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South Gloucestershire

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South Gloucestershire
Unitary authority
Shown within Gloucestershire
Shown within Gloucestershire
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Constituent countryEngland
RegionSouth West England
Admin HQYate
Government
 • TypeUnitary Authority
 • BodySouth Gloucestershire Council
 • Leadership(No overall control)
 • MPsJack Lopresti (C)
Chris Skidmore (C)
Luke Hall (C)
Area
 • Total
191.87 sq mi (496.94 km2)
 • Rank78th (of 296)
Population
 (2022)
 • Total
294,765
 • Rank51st (of 296)
 • Density1,500/sq mi (590/km2)
Time zoneUTC0 (GMT)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+1 (BST)
ONS code00HD (ONS) E06000025 (GSS)
OS grid referenceST735757
Websitewww.southglos.gov.uk

South Gloucestershire is a Unitary authority in South West England. It is a created region of the UK, after the County of Avon was split up and abolished. It took on its title for historic reasons, but it is a single tier 'county' (Thus a Unitary Authority), it has no connection to the separate local government area of the County of Gloucestershire, rather it works closely with the other Unitary Authorities who took over when the County of Avon was abolished.

History

The Unitary Authority was created in 1996, when the county of Avon was abolished. The area represents the merger of the former districts that were part of Avon, of Kingswood and Northavon. The area borders the City and County of Bristol (a UA) and Bath and North East Somerset Unitary Authority, plus the shire county of Gloucestershire.

The Geographic area currently known as South Gloucestershire, should not be confused with Southern Gloucestershire. Nor should organisations or bodies in the past titled 'South Gloucestershire', (meaning Southern Gloucestershire), be confused with the area covered by the Unitary Authority.

Demographic

In the 2001 census, the population of South Gloucestershire was 245,641.[1] In the 2011 census this had increased to 262,767

According to these estimates, 97.6 percent of the population were described as white, 0.8 percent as dual heritage, 0.7 percent as Asian or Asian British, 0.4 percent as Black or Black British and 0.5 percent as Chinese or other.[1]

Much of the population are in towns which form the 'suburbs' to the north and east of Bristol. There are also the large Towns of Yate and Thornbury along with Chipping Sodbury plus the population centres of Winterbourne, and Frampton Cotterell areas.

All of the towns and areas of South Gloucestershire are within easy commuting access for: Bristol (A38 & M32 Roads), Bath to the east, as well as to South Wales and Cardiff via the two Severn bridges. Plus easy access to London, (M5 & M4 Motorway links), also to Gloucester Northward. This sets the existing network of distribution centres and regional shopping centres in prime location. Currently South Gloucestershire is working with the City and County of Bristol developing a large MetroBus system.

Economy

The main employers are the Local Authority with 9,500 people and the Ministry of Defence Headquarters for Defence, Procurement and Naval Support Command with 7,000 employees. Other key employers include Airbus which dominates the Filton-Patchway area of South Gloucestershire, AXA, Hewlett Packard, Rolls Royce and the Royal Mail.[2]

A notable business park is Aztec West, which is adjacent to the M5/A38 and M4/M5 interchanges.

The Mall, Cribbs Causeway shopping centre is within South Gloucestershire.

Many of these employers operate in the heavily developed area between the northern edge of Bristol and the M4 and M5 motorways, sometimes called the North Fringe of Bristol.

Education

See also: List of schools in South Gloucestershire

South Gloucestershire is home to 99 primary schools and 16 secondary schools, and post-16 centres.[3] There is one university which was a former polytechnic, The University of the West of England. In 2008, DCSF figures revealed that 6.6% overall absence in the district's secondary schools, whilst 7.4% is the national average.[4]

Key Stage 4 results (2008)[5] 5 or more grades A*-C including English and maths GCSEs % Level 2 in functional English and maths Level 1 in functional English and maths Level 2 (5 or more grades A*-C) Level 1 (5 or more grades A*-G) 2 grades A*-C which cover the Key Stage 4 science programme of study A*C in a modern foreign language A*G in a modern foreign language At least one qualification
Local Authority average 48.1% 56.9% 92.8% 63.6% 93.0% 50.3% 30.6% 49.7% 98.0%
England average 48.1% 52.0% 90.2% 65.3% 91.6% 50.3% 30.7% 44.8% 98.6%

In 2005, the then Chancellor of the Exchequer recognised the City of Bristol's ties to science and technology by naming it one of six "science cities", and promising funding for further development of science in the city,[6] with a £300 million science park planned at Emerson's Green, which is situated in South Gloucestershire.[7]

Geography

The River Severn forms the north-western edge of the area, with a wide coastal plain terminated by an escarpment. East of this is the wide River Frome Valley drainage area. Further east is another escarpment running roughly north-south, passing between Yate and Chipping Sodbury and west of Pucklechurch. The Cotswolds Escarpment forms the eastern edge of South Gloucestershire.

A small part of the Cotswolds and the National Trust site of Dyrham Park are also in the district. South of the motorways are suburbs of Bristol while areas north are rural areas. Some of the inner green belt has been taken away by developments like the new town of Bradley Stoke.

Transport

Map of South Gloucestershire; the blue lines are motorways.

South Gloucestershire is a major transport hub where the M4 and M5 motorways meet. Other major routes include the A38, the Avon Ring Road and part of the M32, M48 and M49 motorways.

The area also has major connections to the railway network, with routes from London through the Severn Tunnel to South Wales, and from the South-West to Birmingham and beyond, crossing at Bristol Parkway railway station. It is home to the eastern ends of the two Severn Bridges, which are the main routes by road to and from South Wales.

Mode of transport[1] South Glos % National %
Car driver 65.4 55.2
On foot 7.3 10.0
Bus or coach 6.5 7.4
Car passenger 6.3 6.3
Bicycle 3.0 2.8
Motorcycle 1.8 1.1
Train 0.6 4.1
Taxi 0.2 0.5
Other 0.3 0.5
Work from home 8.5 9.2

Major towns in South Gloucestershire, and their population

Other towns and villages

Places of interest

Democracy

See also: South Gloucestershire Council elections

Whilst the Liberal Democrats held an overall majority on the council 1999-2003, it has been no overall control for the rest of its existence. In 2012, it became one of the first authorities in the UK to return to a Committee System, abolishing the single party Cabinet, as allowed under the Localism Act[8]

Under the Boundary Commission proposals, which took effect at the 2010 general election, the authority has been divided between three new constituencies, all lying within the authority boundary. These are:

County/Borough is a legal term denoting the type of constituency. County is a rural area, Borough is an urban area.

References

  1. ^ a b c "South Gloucestershire Census Profile". South Gloucestershire Council. 12 January 2003. Retrieved 14 March 2009.
  2. ^ "Major Employers in South Gloucestershire" (PDF). South Gloucestershire Council. 1 June 2006. Retrieved 14 March 2009.
  3. ^ "UK Schools & Colleges Database". Schools Web Directory. 20 April 2009.
  4. ^ "Local Authority : South Gloucestershire". DCSF. Retrieved 14 March 2009.
  5. ^ "Local Authority: South Gloucestershire". DCSF. Retrieved 14 March 2009.
  6. ^ "Vice-Chancellor's speeches and articles". University of Bristol. 11 November 2005. Retrieved 6 May 2007.
  7. ^ "City science park partner named". BBC News. 20 April 2006. Retrieved 6 May 2007.
  8. ^ South Glos Council. "South Gloucestershire adopts committee system".
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