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Chiltern District

Coordinates: 51°39′38″N 0°38′27″W / 51.6606°N 0.6409°W / 51.6606; -0.6409
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Chiltern District
Non-metropolitan district
King George V House, Amersham: Council headquarters, 1986-2020
King George V House, Amersham: Council headquarters, 1986-2020
Chiltern shown within Buckinghamshire
Chiltern shown within Buckinghamshire
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Constituent countryEngland
RegionSouth East England
Non-metropolitan countyBuckinghamshire
StatusNon-metropolitan district
Admin HQAmersham
Incorporated1 April 1974
Abolished31 March 2020
Government
 • TypeNon-metropolitan district council
 • BodyChiltern District Council
 • LeadershipLeader & Cabinet
Area
 • Total
75.81 sq mi (196.35 km2)
Population
 (2018)
 • Total
95,927
 • Density1,300/sq mi (490/km2)
 • Ethnicity
91.4% White
5.5% Asian
0.6% Black
2.2% Mixed Race
0.3% Other
(2,011 Census)[1]
Time zoneUTC0 (GMT)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+1 (BST)
ONS code11UC (ONS)
E07000005 (GSS)
OS grid referenceSU965985

Chiltern District was a local government district of Buckinghamshire in south-central England from 1974 to 2020. It was named after the Chiltern Hills on which the region sits.

The two towns in the district were Amersham, where the council was based, and Chesham. The district also included the villages of Chalfont St Peter, Chalfont St Giles, Little Chalfont, Great Missenden and Prestwood.

History

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See also: Chiltern District Council elections

The district was formed on 1 April 1974 by the merger of Chesham Urban District and surrounding Amersham Rural District, under the Local Government Act 1972. In 1988 it was the first Council to take up stock transfer.[2] 4,650 homes were transferred.[3]

The district was abolished on 31 March 2020 and its area is now part of the unitary Buckinghamshire Council.

Parishes

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The parishes that made up Chiltern District were:

See also the list of civil parishes in Buckinghamshire

Premises

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Chiltern District Council was initially based at the former Amersham Rural District Council offices at Elmodesham House, 42 High Street, Amersham, with the former Chesham Urban District Council's offices at 80–82 The Broadway, High Street, Chesham serving as additional office space. In 1986 the council consolidated its offices into a purpose-built headquarters on King George V Road in Amersham, remaining there until its abolition in 2020.[4]

Transport

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There were no motorways in Chiltern District, except for a very short section of the M25 in the south-eastern corner near Chalfont St Peter. The major roads through the district were the A413, running north-west towards Aylesbury, and the A404, running west towards High Wycombe; both roads meet in Amersham.

Railway services were provided by Chiltern Railways and London Underground's Metropolitan line. The Great Central Main Line carried traffic between London and Manchester until 1966; the section to Aylesbury is all that remains, and is now part of the London to Aylesbury Line. The railway stations in the district were Great Missenden, Amersham, Chalfont and Latimer and Chesham, the furthest tube station from London.

Law and order

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Chiltern District fell within the Thames Valley Police area, with police stations in Amersham and Chesham.

Neighbourhood policing priorities were set on a quarterly cycle, at a public meeting. This was done in conjunction with Chiltern District Council's Community Safety Team and Chiltern Community Forum, and in line with the obligation to consult laid down by the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011. In advance of the meeting, residents were invited to make their views and priorities known through a very short survey. Results from the survey were aggregated and presented at the meeting, and votes taken on the coming quarter's priorities.

The Magistrates' Court in Amersham was closed with its jurisdiction reassigned but reopened as a Crown Court dealing with either-way and more serious alleged offences.

Home ownership and quality of rural life

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The district had the highest proportion of home ownership of the 18 local authorities in Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire: combining the social (housing association and local authority provided) and private rented sectors, Stevenage's returns recorded in 2011 that its rented sector comprised 33.2% of its housing, whereas 10.0% of Chiltern's residents rented their homes.

In May 2008, the district was assessed by Halifax as having the best rural quality of life anywhere in Britain.[5]

Form of home ownership in Beds, Bucks and Herts compared[6]
Local Authority Owned Owned with a loan Socially rented Privately rented Other
Chiltern 41.1 35.8 1.8 8.2 1
South Bucks 38.1 35.3 12.3 10 1.4
St Albans 34.6 38.2 8.5 12.6 1.1
Three Rivers 34.1 38.6 4.8 9.3 1
Broxbourne 32.6 40.4 2.9 10.4 0.8
Wycombe 32.3 37.4 8.5 13.1 1.4
East Hertfordshire 32.1 39.7 2 12.2 1.4
Central Bedfordshire 31.6 40.9 5.2 10.5 1.1
Bedford 31.4 34.3 1.8 14.6 1.3
Hertsmere 31.4 36.2 1.9 11.3 1.2
Aylesbury Vale 31.1 40.5 3.4 11.7 1.3
North Hertfordshire 30.3 35.3 7.1 12.1 1.1
Dacorum 29.1 35.7 17.4 10.9 0.9
Welwyn Hatfield 26.5 30.8 19.9 12.7 1.3
Luton 25.1 35.1 10.7 21.3 1
Watford 24.4 37.2 4 18.9 0.8
Stevenage 22.2 36.1 22.8 10.4 0.7
Milton Keynes 21.5 36.3 11 16.2 0.9

Energy consumption

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In May 2006, a report commissioned by British Gas[7] showed that housing in Chiltern produced the 4th highest average carbon emissions in the country at 7,421 kg of carbon dioxide per dwelling.

Coat of arms

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Coat of arms of Chiltern District Council
Notes
Granted 10 June 1975 [8]
Crest
On a Wreath Or and Gules out of a Circlet per pale Gules and Sable charged with six Plates three being manifest a Mount Vert thereon a Wyvern wings expanded Gules and gorged with a Ducal Coronet Or.
Escutcheon
Or on a Mount in base with Chalk Outcrops two Beech Trees in fess their interior leaves merging proper a Chief chequy Argent and Sable.
Motto
Freely We Serve
Badge
On a Bezant environed of a Torse Or and Gules a Mount thereon two Beech Trees as in the arms.

References

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  1. ^ 2011 Census: KS201EW Ethnic group, local authorities in England and Wales, Accessed 28 February 2013
  2. ^ "Transfers - Large Scale Voluntary Transfers (LSVT)". The Hidden History of Tenants. Leeds Tenants Federation. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 17 September 2015.
  3. ^ Hetherington, Peter (10 December 2008). "Voluntary transfer for social housing celebrates 10 years". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 September 2015.
  4. ^ "It's business as usual". Bucks Examiner. Chesham. 25 July 1986. p. 4. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  5. ^ "Rural Areas Quality of Life Survey". Halifax Estate Agents (Press release). HBOS plc. 5 May 2008. Archived from the original on 27 June 2008. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
  6. ^ [1] Archived 11 February 2003 at the Wayback MachineOffice for National Statistics 2011 Census Key Statistics: Tenure. Shared ownership forms the small remainder of each proportion.
  7. ^ British Gas news Archived 2008-06-26 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ "CHILTERN DISTRICT COUNCIL (BUCKINGHAMSHIRE)". Robert Young. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
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