Hinckley and Bosworth

Borough of Hinckley and Bosworth
Borough
Shown within Leicestershire Shown within Leicestershire
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Constituent country	England
Region	East Midlands
Administrative county	Leicestershire
Admin. HQ	Hinckley
Government
• Type	Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council
• Leadership:	Leader & Executive. The current Leader is Cllr Stuart Bray (Liberal Democrats)
• Executive:	Liberal Democrat
• MPs:	Stephen Dorrell, David Tredinnick
• Mayor	Sandra Francks
Area
• Total	114.8 sq mi (297.3 km2)
Area rank	139th
Population (mid-2014 est.)
• Total	107,722
• Rank	Ranked 219th
• Density	940/sq mi (360/km2)
Time zone	Greenwich Mean Time (UTC+0)
• Summer (DST)	British Summer Time (UTC+1)
ONS code	31UE (ONS) E07000132 (GSS)
Ethnicity	97.9% White 1.1% S.Asian
Website	hinckley-bosworth.gov.uk

Hinckley and Bosworth is a local government district with borough status in south-western Leicestershire, England, administered by Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council. Its only towns are Hinckley, Earl Shilton and Market Bosworth. Villages include Barwell, Burbage, Stoke Golding, Groby, Shackerstone and Twycross.

As of the 2015 local election, the council is controlled by the Conservative Party.

The district is broadly coterminous to the Bosworth parliamentary constituency, which is represented in Parliament by David Tredinnick (Conservative).

The Borough was formed in 1974 by the merger of the Hinckley Urban District and the Market Bosworth Rural District less Ibstock. It was originally to be known as Bosworth, but the council changed its name on 20 November 1973, before it came into its powers. It was granted borough status in 1974.

Geography

There are a number of geographical features which shape the landscape of Hinckley & Bosworth.

Two large neighbouring urban areas lie to the south of the borough: Hinckley and Burbage and Barwell and Earl Shilton. A narrow green wedge separates the two conurbations, which is increasingly being occupied by leisure facilities such as the Marston's Stadium and a new leisure centre. To the east of the wedge lies Burbage Common and Woods, a large popular green recreational area.

The west of the borough is largely flat in nature, dominated by the River Sence flood plain. This area of the borough is largely rural, consisting of a number of very small villages and hamlets.

At the northern and eastern edges of the borough lie several settlements (including Bagworth, Desford, Groby, Markfield, Ratby and Thornton) which largely relate to Leicester; in particular the most northern villages have little to do with the main administrative centre of Hinckley. The northern area of the borough also forms part of Charnwood Forest, an area which it is hoped can be enhanced to provide an attractive natural resource.

Places of interest

The framework knitters cottages, Hinckley

• The Geographical Centre of England is in the northwest of the borough at Lindley Hall Farm, near Fenny Drayton
• Burbage Common and Woods is one of the largest recreation areas in the borough consisting of 80 hectares of fields, meadows and woodland
• Hinckley Museum is in a range of 17th century timber-framed framework knitters' cottages.
• The Ashby Canal, the longest contour canal in England, passes through the borough from Hinckley in the south of the borough through Stoke Golding, Dadlington, Market Bosworth and Shackerstone before heading north to its current terminus at Snarestone.
• There is a large mill in Sheepy Magna to the west of the borough located on the River Sence
• Stoke Golding has one of the most beautiful medieval churches in Leicestershire, with an exquisitely carved arcade and very fine 13th century window tracery.
• The site of the Battle of Bosworth, administered by Leicestershire County Council, includes an interpretation centre at Ambion Hill, where Richard III encamped the night before the battle. St. James's Church at Dadlington is the place where many of the dead were buried and where a chantry was founded on their behalf.
• The Battlefield Line is a preserved railway which runs over part of the alignment of the former railway from Nuneaton to Ashby-de-la-Zouch. It is home to the Shackerstone Diesel Group.
• Twycross Zoo is notable for having the largest collection of primates in the world.
• Thornton Reservoir is a former 75-acre (300,000 m²) drinking water reservoir that is no longer in use.
• A large collection of tropical birds is on display at Tropical Birdland near to Desford.

Railways

Three railways remain in existence across the borough, including two owned by Network Rail the third being the preserved Battlefield Line.

The only railway station on the National Rail network is Hinckley railway station on the South Leicestershire Line opened by the LNWR between 1862 and 1864. Currently there are direct services to Birmingham New Street and Leicester only with additional services to/from Cambridge and Stansted Airport in the peak.

An earlier railway which remains is the former Leicester and Swannington Railway which opened in 1832 and only carries goods and special passenger services only.

Parishes

• Bagworth and Thornton, Barlestone, Barwell (Re-created in 2007), Burbage
• Cadeby, Carlton
• Desford
• Earl Shilton (a town council)
• Groby
• Higham on the Hill
• Market Bosworth, Markfield
• Nailstone, Newbold Verdon
• Osbaston
• Peckleton
• Ratby
• Shackerstone, Sheepy, Stanton-under-Bardon, Stoke Golding, Sutton Cheney
• Twycross
• Witherley

Energy report

In May 2006, a report commissioned by British Gas showed that housing in Hinckley and Bosworth produced the 10th highest average carbon emissions in the country at 7,209 kg of carbon dioxide per dwelling.

See also: Energy efficiency in British housing

External links

• Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council's Website
• The Burbage carnival supports local charities every year