St Edmundsbury was a local government district and borough in Suffolk, England. It was named after its main town, Bury St Edmunds. The second town in the district was Haverhill. The population of the district was 111,008 at the 2011 Census.[1]
The district was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972 (along with the abolition of the county of West Suffolk) by the merger of the Borough of Bury St Edmunds, Haverhill Urban District, Clare Rural District and Thingoe Rural District.
Until March 2009, its main offices were in Bury St Edmunds (Angel Hill and Western Way). Thereafter, a purpose-built complex named West Suffolk House housed both St Edmundsbury and Suffolk County Council staff.[2]
In 2008, the Council submitted a proposal to the Boundary Commission which would see it as central to a new West Suffolk unitary council.[3] [4] However, the proposal was rejected and no unitary scheme for Suffolk was adopted. (For more details see also Suffolk.)
In October 2011, St Edmundsbury Borough Council and Forest Heath District Council agreed to have one chief executive, a shared management team and a combined workforce.[5]
St Edmundsbury and Forest Heath were merged on 1 April 2019 to form the new West Suffolk district.[6]
The following people and military units have received the Freedom of the Borough of St Edmundsbury.
| Escutcheon: | Azure a representation of the sword in its scabbard of the St Edmundsbury Borough Council Proper between in fess two pairs of arrows each in saltire points downwards Argent enfiling an ancient crown Or. |
| Crest: | On a wreath of the colours upon a grassy mount a wolf sejant Proper resting the dexter paw upon a king's head couped at the neck also crowned Or. |
| Mantling: | Gules doubled Argent. |
| Supporters: | Dexter a lion chevronny Or and Gules charged on the shoulder with a roundel Gules fretty Or sinister an ounce Sable bezanty gorged with a collar compony counter compony Argent and Azure and charged on the shoulder with a roundel Or fretty Sable. |
| Motto: | Sacrarium Regis Cunabula Legis (Shrine of the King Cradle of the Law)[9] |