Weymouth and Portland

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Borough of Weymouth and Portland
Weymouth and Portland
Shown within Dorset
Geography
Status: Borough
Region: South West England
Admin. County: Dorset
Area:
- Total
Ranked 315th
41.75 km²
Admin. HQ: Weymouth
ONS code: 19UJ
Demographics
Population:
- Total (2006 est.)
- Density
Ranked 319th
64,900
1554 / km²
Ethnicity: 98.5% White
Politics
Weymouth and Portland Borough Council
http://www.weymouth.gov.uk
Leadership: Alternative - Sec.31
Control: TBA (council NOC)
MP: Jim Knight

Weymouth and Portland is a local government district and borough in Dorset, England. It consists of the resort of Weymouth and the Isle of Portland, and outlying villages including Preston, Melcombe Regis, Upwey, Broadwey, Fortuneswell and Easton.

The district of Weymouth and Portland was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, which merged the borough of Weymouth and Melcombe Regis and the nearby Portland urban district. The Mayor of Weymouth and Portland is David Harris (Lib Dem), with Tim Munro (Independent) as Deputy Mayor.[1] The district is divided into 15 wards for elections—12 of them are in Weymouth, and three are on Portland.[2] Elections take place in a four-year cycle; one third of the councillors in all but three wards retire or seek re-election in years one, two and three, and county council elections are held in year four.[3]

Weymouth and Portland and Purbeck districts are in the Dorset South parliamentary constituency, created in 1885. The constituency elects one Member of Parliament. The current MP for Dorset South is Jim Knight, a member of the Labour Party, who currently holds the post of Minister of State for Schools. Weymouth and Portland, the rest of the south west, and Gibraltar are in the South West England constituency of the European Parliament.[4]

In Portland Harbour is the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy, where the sailing events at the 2012 Olympics will take place. The main reason that the resort was chosen to be an Olympic venue was the fact that the Sailing Academy had only recently been built, so no new venue would need to be provided. Weymouth and Portland's waters have also been credited by the Royal Yachting Association as the best in Northern Europe.[5]

Weymouth and Portland have been twinned with the town of Holzwickede in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany since 1986,[6] and the French town of Louviers, in the department of Eure in Normandy, since 1959.[7]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Weymouth and Portland Borough Council - councillors. Weymouth and Portland Borough Council (2007). Retrieved on 2007-07-26.
  2. ^ Ward Map. Weymouth and Portland Borough Council (2007). Retrieved on 2007-12-16.
  3. ^ Electoral Cycles Thirds. Weymouth and Portland Borough Council (2007). Retrieved on 2008-01-07.
  4. ^ European elections. Weymouth and Portland Borough Council (2004). Retrieved on 2007-12-16.
  5. ^ 2012 Olympic Games sailing venue. Weymouth and Portland Borough Council (2005). Retrieved on 2006-11-12.
  6. ^ Städtepartnerschaften in Holzwickede (German). Gemeinde Holzwickede (2007). Retrieved on 2007-12-15.
  7. ^ Associations de jumelage (French). Ville de Louviers (2007). Retrieved on 2007-12-15.