The Borough of Charnwood is a local government district with borough status in the north of Leicestershire, England, which has a population of 166,100 as of the 2011 census.[1] It borders Melton to the east, Harborough to the south east, Leicester and Blaby to the south, Hinckley and Bosworth to the south west, North West Leicestershire to the west and Rushcliffe in Nottinghamshire to the north. It is named after Charnwood Forest, an area which the borough contains much of.
Borough of Charnwood | |
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Borough | |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Constituent country | England |
Region | East Midlands |
Administrative county | Leicestershire |
Admin. HQ | Loughborough |
Government | |
• Type | Charnwood Borough Council |
• Leadership: | Leader & Cabinet |
• Executive: | Conservative |
• MPs: | Edward Argar, Jane Hunt |
Area | |
• Total | 107.7 sq mi (279.0 km2) |
• Rank | 141st |
Population (mid-2019 est.) | |
• Total | 185,851 |
• Rank | Ranked 101st |
• Density | 1,700/sq mi (670/km2) |
Time zone | UTC+0 (Greenwich Mean Time) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (British Summer Time) |
ONS code | 31UC (ONS) E07000130 (GSS) |
Ethnicity | 91.7% White |
Website | www.charnwood.gov.uk |
The administrative centre of the borough is located in Loughborough, which is also the district's largest town and its main commercial centre. The town is also the location of Loughborough University. Other notable settlements include Shepshed, Syston, Birstall and Thurmaston.
The district of Charnwood was formed on 1 April 1974 as a merger of the municipal borough of Loughborough, the Shepshed urban district and the Barrow upon Soar Rural District. It was then granted borough status on 15 May 1974.[2]
The symbol of Charnwood Borough Council is the fox, historically linked with Leicestershire, and this is also the symbol used by Leicestershire County Council. Charnwood also contains Quorn, which is believed[by whom?] to be the birthplace of fox-hunting.
To the south it borders the City of Leicester, about 20 km away from Loughborough. There is a moderately urbanised A6 corridor between the two population centres and close to the River Soar, including Quorn, Barrow-on-Soar, Mountsorrel, Birstall, Sileby, Thurmaston, Syston, Queniborough and East Goscote.
To the south of the borough Birstall, Queniborough, Thurmaston and Syston, form part of the Leicester Urban Area, while Quorn and Shepshed (the second largest town in the district), amongst others, might be considered to be part of a Loughborough urban agglomeration.
The highest point is Beacon Hill (248m/814 ft) to the north of the Charnwood Forest 'area of natural beauty' extending WN-west into the National Forest
There are two Parliamentary constituencies covering the district. Charnwood is represented by the Conservative Edward Argar MP. Loughborough is represented by the Conservative Party's Jane Hunt.
Charnwood is the largest borough by population in Leicestershire,[3] and has the largest school population as well.
Population growth in Charnwood | ||||||||||||
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Year | 1951 | 1961 | 1971 | 1981 | 1991 | 2001 | 2011 | 2016 | 2021 | 2031 | ||
Population | 89,980 | 103,282 | 127,046 | 132,170 | 141,759 | 153,428 | 166,100 | 179,400 | 188,250 | 207,000 | ||
Census [4] | ONS[5] | ONS Projections [6] |
The following People, Military Units and Organisations and Groups have received the Freedom of the Borough of Charnwood.
This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (September 2021) |
Towns and villages of the Borough of Charnwood | ||
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Towns | ||
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Districts of the East Midlands region of England | ||
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