The town of Cheltenham was incorporated as a municipal borough in 1876, governed by a body formally called the "mayor, aldermen and burgesses of the borough of Cheltenham", but generally known as the corporation or town council.

Prior to 1876 the town had been administered by a body of improvement commissioners which had been established in 1786.

[8] Parts of the borough are also covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government.

Political control of the council since the 1974 reforms has been as follows:[10][11] The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Cheltenham.

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