| Salisbury District | |
| Hq: | Salisbury |
| Government: | Salisbury District Council |
| Origin: | Municipal Borough of New Sarum (or Salisbury) and Municipal Borough of Wilton, Amesbury Rural District, Mere and Tisbury Rural District, Salisbury and Wilton Rural District. |
| Status: | Non-metropolitan district |
| Start: | 1974 |
| End: | 2009 |
| Codename: | ONS code |
| Code: | 46UD |
| Replace: | Wiltshire Council |
| Map: | Salisbury District shown within non-metropolitan Wiltshire |
| Populationlast: | 115,000 |
| Populationlastyear: | 2001 |
| Arealast: | 387 sq. miles (1,004.13 km²) |
| Arealastyear: | 2001 |
Salisbury was a local government district in Wiltshire, England from 1974 to 2009. Its main urban area was the city of Salisbury.
The district was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972 and the English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972, as a merger of the previous municipal boroughs of Salisbury and Wilton, along with Amesbury Rural District, Mere and Tisbury Rural District and Salisbury and Wilton Rural District.[1] [2]
On 1 April 2009, the district was abolished as part of the structural changes to local government in England, when its functions were taken over by the new Wiltshire Council unitary authority.[3] At the same time, a parish council for Salisbury and its suburbs was formed, called Salisbury City Council.
| Salisbury District Council | |
| House Type: | Non-metropolitan district |
| Foundation: | 1 April 1974 |
| Disbanded: | 1 April 2009 |
| Succeeded By: | Wiltshire Council |
| Seats: | 58 councillors (from 1973) 55 councillors (from 2003) |
| Term Length: | 4 years |
| Voting System1: | First past the post |
| First Election1: | 7 June 1973 |
| Last Election1: | 3 May 2007 |
| Session Res: | 250 |
| Meeting Place: | City Hall, Salisbury |
The political control of the council was as follows:[4]
The political composition of the authority when it came to an end on 1 April 2009 was 22 Conservatives, 19 Liberal Democrats, ten Labour members, and four Independents.
See main article: Salisbury District Council elections. All members of the council were elected at an "all out" election held once every four years, on the first Thursday in May.
| Election | CON | LD | LAB | OTH | Control | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 15 | 8 | 13 | 20 | No overall control | |||
| 1976 | 21 | 7 | 9 | 21 | No overall control | |||
| 1979 | 23 | 8 | 7 | 20 | No overall control | |||
| 1983 | 25 | 10 | 4 | 19 | No overall control | |||
| 1987 | 32 | 9 | 3 | 14 | Conservative | |||
| 1991 | 30 | 9 | 5 | 14 | Conservative | |||
| 1995 | 8 | 31 | 11 | 8 | Liberal Democrat | |||
| 1999 | 27 | 16 | 11 | 4 | No overall control | [5] | ||
| 2003 | 31 | 9 | 11 | 4 | Conservative | [6] | ||
| 2007 | 22 | 19 | 10 | 4 | No overall control | [7] | ||
In 1975 a statutory instrument established the wards to be used by Salisbury District Council.[8] These boundaries would be in use from the 1976 council elections (with some minor alternations) until 2003, when new ward boundaries came into effect.
| Ward | Seats | |
|---|---|---|
| Alderbury | 1 | |
| Amesbury | 3 | |
| Bemerton | 3 | |
| Bishopdown | 1 | |
| Bulford | 2 | |
| Chalke Valley | 1 | |
| Downhead | 1 | |
| Downton | 2 | |
| Durrington | 3 | |
| Ebble | 1 | |
| Fisherton and Bemerton Village | 2 | |
| Fonthill | 1 | |
| Fovant | 1 | |
| Harnham | 3 | |
| Idmiston | 1 | |
| Knoyle | 1 | |
| Laverstock | 2 | |
| Mere | 1 | |
| Milford | 2 | |
| Nadder | 1 | |
| Redlynch | 2 | |
| St. Edmund | 2 | |
| St. Mark | 3 | |
| St. Martin | 2 | |
| St. Paul | 3 | |
| Stratford | 1 | |
| Till Valley | 1 | |
| Tisbury | 1 | |
| Upper Bourne | 1 | |
| Western | 1 | |
| Whiteparish | 1 | |
| Wilton | 2 | |
| Winterbourne | 1 | |
| Winterslow | 1 | |
| Woodford Valley | 1 | |
| Wylye | 2 | |
| Total | 58 |
In 1998, the Local Government Commission for England began a review of ward boundaries in Salisbury district. After an initial draft proposal and a period of consultation it recommended a reduction in councillors from 58 to 55, and a redrawing of ward boundaries reducing the number to 28. Final recommendations for Salisbury were made in 1999, and were implemented under the District of Salisbury (Electoral Changes) Order 1999.[9] The new boundaries were first used in the 2003 local elections and remained in use until 2009, when the council was dissolved.
| Ward | Seats | |
|---|---|---|
| Alderbury and Whiteparish | 3 | |
| Amesbury East | 3 | |
| Amesbury West | 1 | |
| Bemerton | 3 | |
| Bishopdown | 2 | |
| Bulford | 2 | |
| Chalke Valley | 1 | |
| Donhead | 1 | |
| Downton and Redlynch | 3 | |
| Durrington | 3 | |
| Ebble | 1 | |
| Fisherton and Bemerton Village | 2 | |
| Fonthill and Nadder | 1 | |
| Harnham East | 2 | |
| Harnham West | 2 | |
| Knoyle | 1 | |
| Laverstock | 2 | |
| Lower Wylye and Woodford Valley | 1 | |
| St. Edmund and Milford | 2 | |
| St. Mark and Stratford | 3 | |
| St. Martin and Milford | 2 | |
| St. Paul | 2 | |
| Till Valley and Wylye | 2 | |
| Tisbury and Fovant | 2 | |
| Upper Bourne, Idmiston and Winterbourne | 2 | |
| Western and Mere | 2 | |
| Wilton | 2 | |
| Winterslow | 2 | |
| Total | 55 |