Borough of Melton

Meltonis alocal government districtwithborough statusin north-easternLeicestershire, England. It is named after its only town,Melton Mowbray. The borough also includes numerous villages and surrounding rural areas. The north of the district includes part of theVale of Belvoir. Melton is the least populous district of its type and the fourth least populous district in England overall.
The neighbouring districts areHarborough,Charnwood,Rushcliffe,Newark and Sherwood,South KestevenandRutland.
The district was created on 1 April 1974 under theLocal Government Act 1972, covering the area of two former districts, which were both abolished at the same time:
The new district was named Melton after the area's only town, Melton Mowbray.The district was awarded borough status from its creation, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor.
Melton Borough Council providesdistrict-levelservices.County-levelservices are provided byLeicestershire County Council. Much of the borough is also covered bycivil parishes, which form a third tier of local government.
The council has been underno overall controlsince the2023 election, being run by a joint administration of Labour and most of the independent councillors, led by Labour councillor Pip Allnatt.
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:
The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Melton. Political leadership is instead provided by theleader of the council. The leaders since 2010 have been:
Following the2023 electionand subsequent by-elections and changes of allegiance up to May 2024, the composition of the council was:
Of the eleven independent councillors, nine sit together as the "Independent Group" which forms the council's administration with Labour.The next election is due in 2027.
Since the last boundary changes in 2003 the council has comprised 28councillorsrepresenting 16wards, with each ward electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years.
The borough is part of theMelton and Systonparliamentary constituency.
The council is based at Parkside on Burton Street, adjoiningMelton Mowbray railway station. The building was purpose-built for the council and opened in 2011.
When first created in 1974 the council inherited offices at Egerton Lodge on Wilton Road from Melton Mowbray Urban District Council and at Warwick Lodge on Dalby Road from Melton and Belvoir Rural District Council.In 1986 the council moved to a new building called Council Offices on Nottingham Road.The Nottingham Road building burnt down on 30 May 2008.The northern wing of the building was repaired and is now called Phoenix House, but the rest of the building was beyond repair and was demolished. The council instead chose to build new headquarters at Parkside, spending £5.6m on the new building.
East Midlands Councilsis based at the Pera Business Park on Nottingham Road, opposite the former Melton borough offices.The formerEast Midlands Regional Assemblywas based at the same site until it was abolished in 2010.
The district bordersSouth Kesteven, inLincolnshire, to the east,Rutlandto the south,Charnwoodto the west (along theA46Fosse Way), andRushcliffeandNewark and SherwoodinNottinghamshireto the north. The north part of the district is known as theVale of Belvoir.
The former Melton Mowbray Urban District is anunparished area. The rest of the borough is divided intocivil parishes.
The borough is divided into 16electoral wards:
Farming and food production are the main industries withPedigree Petfoodsin Melton, and itsWaltham Centre for Pet NutritionatWaltham on the Wolds. There is a large creamery (Long Clawson Dairy) atLong Clawson.Samworth Brothersare headquartered in Melton. TheRoyal Army Veterinary CorpsandDefence Animal Training Regimentare also in Melton.
TheBirmingham to Peterborough Lineruns through the borough, and the borough is criss-crossed by theA607(Leicester-Grantham) and theA606(Nottingham-Oakham). Both these roads meet in the centre of Melton (outside Melton Brooksby College), with resulting congestion.
The borough is the home ofStilton CheeseandMelton Mowbray Pork Pies.
The area is served byBBC East MidlandsandITV Centralwith television signals received from theWalthamtransmitter which is situated atWaltham-on-the-Wolds, 5 miles (8 km) north-east ofMelton Mowbray.
Radio stations for the area are:
Local newspapers areLeicester MercuryandMelton Times
Until September 2008, the district operated thethree-tier educationsystem, whereby there were three middle schools. All these schools fed into the same upper school in Melton from 14-18. At bothGCSEandA level, the district's results are above the England average. From age 16 Students can attend eitherMelton Vale Post 16 Centrefor academicsixth formcourses, orBrooksby Melton Collegefor vocational courses.
The Borough of Melton has experienced steady population growth in recent times albeit at a rate lower than the other districts withinLeicestershire.
In March 2012, Melton was identified as having the highest rate of accidental death by theRoyal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, with statistics over the period from 2010/11 showing an average of 29 deaths for 100,000 people.
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