Facts And Stats

Bristol is the 8th largest city in England and the economic capital of the South West.

The City Council administers an area of 18 square miles and serves a resident population of over 393,000 people, while the city also serves a travel-to-work area of over 900,000 people living in the wider city region.

This important relationship between the city and its surrounding sub-region has been recognised in the creation of a West of England Partnership with the neighbouring authorities of Bath and North East Somerset, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset.

The city region is home to over 17,000 businesses, including the national headquarters of more than 160 companies. Six of the South West’s 10 largest companies are based here, sharing a turnover of £22 billion and employing more than 120,000 people worldwide.

Bristol’s gross domestic product (GDP) per head is higher than that of any city in England except London and above the European average – it has a more productive economy than European capitals like Berlin, Madrid and Rome.

Bristol City Council became a unitary authority in 1996. It has 70 Councillors representing 35 wards; annual elections for a third of all councillors are held three years out of every four.

Bristol is a multi-ethnic city with a wide representation of Black and minority ethnic communities (10.7% ONS 2005 estimate) and diverse faith communities

Bristol City Council employs over 18,000 full time equivalent staff delivering more than 500 services. They are based in seven main departments. These are:

• Chief Executive's
• Central Support Services
• Adult Community Care
• Children and Young People's Services
• Neighbourhood and Housing Services
• Cultural and Leisure Services
• Planning, Transport and Sustainable Development

There has been no overall political control of the council since 2003, resulting in either shared or minority administrations. The current balance is 31 Liberal Democrats, 25 Labour, 13 Conservatives and 1 Green, with the Cabinet for 2007/08 drawn from the Labour Group.

The Council has a revenue budget for 2007/08 of £304 million and a planned capital programme worth a total of £312 million over the three years 2007/08 to 2009/2010. The detailed budget and other financial information can be found online at www.bristol.gov.uk/budget.