Forest Heath was a local government district in Suffolk, England. Its council was based in Mildenhall. Other towns in the district included Newmarket. The population of the district at the 2011 Census was 59,748.[1]

Forest Heath
Forest Heath District
Mildenhall
Mildenhall
Forest Heath shown within Suffolk
Forest Heath shown within Suffolk
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Constituent countryEngland
RegionEast of England
Non-metropolitan countySuffolk
StatusNon-metropolitan district
Admin HQMildenhall
Incorporated1 April 1974
Abolished31 March 2019
Government
 • TypeNon-metropolitan district council
 • BodyForest Heath District Council
 • LeadershipAlternative - Sec.31 ( )
Area
 • Total
145.8 sq mi (377.7 km2)
Population
 (mid-2018)
 • Total
65,500
 • Density450/sq mi (170/km2)
 • Ethnicity
91.0% White
3.0% Black
1.3% S.Asian
3.1% mixed race
Time zoneUTC0 (GMT)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+1 (BST)
ONS code42UC (ONS)
E07000201 (GSS)
OS grid referenceTL7156375032
Websitewww.westsuffolk.gov.uk

The district's name reflected the fact that it contains parts of both Thetford Forest and the heathlands of Breckland. The district was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, by a merger of Newmarket Urban District and Mildenhall Rural District. Forest Heath district was merged with the borough of St Edmundsbury on 1 April 2019 to form a new West Suffolk district.[2]

Forest Heath was the home to two of the largest United States Air Force (USAF) airbases in the UK: RAF Lakenheath and RAF Mildenhall, as well as the headquarters of British horse racing, Newmarket Racecourse.

Forest Heath had had a high suicide rate when compared to the rest of Suffolk, to the East of England and to England overall.[3][4] The reasons for this are unknown.

In the English indices of deprivation 2010 report published by the Department for Communities and Local Government, two parts of Forest Heath have the highest employment out of 32483 areas in England.[5]

Governance

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As of the 2015 Local Government Elections, the Conservatives held overall control of the District Council.

party seats
Conservative 19
West Suffolk Independents 5
UKIP 3

Communities

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The district contains three market towns and twenty civil parishes.

Towns

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Civil parishes

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Education

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The Shi-Tennoji School in UK in Herringswell, Forest Heath was in operation beginning in 1985,[6] and ending on 17 July 2000.[7]

References

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  1. ^ "District population 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Archived from the original on 12 October 2016. Retrieved 15 August 2016.
  2. ^ Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (24 May 2018). "The West Suffolk (Local Government Changes) Order 2018". legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  3. ^ http://www.suffolk.nhs.uk/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=sC1P36aOxBQ%3d&tabid=3295&mid=6787 [dead link]
  4. ^ http://www.suffolk.nhs.uk/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=ypVgQVl1lB0%3D&tabid=3425&mid=6783 [dead link]
  5. ^ "English indices of deprivation 2010". Department for Communities and Local Government. Gov.uk. Retrieved 23 June 2013.
  6. ^ McNeill, Phil. "Shrine of the times." (Archive) The Telegraph. 22 July 2007. Retrieved on 8 January 2014.
  7. ^ "Establishment: Shi-Tennoji School." (Archive) Department for Education. Retrieved on 8 January 2014. "Shi-Tennoji School Herringswell Bury St Edmund's Suffolk IP28 6SW"
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52°20′46″N 0°31′08″E / 52.3461°N 0.5190°E / 52.3461; 0.5190