The district was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, covering the whole area of six former districts and part of a seventh, which were all abolished at the same time:
The new district was named Teignbridge after the medieval hundred of that name which had covered some of the area. The hundred in turn had been named after the bridge over the River Teign on Exeter Road west of Kingsteignton, where there had been a number of bridges since Roman times.
In July 2026, it was announced that Teignbridge District Council would be abolished as part of the nationwide Local Government Reorganisation programme aiming to replace two-tier governance with unitary authorities. 15 parishes from Teignbridge, including towns such as Dawlish, will be incorporated into a new Exeter unitary authority; 16 parishes, including towns such as Newton Abbot, will be incorporated into an expanded Torbay and South Devon unitary authority; the remaining parishes will be incorporated into a new Devon unitary authority. The changes are planned to come into full effect as of 2028.
In the parts of the district within the Dartmoor National Park, town planning is the responsibility of the Dartmoor National Park Authority. The district council appoints two of its councillors to serve on the 19-person National Park Authority.
Political control
The council has been under Liberal Democrat majority control since the 2023 election.
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. Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows:
Since the last boundary changes in 2019 the council has comprised 47 councillors representing 24 wards, with each ward electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years.
The council is based at Forde House on Brunel Road in Newton Abbot.
The council bought the Forde House estate in 1978 for £60,000. The estate comprised a Tudor mansion and its grounds. A modern office building was built in the grounds to serve as the council's headquarters, being formally opened on 27 April 1987. The new office building now takes the name Forde House, with the old mansion now called Old Forde House.
Parishes and settlements
The district is entirely divided into civil parishes. Some of the smaller parishes have a parish meeting rather than a parish council. The parish councils for Ashburton, Buckfastleigh, Dawlish, Kingsteignton, Newton Abbot and Teignmouth take the style "town council".
↑"Compositions Calculator". The Elections Centre. University of Exeter. Retrieved 26 November 2024. (Put "Teignbridge" in search box to see specific results.)
