Mid Bedfordshire District

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:

• Ampthill Urban District
• Biggleswade Urban District
• Sandy Urban District
• Ampthill Rural District
• Biggleswade Rural District 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 £15million.

Civil parishes

The district comprised the following civil parishes:

• Ampthill
• Aspley Heath
• Arlesey
• Astwick
• Aspley Guise
• Battlesden
• Biggleswade (Town)
• Blunham
• Brogborough
• Campton and Chicksands
• Clifton
• Clophill
• Cranfield
• Dunton
• Edworth
• Eversholt
• Everton
• Eyeworth
• Flitton and Greenfield
• Flitwick
• Gravenhurst
• Harlington
• Haynes
• Henlow
• Henlow Camp
• Houghton Conquest
• Hulcote and Salford
• Husborne Crawley
• Langford
• Lidlington
• Marston Moretaine
• Maulden
• Milton Bryan
• Meppershall
• Moggerhanger
• Millbrook
• Northill
• Old Warden
• Potsgrove
• Potton
• Pulloxhill
• Ridgmont
• Sandy (Town)
• Shefford (Town)
• Shillington
• Silsoe
• Southill
• Stondon
• Stotfold
• Sutton
• Tempsford
• Tingrith
• Westoning
• Woburn
• Wrestlingworth and Cockayne Hatley

Elections and political control

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. 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. 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. Gains by the Conservatives in 1976 meant that the council was under no control, although independents remained the largest group. In 1979 Conservatives gained a majority, which they held for sixteen years. 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. In 1999 the Conservatives regained control, which they held until the council's abolition.

† 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.

References

zh:貝德福德郡

References

1. (1974). "Local government in England and Wales: A Guide to the New System". [[HMSO]].
2. OPCS Key Population and Statistics 1992
3. (21 June 2019). "Priory House, Chicksands". Bedfordshire Archives.
4. (20 July 2006). "Moving story". The Comet.
5. (2001). "The District of Mid Bedfordshire (Electoral Changes) Order 2001". [[Office of Public Sector Information]].
6. "District level Authority Results.xlsx". The Elections Centre, Plymouth University.
7. (8 June 1973). "Final poll result may lie with Independents". [[The Times]].
8. (8 May 1976). "Heavy Labour losses in district polls". [[The Times]].
9. (1980). "Whitaker's Almanack 1980". Joseph Whitaker.
10. (6 May 1995). "Complete list of results from Thursday's council elections". [[The Times]].
11. (8 May 1999). "How Britain voted: Council Election Results". [[The Independent]].
12. (7 May 1983). "How votes were cast in local government elections". [[The Times]].
13. (9 May 1987). "Results in Thursday's local elections". [[The Times]].
14. (4 May 1991). "Complete round-up of results from Thursday's local council elections". [[The Times]].
15. (3 May 2003). "English councils: Non-metropolitan districts". [[The Times]].
16. (5 May 2007). "Results: Election 2007.". [[The Times]].
17. (22 November 2008). "Unitary solution confirmed for Bedfordshire – New flagship unitary councils approved for Cheshire". [[Department for Communities and Local Government]].