Rossendale
§ This page gives an overview of the Rossendale 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 ⁞ Rossendale lies in a valley surrounded by the South Pennine hills in east Lancashire. The area is shaped by steep moorland, wooded valleys, and historic mill towns such as Rawtenstall, Bacup, and Haslingden. The East Lancashire Railway runs heritage steam trains through the valley, while landmarks include The Whitaker Museum and the Halo Panopticon sculpture. Rossendale’s upland terrain offers walking, cycling, and outdoor pursuits, with dramatic views across Lancashire and Greater Manchester.
The administrative boundary of Rossendale can be viewed on OpenStreetMap: District Boundary of Rossendale.
Key Facts about Rossendale
What region is Rossendale in? Rossendale is in the North West of England, a region within the UK.
What county is Rossendale in? Rossendale is located in the county of Lancashire.
Is Rossendale a city? No, Rossendale is not a city. (Note: the UK has 76 officially designated cities.)
Who governs Rossendale? The local authority for this district is: Rossendale 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 Rossendale Borough Council 🔗 rossendale.gov.uk
Which police force covers Rossendale? Policing in Rossendale 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 Rossendale
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 Rossendale
Rossendale is divided into 10 wards, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Bacup
- Britannia & Lee Mill
- Goodshaw & Cribden
- Greenfield & Eden
- Hareholme & Waterfoot
- Haslingden
- Helmshore
- Longholme
- Whitewell & Stacksteads
- Whitworth
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 Rossendale
Rossendale is part-parished: 1 civil parishes (listed A-Z below) alongside 7 unparished areas.
- Whitworth
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 Rossendale
Rossendale covers 11 built-up areas, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Accrington *
- Bacup
- Edenfield *
- Haslingden
- Ramsbottom *
- Rawtenstall *
- Rising Bridge *
- Rochdale *
- Stubbins *
- Weir
- Whitworth *
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 Rossendale.)
Rossendale compared with other districts in the UK
This section shows how Rossendale compares with other local authority districts in the UK, using a variety of measures and rankings.
Rossendale has 10 electoral wards.
Rossendale has a population of 73,045 (2024 mid-year estimate by ONS)
More local statistics and data for Rossendale can be found on the ONS statistics for Rossendale.