*** Welcome to piglix ***

West Dorset District Council

West Dorset District
Non-metropolitan district
West Dorset shown within Dorset
West Dorset shown within Dorset
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Constituent country England
Region South West England
Non-metropolitan county Dorset
Status Non-metropolitan district
Admin HQ Dorchester
Incorporated 1 April 1974
Government
 • Type Non-metropolitan district council
 • Body West Dorset District Council
 • Leadership Leader & Cabinet (Conservative)
 • MPs Oliver Letwin
Area
 • Total 417.6 sq mi (1,081.5 km2)
Area rank 24th (of 326)
Population (mid-2016 est.)
 • Total 101,400
 • Rank 233rd (of 326)
 • Density 240/sq mi (94/km2)
 • Ethnicity 98.7% White
Time zone GMT (UTC0)
 • Summer (DST) BST (UTC+1)
ONS code 19UH (ONS)
E07000052 (GSS)
OS grid reference SY5785299047
Website www.dorsetforyou.gov.uk

Coordinates: 50°47′20″N 2°35′53″W / 50.7889°N 2.5980°W / 50.7889; -2.5980

West Dorset is a local government district and parliamentary constituency in Dorset, England. Its council is based in Dorchester. The district was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, and was a merger of the boroughs of Bridport, Dorchester and Lyme Regis, along with Sherborne urban district, and the rural districts of Beaminster, Bridport, Dorchester and Sherborne. In 2006 the district was named 10th best place to live in the UK.

In the Census 2001 West Dorset registered a population of 92,350, estimated to be 94,000 as of 2004. The population structure reflects the rural nature of the district. 52% of the population are female. The area is a popular retirement area which also exports young people due the low choice of career options. This is reflected in the age structure, with 12.3% of the population over 75, compared to 7.5% in England; 51.7% are between 15 and 59, compared to 59.1% in England. 34.4% of dwellings are pensioner households, compared to 23.8% in England.


...
Wikipedia

...