Barrow-in-Furness (borough)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Barrow-in-Furness was a local government district with borough status in
Cumbria Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial county in North West England. It borders the Scottish council areas of Dumfries and Galloway and Scottish Borders to the north, Northumberland and County Durham to the east, North Yorkshire to the south-east, Lancash ...
, England. It was named after its main town,
Barrow-in-Furness Barrow-in-Furness is a port town and civil parish (as just "Barrow") in the Westmorland and Furness district of Cumbria, England. Historic counties of England, Historically in the county of Lancashire, it was incorporated as a municipal borou ...
. Other settlements included Dalton-in-Furness and Askam-in-Furness. It was the smallest district in Cumbria, but the most densely populated, with 924 people per square kilometre. The population was 71,980 in 2001, reducing to 69,087 at the 2011 Census. In July 2021 the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government announced that in April 2023, Cumbria would be reorganised into two unitary authorities. On 1 April 2023, Barrow-in-Furness Borough Council was abolished and its functions transferred to the new authority
Westmorland and Furness Westmorland and Furness is a Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Cumbria, England. The economy is mainly focused on tourism around both the Lake District and Cumbria Coast, shipbuilding and the Royal Port of Barrow, Royal ...
, which also covers the former districts of Eden and South Lakeland.


Background

The area covered by the district was at the edge of the Furness peninsula. It jolted into the
Irish Sea The Irish Sea is a body of water that separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is linked to the Celtic Sea in the south by St George's Channel and to the Inner Seas off the West Coast of Scotland in the north by the North Ch ...
, being north of Morecambe Bay and south of the Duddon Estuary. The borough was formed on 1 April 1974 by the merger of the former county borough of
Barrow-in-Furness Barrow-in-Furness is a port town and civil parish (as just "Barrow") in the Westmorland and Furness district of Cumbria, England. Historic counties of England, Historically in the county of Lancashire, it was incorporated as a municipal borou ...
and the Dalton-in-Furness urban district from the administrative county of
Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...
. Despite being one of England's smallest local authorities it had a coastline of 63 km and has equally diverse built and natural environments. This included 274
Listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...
s and four SSSIs, ranking as the seventh highest concentration of 325 districts on the English Heritage Index as of 2015.


Barrow Borough Council

Barrow-in-Furness Borough Council sat at the Town Hall in Barrow. It was led by a mayor, who was elected by council members. In 2006, the Council was fined £125,000 for violation of health and safety laws that led to the deaths of seven people in the United Kingdom's worst outbreak of
Legionnaires' disease Legionnaires' disease is a form of atypical pneumonia caused by any species of ''Legionella'' bacteria, quite often ''Legionella pneumophila''. Signs and symptoms include cough, shortness of breath, high fever, myalgia, muscle pains, and headach ...
. The council also became the UK's first public body to be charged with corporate manslaughter, but was found not guilty. Following boundary changes in 2008, the council was composed of 36 seats, elected across 13 wards. From 2011 the council switched from the previous system of elections occurring over a four-year cycle, with a third of seats elected each year and one '
fallow Fallow is a farming technique in which arable land is left without sowing for one or more vegetative cycles. The goal of fallowing is to allow the land to recover and store Organic compound, organic matter while retaining moisture and disrupting ...
' year, to one where full council elections occur every four years. From its inception in 1973 until abolition in 2023, the council was often under Labour control, most recently from the 2011 election, but with three years of
Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
control (1976–1979) and ten years of no overall control (most recently from 2006 to 2011). Composition at abolition
''As of 31 March 2023''


Council wards

The Borough of Barrow-in-Furness comprised thirteen electoral wards, all of which can be seen on the map below.


Freedom of the Borough

The following people and military units had received the Freedom of the Borough of Barrow-in-Furness.


Individuals

* Margaret Burrow: 25 September 2022.


Military Units

* The Royal Navy Submarine Service: 11 June 2001.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barrow-in-Furness, Borough of 1974 establishments in England 2023 disestablishments in England Former boroughs in England Former non-metropolitan districts of Cumbria Furness Westmorland and Furness