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. One of 361 district 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.
The administrative boundary of Cheltenham can 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
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.
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.
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.)
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)
More local statistics and data for Cheltenham can be found on the ONS statistics for Cheltenham.