Cheltenham
§ This page gives an overview of the Cheltenham 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 ⁞ Cheltenham, in Gloucestershire, is a Regency spa town set against the backdrop of the Cotswolds. Known for its elegant crescents, gardens, and festivals, it retains a historic character while serving as a lively cultural centre. The town is famed for Cheltenham Racecourse and its festivals of literature, jazz, and science. Surrounded by the rolling Cotswold Hills, the area includes scenic villages, parks, and countryside, blending urban sophistication with rural beauty.
What County is Cheltenham in?
Cheltenham is in the ceremonial county of Gloucestershire, in South West England. Today, Cheltenham is administered by Cheltenham Borough Council, with county-level services such as education and transport provided by Gloucestershire County Council.
Historically, Cheltenham has always been part of Gloucestershire and is widely known for its Regency architecture, spa heritage, and major festivals, including the Cheltenham Festival. So if you’re asking “what county is Cheltenham in?”, the clear and correct answer is Gloucestershire, both historically and in modern administrative terms.
Cheltenham Boundary Map
This map shows the official boundary of the Cheltenham 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 Cheltenham can also be viewed on OpenStreetMap: District Boundary of Cheltenham.
Key Facts about Cheltenham
What region is Cheltenham in? Cheltenham is in the South West of England, a region within the UK.
What county is Cheltenham in? Cheltenham is located in the county of Gloucestershire.
Is Cheltenham a city? No, Cheltenham is not a city. (Note: the UK has 76 officially designated cities.)
Who governs Cheltenham? The local authority for this district is: Cheltenham Borough Council - responsible for district-level services. Since Gloucestershire is a two-tier area, county-level services are handled by: Gloucestershire County Council.
▶ Official website of Cheltenham Borough Council 🔗 cheltenham.gov.uk
Which police force covers Cheltenham? Policing in Cheltenham is provided by Gloucestershire Constabulary 🔗 gloucestershire.police.uk, which serves 6 local authority districts: Cheltenham ⁞ Cotswold ⁞ Forest of Dean ⁞ Gloucester ⁞ Stroud ⁞ Tewkesbury.
Constituencies in Cheltenham
Cheltenham is divided into 2 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 Cheltenham
Cheltenham is divided into 20 wards, listed below in alphabetical order.
- All Saints
- Battledown
- Benhall, the Reddings & Fiddler's Green
- Charlton Kings
- Charlton Park
- College
- Hesters Way
- Lansdown
- Leckhampton
- Oakley
- Park
- Pittville
- Prestbury
- Springbank
- St Mark's
- St Paul's
- St Peter's
- Swindon Village
- Up Hatherley
- Warden Hill
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 Cheltenham
Cheltenham is part-parished: 5 civil parishes (listed A-Z below) alongside 2 unparished areas.
- Charlton Kings
- Leckhampton with Warden Hill
- Prestbury
- Swindon
- Up Hatherley
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 Cheltenham
Below is a list of post towns in Cheltenham, grouped by postcode area:
GL ▸ Cheltenham (GL50 / GL51 / GL52 / GL53 / GL54)
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 Cheltenham
Cheltenham covers 4 built-up areas, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Cheltenham *
- Golden Valley *
- Prestbury (Cheltenham) *
- Swindon (Cheltenham)
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 Cheltenham.)
We have this list page for easy browsing of all built-up areas: List of all Built-up Areas in GB.
Railway Stations in Cheltenham
Cheltenham 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 Cheltenham Local Authority District and are grouped by train operating company for clarity.
Great Western Railway ▸ Cheltenham Spa (GL51 8NP)
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.
Cheltenham compared with other districts in the UK
This section shows how Cheltenham compares with other local authority districts in the UK, using a variety of measures and rankings.
Cheltenham has 20 electoral wards.
Cheltenham has a population of 121,739 (2024 mid-year estimate by ONS)
Population and Migration Trends in Cheltenham
This chart shows the population trend for Cheltenham 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 Cheltenham can be found on the ONS statistics for Cheltenham.