Mid Bedfordshire District

Mid Bedfordshire was, from 1974 to 2009, a local government district in Bedfordshire, England.

Mid Bedfordshire
Mid Bedfordshire within non-metropolitan Bedfordshire post 1998
Shown within Bedfordshire non-metropolitan county
Area
 • 1974124,423 acres (503.52 km2)[1]
Population
 • 197394,750[1]
 • 1992110,110[2]
 • 2007118,200
History
 • Created1974
 • Abolished2009
 • Succeeded byCentral Bedfordshire
StatusNon-metropolitan district
ONS code09UC
GovernmentMid Bedfordshire District Council
Logo of Mid Bedfordshire District Council
Subdivisions
 • TypeCivil parishes

Creation

The district was formed on 1 April 1974 as part of a general reorganisation of local authorities in England and Wales carried out under the Local Government Act 1972. Mid Bedfordshire was formed by the amalgamation of five districts:[1]

The new council continued to use the former offices of Ampthill Rural District Council and Biggleswade Rural District Council until 2006, when a new combined office was built at Priory House, Chicksands for £15 million.[3][4]

Civil parishes
Former offices of Mid Bedfordshire District Council at 12 Dunstable Street, Ampthill

The district comprised the following civil parishes:[5]

Elections and political control
See also: Mid Bedfordshire District Council elections

The first election to Mid Bedfordshire District Council took place on 7 June 1973, with the 49 councillors elected forming a shadow authority until 1 April 1974.[1] Following ward boundary changes, the number of councillors was increased to 53 in 1979.[6] Elections for the whole council were then held in 1979 and every four years thereafter. In 2003 the wards were again redrawn, with the size of the council remaining at 53.[5] The final election took place in 2007, with councillors staying in office until the abolition of the council in 2009.

The first council elected had a large majority of independent councillors.[7] Gains by the Conservatives in 1976 meant that the council was under no control, although independents remained the largest group.[8] In 1979 Conservatives gained a majority, which they held for sixteen years.[9] In 1995 there was a large swing against the unpopular government of John Major, and the Labour Party gained 17 seats to achieve parity with the Conservatives. The council also included Liberal Democrats and Independents.[10] In 1999 the Conservatives regained control, which they held until the council's abolition.[11]

Year Conservative Labour Liberal/
Liberal Democrat		 Independent Green Party Control
1973[7] 17 13 8 7 0 Independent
1976[8] 19 3 1 26 0 No overall control
1979[9] † 36 10 6 3 0 Conservative gain from NOC
1983[12] 26 7 0 20 0 Conservative hold
1987[13] 42 2 3 6 0 Conservative hold
1991[14] 40 3 3 7 0 Conservative hold
1995[10] 21 21 5 6 0 No overall control
1999[11] 34 7 6 6 0 Conservative gain from NOC
2003 †[15] 38 1 9 5 0 Conservative hold
2007[16] 38 0 11 3 1 Conservative hold

† New ward boundaries

Abolition

In 2006 the Department for Communities and Local Government considered reorganising Bedfordshire's administrative structure as part of the 2009 structural changes to local government in England. On 6 March 2008 it was announced that Mid Bedfordshire would merge with the neighbouring district of South Bedfordshire to form a new unitary authority called Central Bedfordshire. The new council was formed on 1 April 2009 although its initial members were not elected until 4 June 2009.[17]

References
  1. Local government in England and Wales: A Guide to the New System. London: HMSO. 1974. p. 30. ISBN 0117508470.
  2. OPCS Key Population and Statistics 1992
  3. Priory House, Chicksands, Bedfordshire Archives, retrieved 6 August 2021
  4. "Moving story". The Comet. Archant. 20 July 2006. Retrieved 2 April 2022. The building opens to the public on Monday, August 7.
  5. "The District of Mid Bedfordshire (Electoral Changes) Order 2001". Office of Public Sector Information. 2001. Retrieved 17 March 2009.
  6. "District level Authority Results.xlsx", www.electionscentre.co.uk, The Elections Centre, Plymouth University, retrieved 15 May 2017
  7. "Final poll result may lie with Independents". The Times. 8 June 1973.
  8. "Heavy Labour losses in district polls". The Times. 8 May 1976.
  9. Whitaker's Almanack 1980. London: Joseph Whitaker. 1980. ISBN 085021114X.
  10. "Complete list of results from Thursday's council elections". The Times. 6 May 1995. p. 10.
  11. "How Britain voted: Council Election Results". The Independent. 8 May 1999. p. 12.
  12. "How votes were cast in local government elections". The Times. 7 May 1983. p. 4.
  13. "Results in Thursday's local elections". The Times. 9 May 1987.
  14. "Complete round-up of results from Thursday's local council elections". The Times. 4 May 1991.
  15. "English councils: Non-metropolitan districts". The Times. 3 May 2003. p. 47.
  16. "Results: Election 2007". The Times. 5 May 2007. p. 83.
  17. "Unitary solution confirmed for Bedfordshire – New flagship unitary councils approved for Cheshire", www.communities.gov.uk, Department for Communities and Local Government, 22 November 2008, archived from the original on 22 November 2008

52°08′09″N 0°28′05″W

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