Borough of Swindon | |
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Unitary authority, Borough | |
Shown within Wiltshire |
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Coordinates: 51°33′47″N 1°45′47″W / 51.563°N 1.763°WCoordinates: 51°33′47″N 1°45′47″W / 51.563°N 1.763°W | |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Constituent country | England |
Region | South West England |
Ceremonial county | Wiltshire |
Status | Unitary authority |
Admin HQ | Swindon |
Government | |
• Type | Unitary authority |
• Body | Swindon Borough Council |
• Leadership | Leader & Cabinet (Conservative) |
• MPs |
Robert Buckland (C) Justin Tomlinson (C) |
Area | |
• Total | 88.84 sq mi (230.10 km2) |
Area rank | 158th (of 326) |
Population (mid-2015 est.) | |
• Total | 217,200 |
• Rank | 75th (of 326) |
• Density | 2,400/sq mi (940/km2) |
• Ethnicity | 85.7% White British 5.4% Other White 4.9% Asian 1.7% Black British 1.8% Mixed Race 0.6% Other |
Time zone | GMT (UTC0) |
• Summer (DST) | BST (UTC+1) |
ONS code | 00HX (ONS) E06000030 (GSS) |
OS grid reference | SU164849 |
Website | www |
The Borough of Swindon is a local government authority in South West England. It is centred on the town of Swindon and forms part of the ceremonial county of Wiltshire. It was formed in 1974 as the Thamesdown district of Wiltshire, from former areas of the municipal borough of Swindon (created 1900) and Highworth Rural District (created 1894).
On 1 April 1997 it was made administratively independent of Wiltshire County Council (with its council becoming a unitary authority). It adopted the name Swindon on 24 April 1997. The former Thamesdown name and logo are used by the main local bus operator, Thamesdown Transport Limited.
The borough of Swindon occupies an area forming the north east corner of Wiltshire and is bordered by two other counties, Gloucestershire (to the north) and Oxfordshire (to the east). Also, West Berkshire is only a short distance from the borough’s south eastern tip. The generally hilly landscape is sculpted by the upper Thames guiding the northern border, small tributaries draining into the Thames, and the Marlborough Downs (/ˈmɔːlbrə/) rising toward the south.
The borough encompasses the Swindon urban area and surrounding countryside to the north, east and south, including the town of Highworth. It comprises the former Swindon Municipal Borough and 16 civil parishes: