Stratford-on-Avon District
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Stratford-on-Avon is a local government district in Warwickshire, England. The district is named after its largest town of Stratford-upon-Avon, but with a change of preposition; the town uses "upon" and the district uses "on". The council is based in Stratford-upon-Avon and the district, which is predominantly rural, also includes the towns of Alcester, Henley-in-Arden, Shipston-on-Stour and Southam, and the large villages of Bidford-on-Avon, Studley and Wellesbourne, plus numerous other smaller villages and hamlets and surrounding rural areas. The district covers the more sparsely populated southern part of Warwickshire, and contains nearly half the county's area. The district includes part of the Cotswolds, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
The neighbouring districts are Rugby and Warwick in Warwickshire, Solihull in the West Midlands, Bromsgrove, Redditch and Wychavon in Worcestershire, Cotswold in Gloucestershire, West Oxfordshire and Cherwell in Oxfordshire, and West Northamptonshire.
History
The district was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972. The new district covered the area of five former districts, which were all abolished at the same time:<ref>Template:Cite legislation UK</ref>
- Alcester Rural District
- Shipston-on-Stour Rural District
- Southam Rural District
- Stratford-on-Avon Rural District (except parish of Hockley Heath, which went to Solihull)
- Stratford-upon-Avon Municipal Borough
The new district was named Stratford-on-Avon after its main town, but using the "Stratford-on-Avon" variant of the name, which had also been used for the rural district which had covered the parishes surrounding the town.<ref>Template:Cite legislation UK</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Proposals to merge the district with neighbouring Warwick District were put forward and provisionally agreed, before eventually being abandoned in April 2022.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Governance
Stratford-on-Avon District Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Warwickshire County Council.<ref>Template:Cite legislation UK</ref> The whole district is also covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government.<ref name=electionmaps>Template:Cite web</ref>
Political control
The council has been under Liberal Democrat majority control since the 2023 election.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The first election to the council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing councils before coming into its powers on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows:<ref name=compositions>Template:Cite web (Put "Stratford-on-Avon" in search box to see specific results.)</ref><ref name=change>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=slump>Template:Cite news</ref>
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| Template:Party name with colour | 1974–1976 | |
| Template:Party name with colour | 1976–1979 | |
| Template:Party name with colour | 1979–1991 | |
| Template:Party name with colour | 1991–1992 | |
| Template:Party name with colour | 1992–1994 | |
| Template:Party name with colour | 1994–2000 | |
| Template:Party name with colour | 2000–2002 | |
| Template:Party name with colour | 2002–2003 | |
| Template:Party name with colour | 2003–2023 | |
| Template:Party name with colour | 2023–present | |
Leadership
The leaders of the council since 2000 have been:
| Councillor | Party | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bob Stevens<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=EJ15May2003/> | Template:Party name with colour | 2000 | May 2003 | |
| Chris Saint<ref name=EJ15May2003>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=7Feb2005/> | Template:Party name with colour | 21 May 2003 | Jan 2005 | |
| Les Topham<ref name=7Feb2005>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> | Template:Party name with colour | 7 Feb 2005 | May 2010 | |
| Stephen Gray<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=18May2011/> | Template:Party name with colour | 19 May 2010 | 18 May 2011 | |
| Chris Saint<ref name=18May2011>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | Template:Party name with colour | 18 May 2011 | 11 May 2018 | |
| Tony Jefferson<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> | Template:Party name with colour | 16 May 2018 | May 2023 | |
| Susan Juned<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | Template:Party name with colour | 24 May 2023 | ||
Composition
Following the 2023 election,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and subsequent changes of allegiance up to March 2025, the composition of the council was:<ref name=Thorncliffe>Template:Cite web</ref>
| Party | Councillors | |
|---|---|---|
| Template:Party name with colour | 25 | |
| Template:Party name with colour | 10 | |
| Template:Party name with colour | 3 | |
| Template:Party name with colour | 2 | |
| Template:Party name with colour | 1 | |
| Total | 41 | |
The next election is due in 2027.<ref name=Thorncliffe/>
Elections
Template:Also Since the last boundary changes in 2023 the council has comprised 41 councillors representing 39 wards, with each ward electing one or two councillors. Elections are held every four years.<ref>Template:Cite legislation UK</ref>
Premises
The council is based at Elizabeth House on Church Street in Stratford.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The oldest part of the building was a house at 15 Church Street, built in 1911 as "Maugersbury House". The house was bought in 1920 by NFU Mutual and converted to be their offices. It was later extended in a similar style along Church Street in 1927 and 1957. The NFU left the building in 1982, after which it was bought by the council and converted to become their offices and meeting place, replacing the five sets of offices inherited from the council's predecessor authorities.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The building was formally re-opened as the council's headquarters on 19 April 1985 by Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, when it was named "Elizabeth House" in recognition of her visit.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Towns and parishes
The whole district is covered by civil parishes, of which there are 113. The parish councils for Alcester, Shipston-on-Stour, Southam and Stratford-upon-Avon have declared their parishes to be towns, allowing them to take the style "town council". Some of the smaller parishes have a parish meeting rather than a parish council or share a grouped parish council with neighbouring parishes. Henley-in-Arden and Studley are both post towns, but have parish councils rather than town councils.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The parishes are:<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- Admington, Alcester, Alderminster, Ardens Grafton, Arlescote, Arrow, Aston Cantlow, Atherstone-on-Stour, Avon Dassett,
- Barcheston, Barton-on-the-Heath, Bearley, Beaudesert, Bidford-on-Avon, Billesley, Binton, Bishops Itchington, Brailes, Broom, Burmington, Burton Dassett, Butlers Marston
- Chadshunt, Chapel Ascote, Charlecote, Cherington, Chesterton and Kingston, Claverdon, Clifford Chambers and Milcote, Combrook, Compton Verney, Compton Wynyates, Coughton
- Dorsington
- Ettington, Exhall
- Farnborough, Fenny Compton, Fulbrook
- Gaydon, Great Alne, Great Wolford
- Halford, Hampton Lucy, Harbury, Haselor, Henley-in-Arden, Hodnell and Wills Pastures, Honington
- Idlicote, Ilmington
- Kineton, Kinwarton
- Ladbroke, Langley, Lighthorne, Lighthorne Heath, Little Compton, Little Wolford, Long Compton, Long Itchington, Long Marston, Lower Shuckburgh, Loxley, Luddington
- Milcote, Moreton Morrell, Morton Bagot
- Napton-on-the-Hill, Newbold Pacey, Northend
- Oldberrow, Oversley Green, Oxhill
- Pillerton Hersey, Pillerton Priors, Preston Bagot, Preston-on-Stour, Priors Hardwick, Priors Marston
- Quinton
- Radbourne, Radway, Ratley and Upton
- Salford Priors, Sambourne, Shipston-on-Stour, Shotteswell, Snitterfield, Southam, Spernall, Stockton, Stoneton, Stourton, Stratford-upon-Avon, Stretton-on-Fosse, Studley, Sutton-under-Brailes
- Tanworth-in-Arden, Temple Grafton, Tidmington, Tredington, Tysoe
- Ufton, Ullenhall, Upper Shuckburgh, Warmington, Watergall, Weethley, Welford-on-Avon, Wellesbourne, Weston-on-Avon, Whatcote, Whichford, Whitchurch, Willington, Wilmcote, Wixford, Wolverton, Wootton Wawen, Wormleighton
See also
References
External links
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