Cotswold District Council
Cotswold District Council is the local authority for the Cotswold District, which is located in East Gloucestershire in the South West of England. The council is based in Cirencester, the largest settlement in the district, but the district also includes the towns of Tetbury, Moreton-in-Marsh, Stow-on-the-Wold, Chipping Campden, Fairford, Lechlade and Northleach. Cotswold District Council is composed of 34 councillors elected from 32 wards. History. Cotswold District Council was formed on 1 April 1974 by the merger of the urban district of Cirencester with Cirencester Rural District, North Cotswold Rural District, Northleach  Rural District and Tetbury Rural District. Responsibilities. The functions of the council include: Political control. Since the foundation of the council in 1973 political control of the council has been held by the following parties: Cabinet. Following a cabinet reshuffle in May 2021 Joe Harris appointed the following Cabinet. Current councillors. There are 34 councillors. After the May 2019 election, there are 18 Liberal Democrats, 14 Conservatives, one independent and one Green. May 2019 local elections result dispute. Nigel Adams, Cotswold District Council's returning officer and its "head of paid services" reportedly decided a tied result between two candidates  in the Tetbury Town ward by allocating a spoiled ballot paper that had the word "BREXIT" written across it in favour of the Conservative candidate, Stephen Hirst. The hitherto tied candidate, Independent David Painter, described it as a "travesty of justice" and said "no wonder people are turned off voting". Painter sought to raise £2,500 to begin a legal challenge against the returning officer's decision.