About the Council
As a Council, we are absolutely determined to help people living in Blackburn and Darwen enjoy a better quality of life and the chance to raise their aspirations. For us that means making things as fair and inclusive as possible so that people have the chances that they deserve. We know that investing in technology is vital. Modernising and helping others make the most of what is available sits at the heart of what we are trying to achieve.
Improving prosperity is what drives our bold approach. Our role is to influence important initiatives and build relationship to bring benefit directly back to residents and we do this right across the region and further. Even though budgets are tight, we run hundreds of high quality services each and every day and invest in. We pride ourselves on being honest and understanding. We know there’s no easy answer to our big challenges but just like our residents we are resilient and determined, and we remain upbeat about the potential we have here.
The local authority area sits over two parliamentary constituencies, Rossendale and Darwen in the South and Blackburn in the North.
Following a review of the borough’s electoral arrangements in 2017, there are now 51 Councillors representing 17 new wards. The borough operates a Leader and Executive model of governance.
Aside from the borough council the area is also home to six parish councils. These are:
- Darwen Town Council
- Eccleshill and Waterside Parish Council
- Livesey Parish Council
- North Turton Parish Council
- Pleasington Parish Council
- Tockholes Parish Council
- Yate and Pickup Bank Parish Council
Blackburn with Darwen Council has recently undergone a restructure, which has resulted in the creation of five directorates:
- Resources
- Children’s Services and Education
- Adult Services and Health
- Place
- HR, Governance and Engagement
We have a corporate plan which focuses on eight strategic priorities:
- Supporting young people and raising aspirations
- Safeguarding and supporting the most vulnerable people
- Reducing health inequalities and improving health outcomes
- Connected communities
- Safe and clean environment
- Strong economy to enable social mobility
- Supporting our town centres and businesses
- Transparent and effective organisation
Further information:
Download of Departmental and chief officer structure chart
About Blackburn with Darwen
Everyone who lives in Blackburn with Darwen knows just how special our place is. Making is in the very fabric of our borough and it runs deep through our past, present and ambitious plans for the future. Manufacturing remains strong and, for that very reason, we are proud to host the award-winning National Festival of Making.
Our surroundings are valued – we have stunning countryside on our doorstep and we recognise the importance of vibrant towns. Opportunities to develop the town or protect old buildings are grasped with both hands. We make it easy for people to invest here. What makes us really stand out is the way people pull together – our residents, our own staff, voluntary and community groups, businesses and other public sector organisations. Successful partnerships are a clear strength and we make the most the enthusiasm and goodwill.
Community pride can be seen all around us and it’s engrained in everything we do. Our ‘Your Call’ ethos is all about us working with people to improve things for the better. Keeping our neighbourhoods looking clean and tidy is a big priority with more than 1,000 volunteers signed-up to litter pick as part of the hugely successful ‘Red Bag Revolution’.
Blackburn with Darwen has compact urban areas predominately but not exclusively located around the towns of Blackburn and Darwen. The area is surrounded by countryside and features a number of small rural villages and hamlets. It borders Bury and Bolton in the south, Chorley in the west, Hyndburn and Rossendale in the east and the Ribble Valley in the north.
In 2018 the population was 148,900, making it the largest borough in the wider Lancashire area. The majority of the boroughs residents (in the region of 142, 000 people) live in the towns of Blackburn and Darwen with the remaining residents living in the rural villages and hamlets (Hoddlesden, Edgworth, Belmont, Chapel Town and Tockholes) that surround the two major urban centres. Small area population figures can be used to estimate the population size of areas within the borough, with this it is suggested that c. 115,500 people live within Blackburn, c. 27,200 people live within the Darwen Town Council area and c.6,200 people live rurally.
The borough as a whole has a relatively young age profile. It has a higher than average proportion of young people (0-19) compared to the national figure and conversely, a smaller proportion of older people (65 and over). The latest population estimates and projections can also be downloaded online.
As a multicultural borough, the area is home to many people with diverse ethnicities and identities. Census 2011 suggested that within Blackburn with Darwen 66% of people identified themselves as White British, 28% as Asian / Asian British and 0.6% Black/African/Caribbean/Black British.
With over 4,900 businesses, the borough contributes about 9% of the wider Lancashire business base and is home to the largest number of businesses of the Pennine Lancashire authorities. A range of sectors operate in the borough. Five main areas make up over half of businesses in the borough. These are:
- professional scientific and technical services
- retail
- business administration and support services
- manufacturing
- construction
In addition to the large public sector local government and health sector employers, there are a number of large private sectors businesses operating from the borough. These include;
- Euro Garages
- Crown Paints
- John Lewis supplier Herbert Parkinson
- Graham and Brown wall coverings
- WEC
There are in the region of 70,000 employee jobs in Blackburn with Darwen. Around seven in ten jobs in the borough are found in the main sectors of health, manufacturing, retail and wholesale, education and business administration and support services.
The borough’s commitment to a strong and impressive growth programme developing and delivering a pipeline of housing, infrastructure and investment projects in the Borough has been an economic priority to increase job creation and prosperity for our residents. Recent developments are the opening of the new Reel cinema complex, the developing masterplan for the old Thwaites Brewery Site in Blackburn town centre, and the investment in Darwen through the £25 million secured from the government’s Town Deal.
