South Ribble

The district was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, covering the whole area of two former districts and parts of a third, which were abolished at the same time: • Leyland Urban District • Preston Rural District (parishes of Cuerdale, Farington, Hutton, Little Hoole, Longton, Much Hoole, Penwortham and Samlesbury only, rest split between Preston and Ribble Valley) • Walton-le-Dale Urban District (which included Bamber Bridge) The new district was named South Ribble, reflecting the fact that the River Ribble forms its northern boundary. The new district was awarded borough status from its creation, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor. ==Governance==

South Ribble Borough Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Lancashire County Council. Parts of the borough are covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government. Political control The council has been under Labour majority control since the 2023 election. The first election to the council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until coming into its powers on 1 April 1974. Since 1974 political control of the council has been as follows: Leadership The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in South Ribble. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 2007 have been: Composition Following the 2023 election, and subsequent changes of allegiance up to July 2025, the composition of the council was: The next election is due in 2027. The borough straddles the parliamentary constituencies of Ribble Valley and South Ribble. ==Parishes==

There are eight civil parishes in the borough. The parish council for Penwortham has declared its parish to be a town, allowing it to take the style "town council". The parishes of Samlesbury and Cuerdale share a grouped parish council. The former urban districts of Leyland and Walton-le-Dale are unparished areas. The parishes are: == Twin town ==

South Ribble is twinned with: • Schleswig-Flensburg, Germany ==Freedom of the Borough==

The following people and military units have received the Freedom of the Borough of South Ribble. Individuals • Anthony Kelly: September 2010. Military Units • The King's Royal Hussars: 1992. ==Footnotes==