Horsham District

Horsham District
Non-metropolitan district
Carfax in Horsham, the district's main town
Horsham shown within West Sussex
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Constituent country	England
Region	South East England
Non-metropolitan county	West Sussex
Status	Non-metropolitan district
Admin HQ	Horsham
Incorporated	1 April 1974
Government
• Body	Horsham District Council
• MPs	Andrew Griffith John Milne
Area
• Total	204.73 sq mi (530.26 km^2)
• Rank	74th (of 296)
Population  (2022)
• Total	148,696
• Rank	147th (of 296)
• Density	730/sq mi (280/km^2)
Ethnicity (2021) [1]
• Ethnic groups	List 93.6% White 2.7% Asian 2.1% Mixed 0.9% Black 0.6% other
Religion (2021) [1]
• Religion	List 49.3% Christianity 42.1% no religion 6.1% not stated 0.9% Islam 0.6% Hinduism 0.4% other 0.4% Buddhism 0.2% Judaism 0.1% Sikhism
Time zone	UTC0 (GMT)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+1 (BST)

Horsham is a local government district in West Sussex, England. It is named after the town of Horsham, which is its largest settlement and where the council is based. The district also includes the surrounding rural area and contains many villages, the largest of which are Southwater and Billingshurst. The district includes part of the South Downs National Park and part of the designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty of High Weald. At the 2021 census the district had a population of 147,487.

The neighbouring districts are Crawley, Mid Sussex, Brighton and Hove, Adur, Arun, Chichester, Waverley and Mole Valley.

History

Horsham itself had been an ancient borough from the thirteenth century, but lost its borough status in the 1830s.^[2] The town had been made a local government district in 1875, which became Horsham Urban District in 1894.^[3][4]

The modern district was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972 as one of seven districts within West Sussex. The new district covered the whole area of three former districts, which were all abolished at the same time:^[5]

• Chanctonbury Rural District
• Horsham Rural District
• Horsham Urban District

The new district was named Horsham, after its largest settlement.^[6]

Governance

Horsham District Council
Type
Type	Non-metropolitan district
Leadership
Chair	Nigel Emery, Liberal Democrat since 8 May 2024[7]
Leader	Martin Boffey, Liberal Democrat since 24 May 2023
Chief Executive	Jane Eaton since April 2022
Structure
Seats	48 councillors
Political groups	Administration (27)   Liberal Democrats (27) Other parties (21)   Conservative (12)   Green (9)
Elections
Voting system	First-past-the-post
Last election	4 May 2023
Next election	6 May 2027
Meeting place
Parkside, Chart Way, Horsham, RH12 1RL
Website
www.horsham.gov.uk

Horsham District Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by West Sussex County Council.^[8] Much of the district is covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government for their areas.^[9]

In the parts of the district within the South Downs National Park, town planning is the responsibility of the South Downs National Park Authority. The district council appoints one of its councillors to serve on the 27-person National Park Authority.^[10]

Political control

The council has been under Liberal Democrat majority control since the 2023 election.^[11]

The first elections to the council were 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:^[12]

Party in control		Years
	Independent	1974–1976
	Conservative	1976–1995
	Liberal Democrats	1995–1999
	Conservative	1999–2003
	No overall control	2003–2007
	Conservative	2007–2023
	Liberal Democrats	2023–present

Leadership

The leaders of the council since 2001 have been:

Councillor	Party		From	To
Liz Kitchen[13][14]		Conservative	2001	22 Apr 2009
Robert Nye[14][15]		Conservative	22 Apr 2009	14 Dec 2011
Ray Dawe[16][17]		Conservative	22 Feb 2012	26 May 2021
Paul Clarke[18][19]		Conservative	26 May 2021	3 Dec 2021
Jonathan Chowen[20][21]		Conservative	3 Dec 2021	Jan 2023
Claire Vickers[22][23][11]		Conservative	2 Feb 2023	May 2023
Martin Boffey[24][25]		Liberal Democrats	24 May 2023

Composition

Following the 2023 election and two by-elections in February 2024 the composition of the council was:^[26]

Party		Councillors
	Liberal Democrats	27
	Conservative	12
	Green	9
Total		48

The next election is due in 2027.

Elections

Map of the current ward boundaries

See also: Horsham District Council elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2019 the council has comprised 48 councillors representing 22 wards, with each ward electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years.^[27]

Premises

Park House, North Street: One of the council's former offices.

The council is based at Parkside on Chart Way in Horsham, a modern office building shared with West Sussex County Council; the district council moved into the building in 2015.^[28] Previously the council was based across several buildings, including Park House, an eighteenth century house on North Street which had served as the headquarters of the old Horsham Urban District Council since 1928.^[29]

Towns and parishes

High Street in Billingshurst

The central part of the Horsham urban area, roughly corresponding to the pre-1974 Horsham Urban District, is an unparished area.^[9] The rest of the district is divided into civil parishes. None of the parishes has been formally designated a town by its parish council, although Billingshurst, Henfield, Pulborough and Steyning are post towns.

Within the Horsham District are the following civil parishes:

Parish	Type	Area (Hectare)	Population (2001)	Pop Density /Hectare
Amberley	Parish Council	1179.37	533	0.45
Ashington	Parish Council	805.15	2351	2.91
Ashurst	Parish Council	1009.41	226	0.22
Billingshurst	Parish Council	3219.31	6531	2.03
Bramber	Parish Council	719.06	757	1.05
Broadbridge Heath	Parish Council	215.64	3021	14.01
Coldwaltham	Parish Council	893.13	845	0.95
Colgate	Parish Council	2243.67	1119	0.50
Cowfold	Parish Council	1925.57	1864	0.97
Henfield	Parish Council	1734.75	5012	2.89
Horsham	Unparished	1170.63	23698	20.24
Itchingfield	Parish Council	1091.06	1477	1.35
Lower Beeding	Parish Council	1845.06	1001	0.54
North Horsham	Parish Council	1094.77	21348	19.50
Nuthurst	Parish Council	1696.76	1711	1.00
Parham	Parish Council	1586.23	214	0.13
Pulborough	Parish Council	2098.31	4685	2.23
Rudgwick	Parish Council	2468.98	2791	1.13
Rusper	Parish Council	2588.56	1389	0.54
Shermanbury	Parish Council	775.15	454	0.59
Shipley	Parish Council	3125.60	1075	0.34
Slinfold	Parish Council	1694.81	1647	0.97
Southwater	Parish Council	1400.20	10025	7.16
Steyning	Parish Council	1574.09	5812	3.69
Storrington and Sullington	Parish Council	1199.69	6074	5.06
Thakeham	Parish Council	1170.63	1794	1.53
Upper Beeding	Parish Council	1877.48	3798	2.02
Warnham	Parish Council	1980.21	1958	0.99
Washington	Parish Council	1275.90	1930	1.51
West Chiltington	Parish Council	1732.54	3315	1.91
West Grinstead	Parish Council	2583.65	2934	1.14
Wiston	Parish Council	1359.67	221	0.16
Woodmancote	Parish Council	848.72	478	0.56
Horsham	Total	53096.21	122088	2.30

Education

The Rikkyo School in England, a Japanese boarding school, is located in the Rudgwick community in Horsham District.^[30]

References

1. UK Census (2021). "2021 Census Area Profile – Horsham Local Authority (E07000227)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
2. Hudson, T. P., ed. (1986). A History of the County of Sussex: Volume 6 Part 2. London: Victoria County History. pp. 189–190. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
3. "No. 24227". The London Gazette. 13 July 1875. p. 3564.
4. Local Government Act 1894
5. "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1972/2039, retrieved 31 May 2023
6. "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Names) Order 1973", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1973/551, retrieved 31 May 2023
7. Dunn, Karen (9 May 2024). "Horsham District Council has announced its new chairman". Sussex World. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
8. "Local Government Act 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1972 c. 70, retrieved 31 May 2023
9. "Election Maps". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
10. "Members". South Downs National Park Authority. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
11. Luck, Flaminia (5 May 2023). "Sussex election results 2023: Tories lose Wealden for first time in 25 years". BBC News. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
12. "Compositions Calculator". The Elections Centre. University of Exeter. Retrieved 26 November 2024. (Put "Horsham" in search box to see specific results.)
13. "Former Tory leader 'absolutely appalled' by her party's treatment of their vice chairman". Sussex World. 27 February 2014. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
14. "Council minutes, 22 April 2009" (PDF). Horsham District Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 August 2012. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
15. "Horsham council leader steps down". The Argus. 14 December 2011. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
16. "Council minutes, 22 February 2012" (PDF). Horsham District Council. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
17. Powling, Joshua (19 May 2021). "Horsham District Council leader to stand down". Sussex World. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
18. "Council minutes, 26 May 2021". Horsham District Council. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
19. Powling, Joshua (12 November 2021). "Sudden resignation of Horsham District Council leader". Sussex World. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
20. "Council minutes, 3 December 2021". Horsham District Council. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
21. Powling, Joshua (10 January 2023). "Third Conservative council leader quits at Horsham District Council within last 20 months". Sussex Express. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
22. "Council minutes, 2 February 2023". Horsham District Council. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
23. Dunn, Karen (3 February 2023). "Conservative Claire Vickers elected as new leader of Horsham District Council three months before elections". Sussex World. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
24. "Council minutes, 24 May 2023". Horsham District Council. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
25. "Horsham's new council leader unveils his Lib Dem administration and its priorities". SussexWorld. 25 May 2023. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
26. "Local elections 2023: live council results for England". The Guardian.
27. "The Horsham (Electoral Changes) Order 2017", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2017/1065, retrieved 28 January 2024
28. Coe, Anna (21 March 2015). "Horsham District Council starts office sharing move". Sussex World. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
29. Historic England. "Horsham Park (Grade II*) (1353938)". National Heritage List for England.
30. "INFORMATION IN ENGLISH." (Archive) Rikkyo School in England. Retrieved 8 January 2014. "Guildford Road,Rudgwick,W-Sussex RH12 3BE ENGLAND"

External links

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