul Foster<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=BBC15Oct2018>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=1Nov2018/>	Template:Party name with colour	15 Oct 2018	1 Nov 2018
Margaret Smith<ref name=1Nov2018>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=Faulkner/>	Template:Party name with colour	1 Nov 2018	May 2019
Paul Foster<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=17Jul2024/>	Template:Party name with colour	15 May 2019	17 Jul 2024
Jacky Alty<ref name=17Jul2024>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>	Template:Party name with colour	17 Jul 2024

Composition

Following the 2023 election,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and subsequent changes of allegiance up to July 2025, the composition of the council was:<ref name=Thorncliffe>Template:Cite web</ref>

Party		Councillors
Template:Party name with colour	28
Template:Party name with colour	17
Template:Party name with colour	5
Total		50

The next election is due in 2027.<ref name=Thorncliffe/>

Elections

Template:Also Since the last boundary changes in 2015 the council has comprised 50 councillors representing 23 wards, with each ward electing two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years.<ref>Template:Cite legislation UK</ref>

The borough straddles the parliamentary constituencies of Ribble Valley and South Ribble.<ref name=electionmaps/>

Premises

The council is based at the Civic Centre on West Paddock in Leyland. The building was built in the early 1970s for the former Leyland Urban District Council.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Parishes

There are eight civil parishes in the borough. The parish council for Penwortham has declared its parish to be a town, allowing it to take the style "town council". The parishes of Samlesbury and Cuerdale share a grouped parish council.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The former urban districts of Leyland and Walton-le-Dale are unparished areas.<ref name=electionmaps/>

The parishes are:

Cuerdale Farington Hutton Little Hoole Longton Much Hoole Penwortham (town) Samlesbury

South Ribble parishes

Twin town

South Ribble is twinned with:<ref>South Ribble Borough Council, Town Twinning retrieved 21 January 2019</ref>

• Schleswig-Flensburg, Germany

Freedom of the Borough

The following people and military units have received the Freedom of the Borough of South Ribble.

Individuals

• Anthony Kelly: September 2010.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Military Units

• The King's Royal Hussars: 1992.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

External links

• South Ribble Borough Council

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