Burnley
§ This page gives an overview of the Burnley local authority district, bringing together key facts, maps, and data to help you quickly understand the area. This is one of 361 LAD profiles on Baseview.
Overview ⁞ Burnley sits at the foot of the Pennines in Lancashire, where the River Calder and River Brun meet. The town is noted for its historic weavers’ cottages, Towneley Hall and Park, and the iconic Singing Ringing Tree sculpture overlooking the moors. The Leeds and Liverpool Canal runs through, with aqueducts and mills reflecting its industrial past. Surrounding hills and moorland provide dramatic scenery, with walking routes leading into the South Pennines. Burnley’s blend of heritage and rugged countryside gives it a distinctive character.
Burnley Boundary Map
This map shows the official boundary of the Burnley local authority district, based on the latest geographic data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). It provides a clear view of the district’s extent and helps you understand how the area fits within the wider regional and national landscape.
Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2025. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
The administrative boundary of Burnley can also be viewed on OpenStreetMap: District Boundary of Burnley.
Key Facts about Burnley
What region is Burnley in? Burnley is in the North West of England, a region within the UK.
What county is Burnley in? Burnley is located in the county of Lancashire.
Is Burnley a city? No, Burnley is not a city. (Note: the UK has 76 officially designated cities.)
Who governs Burnley? The local authority for this district is: Burnley Borough Council - responsible for district-level services. Since Lancashire is a two-tier area, county-level services are handled by: Lancashire County Council.
▶ Official website of Burnley Borough Council 🔗 burnley.gov.uk
Which police force covers Burnley? Policing in Burnley is provided by Lancashire Constabulary 🔗 lancashire.police.uk, which serves 14 local authority districts: Blackburn with Darwen ⁞ Blackpool ⁞ Burnley ⁞ Chorley ⁞ Fylde ⁞ Hyndburn ⁞ Lancaster ⁞ Pendle ⁞ Preston ⁞ Ribble Valley ⁞ Rossendale ⁞ South Ribble ⁞ West Lancashire ⁞ Wyre.
Constituencies in Burnley
Burnley is divided into 1 parliamentary constituencies, listed below in alphabetical order.
A constituency is a specific geographical area that elects one Member of Parliament (MP) to represent them in the House of Commons. The United Kingdom is divided into 650 parliamentary constituencies. We have this list page for easy browsing of all UK parliamentary constituencies: List of Constituencies.
Wards in Burnley
Burnley is divided into 15 wards, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Bank Hall
- Briercliffe
- Brunshaw
- Cliviger with Worsthorne
- Coal Clough with Deerplay
- Daneshouse with Stoneyholme
- Gannow
- Gawthorpe
- Hapton with Park
- Lanehead
- Queensgate
- Rosegrove with Lowerhouse
- Rosehill with Burnley Wood
- Trinity
- Whittlefield with Ightenhill
In the UK, a ward is a subdivision of a local authority area, used mainly for electoral and statistical purposes. Defined by the ONS, wards represent the primary unit for local elections, each returning one or more councillors to the local council. Wards are also used as a key geography for presenting population and census data. We have this list page for easy browsing of all electoral wards: List of all Electoral Wards in the UK.
Parishes in Burnley
Burnley is part-parished: 8 civil parishes (listed A-Z below) alongside 1 unparished areas.
- Briercliffe
- Cliviger
- Dunnockshaw
- Habergham Eaves
- Hapton
- Ightenhill
- Padiham
- Worsthorne-with-Hurstwood
A civil parish is the lowest tier of local government in England, used for villages, small towns, and suburbs. They have their own local authority, either a parish council or a parish meeting, which provides local services like managing parks, allotments, and streetlights, and represents the community's views to larger councils.
We have this list page for easy browsing of all parishes: List of Civil Parishes in England and Wales.
Post Towns in Burnley
Below is a list of post towns in Burnley, grouped by postcode area:
BB ▸ Burnley (BB10 / BB11 / BB12)
The UK postal hierarchy begins with broad postcode areas (such as “CB” or “M”), which are divided into smaller postcode districts (such as “CB8” or “M1”) to support accurate mail routing. Each postal address is anchored by a designated post town, the official locality name used in the UK postcode system, which operates independently from Local Authority Districts —the administrative boundaries used for council tax and local government services. Because they serve different purposes, a property’s postal address and its local authority district do not always align exactly.
Built-up Areas in Burnley
Burnley covers 11 built-up areas, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Altham *
- Brierfield *
- Burnley *
- Cliviger
- Hapton
- Higham (Pendle) *
- Padiham *
- Rawtenstall *
- Simonstone *
- Todmorden *
- Worsthorne
In the UK, a Built-up Area (BUA) is a continuous urban area of at least 20 hectares (0.2 km²), defined by the ONS as land where buildings are generally no more than 200 metres apart, such as towns, cities, or large villages. (Note: A BUA name marked with an asterisk (*) indicates that the area is situated partly in the district of Burnley.)
We have this list page for easy browsing of all built-up areas: List of all Built-up Areas in GB.
Railway Stations in Burnley
Burnley is served by a number of National Rail stations, providing rail connections to nearby towns, cities, and destinations across Great Britain. The railway stations listed below are located within the Burnley Local Authority District and are grouped by train operating company for clarity.
- Northern Trains ▸ Burnley Manchester Road (BB11 1JZ) ⁞ Burnley Central (BB11 1DA) ⁞ Rose Grove (BB12 6EH) ⁞ Burnley Barracks (BB12 0HG) ⁞ Hapton (BB12 7LG)
This is a district-level view only. For a complete list of all National Rail stations across Great Britain, see the UK National Rail Stations Directory.
Burnley compared with other districts in the UK
This section shows how Burnley compares with other local authority districts in the UK, using a variety of measures and rankings.
Burnley has 15 electoral wards.
Burnley has a population of 99,233 (2024 mid-year estimate by ONS)
Population and Migration Trends in Burnley
This chart shows the population trend for Burnley from 2015 to 2024. It provides a quick overview of whether the local authority is growing, stable, or declining over time, and helps set context for the migration patterns shown below.
Population change is influenced by natural change (births minus deaths) and migration. The net migration chart below focuses on migration, separating internal migration (moves within the UK) from international migration (moves to and from abroad). Positive values indicate net inflows, while negative values indicate net outflows. The rate labels (per 1,000 residents) help compare migration intensity across years, even when the population size changes.
More local statistics and data for Burnley can be found on the ONS statistics for Burnley.