Vernonshire

Vernonshire
Map of Vernonshire
Geography
Established	14 November 1836
Area - Total	Ranked 6th 1,133.67 sq mi (2,936.2 km2)
Demography
Population (2015)	200,814  (Ranked 7th)
Population density	177.14/sq mi (68.39/km2)
Ethnicity	97.5% White 2.5% Other
Politics
Vernonshire County Council
Coat of Arms of Vernonshire
Chairman	Donald Raines (Ind)
Councillors	No overall control      National (8)      Democratic (7)      Labour Workers (1)      Independent (2)
Local authorities of New Ingrea Counties · Municipalities · Parishes

Vernonshire is a county located on the east coast of New Ingrea.

Toponomy

Vernonshire owes it's name to the Vernon family, who were major patrons of the New Ingrea Company. The county was named by the first Surveyor-General of New Ingrea, James Lang, when he explored the area in 1834-35. The county was named after Sir George Vernon, a patron of Lang's from his time in the army.

Politics and administration

Local government

Vernonshire County Council

The county council for Vernonshire was established in 1886, having been first gazetted in 1836. The County Councils were first introduced as a result of the Local Government Act, taking over the administrative functions that had until that time been carried out by the unelected Courts of General and Quarter Sessions.

Municipalities

Map of the municipalities of Vernonshire

The county is divided in to nine municipalities, as outlined below:

Municipality		Seat
	City of Langford	Langford
Coat of arms of Harnham	Harnham Rural District	Harnham
Coat of arms of Port Elburg	Port Elburg Rural District	Port Elburg
Coat of arms of St Clair	St Clair Rural District	St Clair
Coat of arms of St Leonards	St Leonards Rural District	St Leonards
Coat of arms of Alchester	Alchester Rural District	Alchester
	Woolcaster Rural District	Woolcaster
Coat of arms of Willowdene	Willowdene Rural District	Willowdene
Coat of arms of Winterbourne	Winterbourne Rural District	Winterbourne

Education

There are just over 30,000 school age children in Vernonshire. Of that, some 27,700 attend state-run schools, with the remainder enrolled in private schools and colleges.

Public education

As of July 2014, there are some 72 state-run schools located in Vernonshire. The average class size for primary schools across the three school boards in Vernonshire is just 18 pupils, the lowest of any county in New Ingrea. In the smaller villages and hamlets, classes may be combined in a composite format by form, so that the upper and lower years in a particular form are taught in a single class. The structure of each school rests with the local school superintendent and the board of trustees. Funding for all publicly run schools is drawn chiefly from the central government, however the district boards of trustees are permitted to levy modest fees to cover some costs. The boards may also create and manage investment funds and endowments, which can be spent on any capital project such as new buildings, playground equipment, or teaching aids.

The tripartite system splits secondary education into streams, which based on academic merit and ability from the age of 12. To facilitate this system, Vernonshire is able to boast four grammar schools, five technical schools, and nine vocational schools. There are also nine matriculation colleges located in Vernonshire, all of which are co-located with the local vocational school.

The administration of the state funded schools across the county is divided between nine district boards of trustees, which are based on the municipal districts of the same name:

• Harnham District School Board
• Langford District School Board
• Port Elburg District School Board
• Alchester District School Board
• St Clair District School Board
• St Leonards District School Board
• Willowdene District School Board
• Winterbourne District School Board
• Woolcaster District School Board

Elections to the school boards take place annually in non-compulsory ballots that are held in November for the forthcoming calendar year.

Private education

In addition to the state schools, Vernonshire also boasts four privately run schools, all of which operate at both primary and secondary level. Three of these schools are religious, and are operated by the Methodist, Roman Catholic, pentecostal churches, with fourth being a Steiner school.

As with all private schools in New Ingrea, funding comes chiefly from private means in the form of tuition fees, endowments, and from private income derived from assets held by the schools. Public funding also occurs to subsidise special-needs children, and pupils coming from remote areas. All schools offer scholarships for disadvantaged children.

The private schools are:

• St Patricks Catholic College (P-6)
• Langford Christian College (P-6)
• Langford Methodist School (P-6)
• Langford Steiner School (P-6)

Transport

Roads

There are two major trunk roads in Vernonshire, with the A1 running through the middle of the county from Naylor's Gap to Winton-on-Sea. The A2 also runs through the county, commencing at Langford and leaving the county at Alchester. In total, there are some TBA of trunk road in Vernonshire.

The county road network, managed by Vernonshire County Council, includes all or part of the B24, B25, B27, and B30; as well as all secondary and unclassified roads in the county.