Ribble Valley is a local government district

Non-metropolitan district

Non-metropolitan districts, or colloquially shire districts, are a type of local government district in England. As created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan counties in a so-called "two-tier" arrangement...

 with borough

Borough

A borough is an administrative division in various countries. In principle, the term borough designates a self-governing township although, in practice, official use of the term varies widely....

 status within the non-metropolitan county of Lancashire

Lancashire

Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. Its council is based in Clitheroe

Clitheroe

Clitheroe is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Ribble Valley in Lancashire, England. It is 1½ miles from the Forest of Bowland and is often used as a base for tourists in the area. It has a population of 14,697...

. Other places include Whalley

Whalley

Whalley is a large village in the Ribble Valley on the banks of the River Calder in Lancashire, England. It is overlooked by Whalley Nab, a large picturesque wooded hill over the river from the village....

, Longridge

Longridge

Longridge is a small town and civil parish in the borough of Ribble Valley in Lancashire, England. It is situated north-east of the city of Preston, at the western end of Longridge Fell, a long ridge above the River Ribble. Its nearest neighbours are Grimsargh and the Roman town of Ribchester , ...

 and Ribchester

Ribchester

Ribchester is a village and civil parish within the Ribble Valley district of Lancashire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Ribble, northwest of Blackburn and east of Preston.The village has a long history with evidence of Bronze Age beginnings...

. The area is so called due to the River Ribble

River Ribble

The River Ribble is a river that runs through North Yorkshire and Lancashire, in northern England. The river's drainage basin also includes parts of Greater Manchester around Wigan.-Geography:...

 which flows in its final stages towards its estuary near Preston. The area is popular with tourists who enjoy the area's natural unspoilt beauty, much of which lies within the Forest of Bowland

Forest of Bowland

The Forest of Bowland, also known as the Bowland Fells, is an area of barren gritstone fells, deep valleys and peat moorland, mostly in north-east Lancashire, England. A small part lies in North Yorkshire, and much of the area was historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire...

.

The Ribble Valley is statistically the wealthiest enclave in Lancashire and businesses in the area reflect this, including a Michelin listed restaurant and a Bentley car dealership. The area is a popular place with those who wish to relocate from London to somewhere more rural and community orientated.

The district was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972

Local Government Act 1972

The Local Government Act 1972 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974....

, as a merger of the municipal borough

Municipal borough

Municipal boroughs were a type of local government district which existed in England and Wales between 1835 and 1974, in Northern Ireland from 1840 to 1973 and in the Republic of Ireland from 1840 to 2002...

 of Clitheroe

Clitheroe

Clitheroe is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Ribble Valley in Lancashire, England. It is 1½ miles from the Forest of Bowland and is often used as a base for tourists in the area. It has a population of 14,697...

, Longridge

Longridge

Longridge is a small town and civil parish in the borough of Ribble Valley in Lancashire, England. It is situated north-east of the city of Preston, at the western end of Longridge Fell, a long ridge above the River Ribble. Its nearest neighbours are Grimsargh and the Roman town of Ribchester , ...

 urban district

Urban district

In the England, Wales and Ireland, an urban district was a type of local government district that covered an urbanised area. Urban districts had an elected Urban District Council , which shared local government responsibilities with a county council....

, Clitheroe Rural District, part of Blackburn Rural District

Blackburn Rural District

Blackburn was a rural district in Lancashire from 1894 to 1974.It was named after, but did not include Blackburn, which was an independent county borough...

, part of Burnley Rural District

Burnley Rural District

Burnley was a rural district of Lancashire, England from 1894 to 1974. It was named after but did not include Burnley, which was a county borough.It was created in 1894 under the Local Government Act 1894...

, and part of Preston Rural District

Preston Rural District

Preston was a rural district in Lancashire, England from 1894 to 1974. It surrounded Preston on the north, west and east sides.The district was created under the Local Government Act 1894. It was abolished in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, with its area being split between the new...

, as well as the Bowland Rural District

Bowland Rural District

Bowland was a rural district in the West Riding of Yorkshire from 1894 to 1974. It was named after the Forest of Bowland, which it included.It was formed under the Local Government Act 1894 from that part of the Clitheroe rural sanitary district which was in Yorkshire .The district was abolished...

 from the West Riding of Yorkshire

West Riding of Yorkshire

The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of the three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county, County of York, West Riding , was based closely on the historic boundaries...

, hence the addition of the Red Rose of Lancaster

Red Rose of Lancaster

The Red Rose of Lancaster is the county flower of Lancashire.The exact species or cultivar which the red rose relates to is uncertain, but it is thought to be Rosa gallica officinalis....

 and White Rose of York

White Rose of York

The White Rose of York , a white heraldic rose, is the symbol of the House of York and has since been adopted as a symbol of Yorkshire as a whole.-History:...

 on the council's coat of arms.

Primary schools

• Salesbury CE Primary School, Salesbury
• St Michael & St John's RC Primary School, Clitheroe
• St James' C of E Primary School, Clitheroe
• St Joseph's RC Primary School, Hurst Green
• St Mary's RC Primary School, Langho
• St Mary's CE Primary School, Mellor
• Brookside Primary School
• Waddington & West Bradford C of E Primary School, Clitheroe
• Pendle Primary School, Clitheroe
• Edisford Primary School, Clitheroe
• Sabden Primary School, Sabden
• Gisburn Primary School, Gisburn
• St Wilfrid's RC Primary School, Longridge
• Berry Lane C of E Primary School, Longridge
• Barnacre Road Primary School, Longridge

Secondary schools

• Ribblesdale High School Technology College
• St Augustines RC High School
• St Cecilia's RC Technology College, Longridge
• Bowland High
• Clitheroe Royal Grammar School
  Clitheroe Royal Grammar School
  See Royal Grammar School for the other schools with the name RGS.Clitheroe Royal Grammar School is a co-educational secondary school in Clitheroe, Lancashire that used to be an all boys school...
  
  
• Longridge High School, Longridge

Community radio

Ribble Valley Radio was a community radio station based in Clitheroe, part of the new, third sector of local radio licensed by OFCOM. The project was launched in September 2004. The radio station helped 6 local residents into paid work within the radio sector in just 3 years and trained over 100 volunteers to present and produce their own radio shows. The project was not supported by the Borough Council, which caused controversy in the area and local newspaper the Clitheroe Advertiser and Times held a poll which returned the result that 94% agreed that the Ribble Valley Borough Council were wrong not to fund the project and assist its long term success. Many letters appeared in support of the project and damning the "short sighted" decision of the council. The whole episode brought excellent publicity and boosted the radio station's listening figures by 400%.

MP Nigel Evans

Nigel Evans

Nigel Martin Evans is a British politician. Since 1992 he has been Conservative Party Member of Parliament for the Ribble Valley constituency. Since 2010 he has been First Deputy Chairman of Ways and Means, a deputy speaker.-Career:...

was a staunch supporter and tabled an Early Day Motion at Parliament EDM 979 calling for "better resources and funding" for Ribble Valley Radio and the new and emerging sector.

However Ribble Valley Radio closed down on 14 October 2007. The radio station closed as it was unable to gain sufficient funding to apply for a licence.