Harborough (/ˈhɑːrbərə/) is a local government district in Leicestershire, England. It is named after its main town, Market Harborough, which is where the council is based. The district also includes the town of Lutterworth and numerous villages and surrounding rural areas. In the north of the district it includes parts of the Leicester Urban Area, notably at Thurnby, Bushby and Scraptoft. Covering 230 square miles (600 km), the district is the largest by area of the eight districts in Leicestershire and covers almost a quarter of the county.

The neighbouring districts are Blaby, Oadby and Wigston, Leicester, Charnwood, Melton, Rutland, North Northamptonshire, West Northamptonshire and Rugby.

The district was created on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, covering the area of four former districts, which were all abolished at the same time:

• Billesdon Rural District
• Lutterworth Rural District
• Market Harborough Rural District
• Market Harborough Urban District

The new council was named Harborough, after its largest town of Market Harborough.

Harborough District Council
Type
Type	Non-metropolitan district
History
Founded	1 April 1974
Leadership
Chair	Peter Elliott, Liberal Democrat since 20 May 2024
Leader	Phil Knowles, Liberal Democrat since 15 May 2023
Chief Executive	John Richardson since 11 December 2023
Structure
Seats	34 councillors
Political groups	Administration (19)   Liberal Democrat (13)   Labour (3)   Green (3) Opposition (15)   Conservative (15)
Length of term	4 years
Elections
Last election	4 May 2023
Next election	6 May 2027
Meeting place
The Symington Building, Adam and Eve Street, Market Harborough, LE16 7AG
Website
www.harborough.gov.uk

Harborough District Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Leicestershire County Council. Much of the district is also covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government.

The council has been under no overall control since the 2023 election, being run by a coalition of the Liberal Democrats, Labour and the Greens, led by Liberal Democrat councillor Phil Knowles.

The first election to the council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities before coming into its powers on 1 April 1974. Since 1974 political control of the council has been as follows:

Party in control		Years
	Conservative	1974–1987
	No overall control	1987–2007
	Conservative	2007–2023
	No overall control	2023–present

The leaders of the council since 2000 have been:

Councillor	Party		From	To
John Fort		Conservative	pre-2000	28 May 2003
Robin Totten		Liberal Democrats	28 May 2003	10 May 2006
Simon Galton		Liberal Democrats	10 May 2006	16 May 2007
Graham Hart		Conservative	16 May 2007	Aug 2008
Alistair Swatridge		Conservative	8 Sep 2008	Nov 2009
Michael Rook		Conservative	25 Jan 2010	20 May 2013
Blake Pain		Conservative	20 May 2013	18 Sep 2017
Neil Bannister		Conservative	12 Oct 2017	20 May 2019
Phil King		Conservative	20 May 2019	15 May 2023
Phil Knowles		Liberal Democrats	15 May 2023

Following the 2023 election the composition of the council was:

Party		Councillors
	Conservative	15
	Liberal Democrats	13
	Labour	3
	Green	3
Total		34

The next election is due in 2027.

Since the last boundary changes in 2019 the council has comprised 34 councillors, representing 19 wards, with each ward electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years.

Harborough District Council is based at the Symington Building, located in the centre of Market Harborough. The building was originally a corset factory, built in 1884. The council purchased the building in 1980 and converted it to become its offices and meeting place, as well as providing a new library for the town. The building is also shared with Harborough Museum, the register office and Job Centre Plus.

Situated in the south of East Midlands but linking to Northamptonshire and the South East Region, and between the West Midland and East of England Region with access to three national transport routes - the M1 motorway the Midland Main Line railway and the A14 East West national trunk road, the district has always occupied an important strategic position.

The landscape of the district comprises both pastoral and upland characters. Generally the A6 Market Harborough to Leicester Road forms the boundary between each. The lower pastoral landscape of South Leicestershire is found to the west of the A6 whilst the more undulating upland landscape of High Leicestershire is found to the east.

South Leicestershire consists of gentler country around Lutterworth and Kibworth. Low hills swell out of shallow valleys and villages are pinpointed by church spires peeping above dark spinneys. Near Foxton and Gumley the Laughton Hills tumble down to the Grand Union Canal and Welland Valley, forming one of the best landscapes in this part of the district.

High Leicestershire consists of the tract of land between Market Harborough, Tilton On The Hill and towards Melton Mowbray and forms some of the loneliest countryside in the Midlands. Many villages were deserted centuries ago and remote hills such as Robin-a-Tiptoe in the parish of Tilton peer out over pastures and the occasional farmhouse.

The infant River Avon and River Welland form the southern border of the district with Northamptonshire with sources at Naseby and Sibbertoft respectively.

Brampton Valley Way, the former Northampton to Market Harborough Railway, is now a car free 'linear' park. It provides a 14 mile long walking, cycling and, in parts, horse riding route.

Despite Harborough District being the largest in Leicestershire by area it is primarily rural in nature and its population density is relatively low. Population growth for the district is nonetheless healthy and is set out below:

Population growth in Harborough District
Year	1951	1961	1971	1981	1991	2001	2011		2016		2021	2031
Population	42,469	51,390	58.093	59,941	67,601	76,598	85,382		90,400		94,000	101,000
Census									ONS		ONS Projections

The principal centres of population (from 2011 Census) are Market Harborough (21,894), Lutterworth (9,353) and Broughton Astley (8,940) to the south of the district and county. There are four large villages of over 3,000 population - Kibworth (5,455); Fleckney (4,894); Great Glen (3,662) and Thurnby and Bushby (3,301) - these evidence the transition from the relatively densely populated Leicester Urban Area into the countryside/farmland of rural Harborough. Other villages include Scraptoft (1,804), Houghton on the Hill (1,524), Husbands Bosworth (1,145), Great Bowden (1,017), Gilmorton (976), Ullesthorpe (903) and Billesdon (901). The District has 17 parishes with populations between 500 and 3,000, 40 parishes with populations between 100 and 500 and 28 parishes with populations of below 100 (mid-2004 population estimates).

Stanford Hall, Leicestershire is located in the south west of the district. The village of Stanford-on-Avon is in Northamptonshire but the house and park are on the Leicestershire bank of the River Avon

The Grand Union Canal (old) cuts across the district from Husbands Bosworth to Newton Harcourt with a spur to Market Harborough which leaves the Canal at Foxton.

Hallaton Treasure: More than 5,000 silver and gold coins, around 2,000 years old, were found at a site near Hallaton around 2002. The internationally important finds are exhibited at Harborough Museum.

The Eyebrook Reservoir straddles along the Harborough District's border with the county of Rutland. The reservoir serves as a popular trout fishing area and bird watching area, with nearby Eye Brook Valley Woods as a beautiful and natural small forest area for walking. The Reservoir and woods are cared for by the Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust and are SSSIs.

The Harborough District has a long association with fox hunting and is the base for the Fernie Hunt. Although hunting wild animals with dogs has stopped following the Hunting Act 2004, the Fernie Hunt continues to operate under the three principal exemptions to the Act - trail hunting, hound exercise and flushing coverts to a bird of prey. A historical account of fox hunting in the Harborough District (when the hunt was known as Mr Fernie's Billesdon Hunt) is available in the book "Annals of the Billesdon hunt (Mr. Fernie's) 1856-1913 : notable runs and incidents of the chase, prominent members, celebrated hunters and hounds, amusing stories and anecdotes" by F. Palliser de Costobadie. Also see an earlier guide to the fox hunting country north of Market Harborough published in 1882.

The Harborough Youth Council was set up in 2007 to represent the views of young people (aged 13–19) and aims to improve life for young people. It holds a District Youth Conference each year where young people give their views in front of district councillors. The HYC meets usually once per month, and sends representatives to CYCLe (County Youth Council Leicestershire).

The Harborough District Sport and Activity Alliance aims to make sport and physical activity accessible for all people throughout the Harborough District enabling them to fulfil their potential through sport and physical activity.

Most of the district is covered by civil parishes. The pre-1974 urban district of Market Harborough is an unparished area. The parish council for Lutterworth has declared that parish to be a town, allowing it to take the style "town council". Many of the smaller parishes have a parish meeting rather than a parish council.

• Allexton, Arnesby, Ashby Magna, Ashby Parva
• Billesdon, Bittesby, Bitteswell, Blaston, Bringhurst, Broughton Astley, Bruntingthorpe, Burton Overy
• Carlton Curlieu, Catthorpe, Claybrooke Magna, Claybrooke Parva, Cold Newton, Cotesbach, Cranoe
• Drayton, Dunton Bassett, East Langton, East Norton
• Fleckney, Foxton, Frisby, Frolesworth
• Gaulby, Gilmorton, Glooston, Goadby, Great Bowden, Great Easton, Great Glen, Gumley
• Hallaton, Horninghold, Houghton on the Hill, Hungarton, Husbands Bosworth
• Illston on the Hill
• Keyham, Kibworth Beauchamp, Kibworth Harcourt, Kimcote and Walton, King's Norton, Knaptoft
• Laughton, Launde, Leire, Little Stretton, Loddington, Lowesby, Lubenham, Lutterworth
• Marefield, Medbourne, Misterton with Walcote, Mowsley
• Nevill Holt, North Kilworth, Noseley
• Owston and Newbold
• Peatling Magna, Peatling Parva
• Rolleston
• Saddington, Scraptoft, Shangton, Shawell, Shearsby, Skeffington, Slawston, Smeeton Westerby, South Kilworth, Stockerston, Stonton Wyville, Stoughton, Swinford
• Theddingworth, Thorpe Langton, Thurnby and Bushby, Tilton on the Hill, Tugby and Keythorpe, Tur Langton
• Ullesthorpe
• Welham, West Langton, Westrill and Starmore, Willoughby Waterleys, Wistow, Withcote

Communities and organisations

• Villages in Harborough District
• Parish Plans
• Map of Parishes
• Community Forums

Heritage and attractions

• Harborough Museum
• The Via Devana or Gartree Road which runs from Leicester to the County border
• - Grand Union Canal - Leicester Line
• High Leicestershire and Rutland Cycle Routes
• The Leicestershire Round - Walking Route which runs from Claybrooke Magna to Owston in Harborough District
• Horse Riding in Leicestershire - The Midshires Way

Sporting and social

• Fernie Hunt

52°28′43″N 0°55′14″W / 52.4785°N 0.9206°W / 52.4785; -0.9206