London Borough of Greenwich

Infobox London Borough | name = London Borough of Greenwich
motto = We Govern by Serving
short_name = Greenwich
imagename =

status = London borough | area_rank = 302nd
area_km2 = 47.35
ons_code = 00AL | adminhq = Woolwich | ethnicity = 72.1% White
14.1% African-Caribbean
6.8% South Asian
3.2% Chinese
url = http://www.greenwich.gov.uk/
leadership = Leader & Cabinet
leader = Cllr Chris Roberts
mayor = Cllr Steve Offord
mps = John Austin
Clive Efford
Nick Raynsford
gla_constituency = Greenwich and Lewisham
gla_member = Len DuvallThe London Borough of Greenwich (audio|En-uk-LBGreenwich.ogg|pronunciation) (Greenwich pronEng|ˈgrɛnɪtʃ) is an Inner London borough in south-east London, England.

Greenwich is one of five host boroughs for the 2012 London Olympics with events due to be held at the Royal Artillery Barracks (Shooting), Greenwich Park (Equestrianism) and The O₂-former Millennium Dome (Gymnastics; Basketball).

History

It was formed in 1965 by merging the former area of the metropolitan boroughs of Greenwich and most of Woolwich (with the exception of North Woolwich, north of the river, which became part of the London Borough of Newham).

The name 'Charlton' was briefly considered for the borough. [Names for Nine New Boroughs of London. The Times. September 14, 1963] . Greenwich was once turned down for city status, which if it had been accepted the borough would be known as the "City of Greenwich", similar to the City of Westminster.

Geography

The borough lies along the south bank of the River Thames between Deptford and Thamesmead. Because of the shape of the river, the waterfront is extremely long. Travelling south away from the waterfront, the ground swiftly rises: Shooters Hill in the east and the high ground of Blackheath in the west bookend the borough, Eltham to the south of these hills falls away slightly.

Greenwich is bounded by the London Boroughs of Bexley to the east, Bromley to the south and Lewisham to the west, and across the River Thames to the north lie Tower Hamlets and Newham.

Demographics

The borough's population at a 2005 estimate was 228,100 of which over 77% of the population was ethnically White with more than 1 in 10 residents of African-Caribbean ethnicity and substantial minorities of South and East Asian heritage.

Landmarks

Central Greenwich Town contains a UNESCO World Heritage Site centred on Christopher Wren's Royal Naval College and the Old Royal Observatory.

Civic affairs

Mayor

The 2008/9 Mayor is Cllr Steve Offord (Abbey Wood ward).

Shaped like an astrolabe, the 18ct gold badge on the Mayor's chain embodies the ‘time-ball’ on the principal building of the old Greenwich Royal Observatory, the meridian line and lines of latitude and longitude. The ‘time-ball’ is set with small rubies.

Executive

The Executive is composed of ten Labour members, led by Cllr Chris Roberts (Peninsula ward) who has been Leader of the Council since 2001.

Coat of arms

The hour glass and radiated stars are taken from the arms of the Metropolitan Borough of Greenwich and symbolise the position of the borough as the place from which the standard of time is taken. The three cannon barrels, are taken from the arms of the Metropolitan Borough of Woolwich and signify the association of that borough with the Royal Arsenal.

Twinning

The London Borough of Greenwich is twinned with:
* - Tema, Ghana
* - Reinickendorf, Berlin, Germany
* - Maribor, Slovenia

Politics

Greenwich London Borough Council

Summary of council election results:

By elections in 2006-2010 Council

Westminster Parliament

The borough contains the constituencies of:
* Eltham
* Erith and Thamesmead (shared with the London Borough of Bexley)
* Greenwich and Woolwich

As of the 2005 General Election, all three are represented by Labour MPs.

Education

Universities

The University of Greenwich main campus is located in the distinctive buildings of the former Royal Naval College. There is a further campus of the university at Avery Hill in Eltham, and also, outside the borough, in Medway. Near the main campus at Greenwich, the Trinity College of Music is housed in the buildings of the former Greenwich Hospital.

port within Borough

Greenwich has many sports centres and these are run by Greenwich Leisure Limited (GLL). There are also many clubs including football clubs such as Charlton Athletic which not only trains children but is also a professional football club playing in The Championship. There are also several Swimming clubs and Rugby clubs.

Transport

River crossings

There are foot tunnels under the River Thames between Greenwich and Island Gardens in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets and between Woolwich and North Woolwich in the London Borough of Newham. The Woolwich Ferry takes vehicle traffic and links the North Circular Road to the South Circular Road which runs through the borough.

Railway stations

* Abbey Wood
* Charlton
* Eltham
* Greenwich
* Kidbrooke
* Maze Hill
* Mottingham
* New Eltham
* Plumstead
* Westcombe Park
* Woolwich Arsenal
* Woolwich Dockyard

Tube/DLR stations

* Cutty Sark (DLR)
* Deptford Bridge (DLR)-on the boader of Greenwich and Lewisham.
* Elverson Road (DLR) - om the boader of Greenwich and Lewisham.
* Greenwich (DLR)
* North Greenwich (Jubilee Line)

Places

Parks and open spaces

The borough contains the Greenwich Royal Park.

Churches

The Greenwich borough is predominantly Christian (2001 Census). The Christian Church is represented by various denominations, among which are Church of England, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, Evangelical, Brethren, Pentecostal, Quakers, etc. Non-Trinitarian groups also exist. Besides these there are various other religious minorities including Sikhs, Muslims, Hindus and Jews.

Postcode areas

SE2 (part), SE3 (part), SE7 (all), SE8 (part), SE9 (part), SE10 (part), SE12 (part), SE13 (part), SE18 (all), SE28 (part), DA15(part) BR7 (part).

ee also

*Greenwich parks and open spaces
*Firepower - The Royal Artillery Museum
*University of Greenwich
*Millennium Dome

References

* [http://www.londonremade.com/mgpc2.asp "The Mayor's Green Procurement Code"] , "Level A1", Accessed September 26 2007.

External links

* [http://www.greenwich.gov.uk Greenwich Council]
* [http://www.greenwichconservatives.com Greenwich Conservatives]
* [http://www.gwlp.org/ Greenwich and Woolwich Labour Party]
* [http://www.greenwich.libdems.org.uk/ Greenwich Liberal Democrats]
* [http://www.elthamlabour.org.uk Eltham Labour Party]
* [http://www.cliveefford.org.uk/ MP Clive Efford]
* [http://www.gypc.org.uk/ Greenwich Young Peoples Council]
* [http://www.lgcnd.org.uk/ Lewisham and Greenwich CND (Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament)]