Parts of the district lie within the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The neighbouring districts are Cotswold, Cheltenham, Stroud, Gloucester, Forest of Dean, Malvern Hills and Wychavon.

[2] The town was reformed in 1836 to become a municipal borough under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835, governed by a body formally called the "mayor, aldermen and burgesses of the borough of Tewkesbury", but generally known as the corporation or town council.

[7] In 1991, the parishes of Leckhampton, Prestbury, Swindon and Up Hatherley were transferred to the neighbouring borough of Cheltenham.

The new branding was to be brought into use from December 2024,[10] but has been delayed because of the potential implications for local government arising from a White Paper to be issued on devolution for England.

[15] The whole district is also covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government.

[16] The council has been under no overall control since the 2023 election, with leadership roles shared between the Liberal Democrats, Greens and independent councillors.

The area is served by BBC West Midlands and ITV Central with television signals received from either the Ridge Hill[28] or Sutton Coldfield TV transmitters.