Non-metropolitan district and borough in England
The
Borough of Great Yarmouth
is a
local government district
with
borough status
in
Norfolk
, England. It is named after its main town,
Great Yarmouth
, and also contains the town of
Gorleston-on-Sea
[2]
[3]
and a number of villages and rural areas, including part of
The Broads
. Other notable settlements include
Caister-on-Sea
,
Hemsby
,
Hopton-on-Sea
and
Winterton-on-Sea
.
The borough is on the east coast of Norfolk, facing the
North Sea
. It borders
North Norfolk
to the north,
Broadland
to the west,
South Norfolk
to the south-west, and
East Suffolk
to the south.
History
[
edit
]
The town of Great Yarmouth was an
ancient borough
, having been granted a charter in 1208. The borough was enlarged in 1668 to take in the Southtown area (also known as Little Yarmouth) on the south side of the
River Yare
in the parish of Gorleston.
[4]
In 1703 the borough was given the right to appoint a mayor. The borough was reformed to become a
municipal borough
in 1836, when it was also enlarged to include the rest of the parish of Gorleston.
[5]
[6]
When elected county councils were created in 1889, Great Yarmouth was considered large enough to provide its own county-level services and so it became a
county borough
, independent from the new
Norfolk County Council
.
[7]
The modern district was formed on 1 April 1974 under the
Local Government Act 1972
, covering the whole area of the former county borough and parts of another two districts, which were all abolished at the same time:
[8]
The Lothingland parishes had been in
East Suffolk
prior to the 1974 reforms; their inclusion in the Great Yarmouth district was brought about as an amendment to the draft legislation at committee stage proposed by
Anthony Fell
, Member of Parliament for the
Great Yarmouth constituency
.
[9]
The new district was named Great Yarmouth after its main settlement.
[10]
The new district was granted borough status from its creation, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor, continuing Great Yarmouth's series of mayors dating back to 1703.
[11]
Governance
[
edit
]
Great Yarmouth Borough Council provides
district-level
services.
County-level
services are provided by
Norfolk County Council
. Parts of the borough are also covered by
civil parishes
, which form a third tier of local government.
[14]
[15]
In the parts of the district within The Broads,
town planning
is the responsibility of the
Broads Authority
. The borough council appoints one of its councillors to sit on that authority.
[16]
Political control
[
edit
]
The council has been under
no overall control
since the
2023 election
, being run by a
Conservative
minority administration.
[17]
The first election to the borough council as reformed under the Local Government Act 1972 was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new arrangements came into effect on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows:
[18]
[19]
Leadership
[
edit
]
The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Great Yarmouth. Political leadership is instead provided by the
leader of the council
. The leaders since 1999 have been:
[20]
Composition
[
edit
]
Following the 2023 election the composition of the council was:
[23]
The next election is due in 2027.
Elections
[
edit
]
Since the last boundary changes in 2004 the council has comprised 39
councillors
representing 17
wards
, with each ward election one, two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years.
[24]
In the
2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum
, 71.5% of Great Yarmouth voted to leave the European Union, the 5th highest such leave vote in the country.
- UK Youth Parliament
Although the
UK Youth Parliament
is an apolitical organisation, the elections are run in a way similar to that of the Local Elections. The votes come from 11 to 18-year olds and are combined to make the decision of the next, 2-year
Member of Youth Parliament
. The elections are run at different times across the country with Great Yarmouth's typically being in early Spring and bi-annually.
[25]
[26]
[27]
Premises
[
edit
]
The council is based at
Great Yarmouth Town Hall
on Hall Plain, which was completed in 1882 for the old borough council.
[28]
Geography
[
edit
]
The borough comprises the urban area of Great Yarmouth itself, together with 21 surrounding parishes. At the time of the
2001 census
, the borough had an area of
182 km²
, of which
26 km²
was in the urban area and
156 km²
in the surrounding parishes. The borough had a population of 90,810 in 39,380 households, with 47,288 people in 21,007 households living in the urban area, whilst 43,522 people in 18,373 households lived in the surrounding parishes.
[29]
Places
[
edit
]
Besides Great Yarmouth itself, other significant settlements in the borough include:
- Bastwick
,
Belton
,
Bradwell
,
Browston Green
,
Burgh Castle
,
Burgh St Margaret
- Caister-on-Sea
,
California
- East Somerton
- Filby
,
Fleggburgh
,
Fritton
- Gorleston-on-Sea
- Hemsby
,
Hopton-on-Sea
- Martham
,
Mautby
- Runham
- Ormesby St. Margaret
,
Ormesby St. Michael
- Repps
,
Rollesby
- St. Olaves
,
Scratby
,
Stokesby
- Thrigby
- West Somerton
,
Winterton-on-Sea
- Cobholm Island
Parishes
[
edit
]
The main part of Great Yarmouth itself, roughly corresponding to the pre-1974 borough (and so including Gorleston) is an
unparished area
. The remainder of the district comprises the following
civil parishes
:
- Ashby with Oby
- Belton with Browston
†,
Bradwell
†,
Burgh Castle
†
- Caister-on-Sea
- Filby
,
Fleggburgh with Billockby & Clippesby
,
Fritton and St. Olaves
†
- Hemsby
,
Hopton-on-Sea
†
- Martham
,
Mautby
- Ormesby St. Margaret with Scratby
,
Ormesby St. Michael
- Repps with Bastwick
,
Rollesby
- Somerton
,
Stokesby with Herringby
- Thurne
- West Caister
,
Winterton-on-Sea
† formerly part of
Lothingland Rural District
Freedom of the Borough
[
edit
]
The following people, military units and organisations and groups have received the
Freedom of the Borough
of Great Yarmouth.
Individuals
[
edit
]
[30]
[31]
Military Units
[
edit
]
[32]
Organisations and Groups
[
edit
]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Except a small detached part of the district containing the
Shirehall
, which went to
Norwich
.
- ^
a
b
UK Census
(2021).
"2021 Census Area Profile ? Great Yarmouth Local Authority (E07000145)"
.
Nomis
.
Office for National Statistics
. Retrieved
5 January
2024
.
- ^
"8 facts about glorious Gorleston"
.
Great British Life
. 16 October 2019
. Retrieved
7 December
2023
.
- ^
"A-Z of Norfolk nostalgia: A history of Gorleston in pictures"
.
Great Yarmouth Mercury
. 1 June 2017
. Retrieved
7 December
2023
.
- ^
Suckling, Alfred (1846).
The History and Antiquities of the County of Suffolk
. Ipswich: W. S. Crowell. pp. 360?380.
- ^
The Statutes of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
. p. 459
. Retrieved
23 August
2023
.
- ^
The Statutes of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
. 1832. p. 353
. Retrieved
23 August
2023
.
- ^
Local Government Act 1888
- ^
"The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972"
,
legislation.gov.uk
,
The National Archives
, SI 1972/2039
, retrieved
31 May
2023
- ^
"Column 1107"
. Hansard. 6 July 1972
. Retrieved
6 December
2023
.
- ^
"The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Names) Order 1973"
,
legislation.gov.uk
,
The National Archives
, SI 1973/551
, retrieved
31 May
2023
- ^
"District Councils and Boroughs"
.
Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)
. 28 March 1974
. Retrieved
4 December
2021
.
- ^
"Council minutes, 18 May 2023"
.
Great Yarmouth Borough Council
. Retrieved
6 December
2023
.
- ^
Edwards, Anne (13 September 2016).
"Yarmouth council announces new top team - all three from North Norfolk council"
.
Eastern Daily Press
. Retrieved
6 December
2023
.
- ^
"Local Government Act 1972"
,
legislation.gov.uk
,
The National Archives
, 1972 c. 70
, retrieved
31 May
2023
- ^
"Election Maps"
. Ordnance Survey
. Retrieved
21 September
2023
.
- ^
"Who we are"
.
Broads Authority
. Retrieved
6 December
2023
.
- ^
Carroll, Anthony (18 May 2023).
"Carl Smith re-elected as Great Yarmouth Borough Council leader"
.
Great Yarmouth Mercury
. Retrieved
6 December
2023
.
- ^
"Compositions calculator"
.
The Elections Centre
. Retrieved
14 May
2023
.
- ^
"Great Yarmouth"
.
BBC News Online
. 19 April 2008
. Retrieved
19 March
2010
.
- ^
"Council minutes"
.
Great Yarmouth Borough Council
. Retrieved
24 June
2022
.
- ^
Owens, John (17 May 2011).
"Former council leader made mayor of Great Yarmouth"
.
Eastern Daily Press
. Retrieved
24 June
2022
.
- ^
"Labour take overall control of Norwich City Council and win Great Yarmouth Borough Council"
.
Eastern Daily Press
. 4 May 2012
. Retrieved
24 June
2022
.
- ^
"Local elections 2023: live council results for England"
.
The Guardian
.
- ^
"The Borough of Great Yarmouth (Electoral Changes) Order 2002"
,
legislation.gov.uk
,
The National Archives
, SI 2002/3228
, retrieved
6 December
2023
- ^
"Members of Youth Parliament - Norfolk County Council"
.
www.norfolk.gov.uk
.
- ^
"Your Norfolk -"
.
yournorfolk.norfolkpublications.org.uk
.
- ^
Cope, Lauren (30 March 2018).
"Norfolk's four new Members of Youth Parliament are announced"
.
Eastern Daily Press
.
- ^
Historic England
.
"Town Hall (1246969)"
.
National Heritage List for England
. Retrieved
25 December
2020
.
- ^
Office for National Statistics & Norfolk County Council (2001).
Census population and household counts for unparished urban areas and all parishes
. Retrieved 2 December 2005.
- ^
Weeds, James (10 April 2022).
"Three-term mayor to be granted prestigious Honorary Freedom of the Borough"
.
The Great Yarmouth Mercury
. Retrieved
11 April
2022
.
- ^
Carroll, Anthony (15 April 2022).
"Long-serving councillor granted freedom of the borough"
.
The Great Yarmouth Mercury
. Retrieved
16 April
2022
.
- ^
"Honorary Freedom of the Borough granted to local tourism stalwart and Great Yarmouth's twin town"
. 11 December 2019.
- ^
Russell, Sam (28 September 2012).
"Two groups honoured with freedom of Great Yarmouth borough"
.
Eastern Daily Press
.
- ^
"Honorary Freedom of the Borough Ceremony. Pictures by James Bass"
.
Great Yarmouth Mercury
.
- ^
Rogers, Lauren (10 June 2013).
"Plans to give HMS Dauntless the Freedom of the Borough of Great Yarmouth"
.
- ^
Skyring, Sophie (11 April 2024).
"Great Yarmouth's Lions Club earns Freedom of the Borough"
.
The Eastern Daily Press
. Retrieved
12 April
2024
.
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