Westminster City Council | |
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Type | |
Type | |
Leadership | |
Stuart Love since January 2018 [3] | |
Structure | |
Seats | 54 councillors |
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Political groups |
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Elections | |
First past the post | |
Last election | 5 May 2022 |
Next election | 7 May 2026 |
Meeting place | |
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Westminster Council House, 97–113 Marylebone Road, London, NW1 5PT | |
Website | |
www |
Westminster City Council is the local authority for the City of Westminster in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in London. The council has been under Labour majority control since 2022. Full council meetings are generally held at Westminster Council House, also known as Marylebone Town Hall, and the council has its main offices at Westminster City Hall on Victoria Street.
Whilst an important centre of royal authority from Saxon times, Westminster was not formally incorporated as a borough for local government purposes until 1900. However, it was declared a city in 1540. [4]
From 1856 the area of the modern borough was within the area governed by the Metropolitan Board of Works, which was established to provide services across the metropolis of London. In 1889 the Metropolitan Board of Works' area was made the County of London. From 1856 until 1900 the lower tier of local government within the metropolis comprised various parish vestries and district boards. One such district was initially called the Westminster District, which was renamed the St Margaret and St John Combined Vestry in 1887. [5] In 1900 the lower tier was reorganised into metropolitan boroughs, including Westminster (which inherited Westminster's city status), [6] Paddington and St Marylebone, each with a borough council. [7]
The larger London borough called the City of Westminster and its council were created under the London Government Act 1963, with the first election held in 1964. [8] For its first year the council acted as a shadow authority alongside the area's three outgoing authorities, being the metropolitan borough councils of Westminster, Paddington and St Marylebone. The new council formally came into its powers on 1 April 1965, at which point the old boroughs and their councils were abolished. [9] [10] In 1966 the city was granted the dignity of having a lord mayor. [11]
The council's full legal name is "The Lord Mayor and Citizens of the City of Westminster", but it is generally known as Westminster City Council. [12]
From 1965 until 1986 the council was a lower-tier authority, with upper-tier functions provided by the Greater London Council. The split of powers and functions meant that the Greater London Council was responsible for "wide area" services such as fire, ambulance, flood prevention, and refuse disposal; with the boroughs (including Westminster) responsible for "personal" services such as social care, libraries, cemeteries and refuse collection. The Greater London Council was abolished in 1986 and its functions passed to the London Boroughs, with some services provided through joint committees. [13] Westminster became a local education authority in 1990 when the Inner London Education Authority was dissolved. [14]
In the late 1980s, the under the leadership of Conservative councillor Shirley Porter, the council was involved in the homes for votes scandal. In marginal wards, the council moved the homeless elsewhere, and sold council homes to groups who were more likely to vote Conservative. On investigation, the policy was ruled to be illegal, and it was revealed that some of the homeless had been rehoused in condemned accommodation. After leaving office, Porter was found guilty of wilful misconduct and ordered to repay £36.1 million; a payment of £12.3 million was eventually accepted. [15] [16] [17]
Since 2000 the Greater London Authority has taken some responsibility for highways and planning control from the council, but within the English local government system the council remains a "most purpose" authority in terms of the available range of powers and functions. [18]
The local authority derives its powers and functions from the London Government Act 1963 and subsequent legislation, and has the powers and functions of a London borough council. It sets council tax and as a billing authority also collects precepts for Greater London Authority functions and business rates. [19] It sets planning policies which complement Greater London Authority and national policies, and decides on almost all planning applications accordingly. It is a local education authority and is also responsible for council housing, social services, libraries, waste collection and disposal, traffic, and most roads and environmental health. [20]
The council has been under Labour majority control since 2022. Prior to that the council had been under Conservative majority control since the creation of the current authority in 1965. [21]
The first election was held in 1964, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until it came into its powers on 1 April 1965. Political control of the council since 1965 has been as follows: [22]
Party in control | Years | |
---|---|---|
Conservative | 1965–2022 | |
Labour | 2022–present |
The role of Lord Mayor of Westminster is largely ceremonial. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 1965 have been: [23] [24]
Councillor | Party | From | To | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Gordon Pirie [25] | Conservative | 1965 | 1969 | |
Arthur Barrett | Conservative | 1969 | 1972 | |
Guy Cubitt | Conservative | 1972 | 1976 | |
David Cobbold | Conservative | 1976 | 1983 | |
Shirley Porter | Conservative | 1983 | 1991 | |
David Weeks [26] | Conservative | 1991 | 13 Jul 1993 | |
Miles Young [27] | Conservative | 29 Jul 1993 | 1995 | |
Melvyn Caplan | Conservative | 1995 | 2000 | |
Simon Milton | Conservative | 2000 | Jun 2008 | |
Colin Barrow | Conservative | 18 Jun 2008 | 7 Mar 2012 | |
Philippa Roe | Conservative | 7 Mar 2012 | 25 Jan 2017 | |
Nickie Aiken | Conservative | 25 Jan 2017 | 22 Jan 2020 | |
Rachael Robathan | Conservative | 22 Jan 2020 | 18 May 2022 | |
Adam Hug | Labour | 18 May 2022 |
Following the 2022 election the composition of the council was:
Party | Councillors | |
---|---|---|
Labour | 31 | |
Conservative | 23 | |
Total | 54 |
The next election is due in 2026.
Since the last boundary changes in 2022 the council has comprised 54 councillors representing 18 wards, with each ward electing three councillors. Elections are held every four years. [28]
The council has its main offices at Westminster City Hall on Victoria Street in the Victoria area. It was designed by Burnet Tait & Partners on a speculative basis, and completed in 1966. [29] Full council meetings are held in the council chamber of Marylebone Town Hall on Marylebone Road, built in 1920 for the former Metropolitan Borough of St Marylebone, one of the council's predecessors. [30]
The City of Westminster is a London borough with city status in Greater London, England. It is the site of the United Kingdom's Houses of Parliament and much of the British government. It contains a large part of central London, including most of the West End, such as the major shopping areas around Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Bond Street, and the entertainment district of Soho. Many London landmarks are within the borough, including Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Whitehall, Westminster Cathedral, 10 Downing Street, and Trafalgar Square.
The Greater London Council (GLC) was the top-tier local government administrative body for Greater London from 1965 to 1986. It replaced the earlier London County Council (LCC) which had covered a much smaller area. The GLC was dissolved in 1986 by the Local Government Act 1985 and its powers were devolved to the London boroughs and other entities. A new administrative body, known as the Greater London Authority (GLA), was established in 2000.
Paddington was a civil parish and metropolitan borough in London, England. It was an ancient parish in the county of Middlesex, governed by an administrative vestry. The parish was included in the area of responsibility of the Metropolitan Board of Works in 1855 and became part of the County of London in 1889. The parish of Paddington became a metropolitan borough in 1900, following the London Government Act 1899, with the parish vestry replaced by a borough council. In 1965 the borough was abolished and its former area became part of the City of Westminster in Greater London.
Cities of London and Westminster is a constituency returning a single Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons in the United Kingdom Parliament. As with all constituencies, the election is decided using the first past the post system of election. From its creation at the 1950 general election to the 2024 general election, the constituency had always elected the candidate nominated by the Conservative Party.
Regent's Park and Kensington North was a constituency in Central and West London represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election from 1997 to 2010.
Westminster North was a constituency in Greater London represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament. It existed for the periods 1983–1997 and 2010–2024.
Lewisham London Borough Council is the local authority for the London Borough of Lewisham, in London, United Kingdom. Elections are held every four years using a plurality bloc vote electoral system for the councillors and the supplementary vote electoral system for the elected mayor.
Paddington was a parliamentary constituency centred on the Paddington district of London. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The constituency was created for the February 1974 general election, partially replacing the previous Paddington North and Paddington South constituencies, and abolished for the 1983 general election. A Paddington borough constituency has three times been recommended during early stages of Boundary Commission inquiries, only to be altered before the final report was issued.
West End is an electoral ward of the London borough of the City of Westminster, in the United Kingdom.
Westminster City Council, the local authority of the City of Westminster in London, England, is elected every four years. Since the last boundary changes in 2022 the council has comprised 54 councillors representing 18 wards, with each ward electing three councillors. Elections are held every four years.
Camden London Borough Council, also known as Camden Council, is the local authority for the London Borough of Camden in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in London. The council has been under Labour majority control since 2010. The council meets at Camden Town Hall and has its main offices at 5 Pancras Square.
Merton London Borough Council, which styles itself Merton Council, is the local authority for the London Borough of Merton in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in London. The council has been under Labour majority control since 2014. The council is based at Merton Civic Centre in Morden.
Hampstead Town is a ward in the London Borough of Camden, in the United Kingdom. It covers most of Hampstead Village, the western half of Hampstead Heath, North End and the Vale of Health. The more residential Frognal ward covers much of the rest of Hampstead.
The 2014 Westminster City Council election took place on 22 May 2014 to elect members of Westminster City Council in England. This was on the same day as other local elections.
The 1964 Westminster Council election took place on 7 May 1964 to elect members of Westminster City Council in London, England. The whole council was up for election and the Conservative party gained control of the council.
The 2018 Westminster City Council election was held on 3 May 2018, the same day as other London Boroughs. All 60 seats were up for election along with the 12 seats of Queen's Park Community Council, the parish council in the north west of the city. Despite initial expectations of Labour gains across the borough, the Conservative party were able to hold the council and only lost 3 seats. The Conservatives won the popular vote across the borough by a small margin of 923 votes (1.7%), but nonetheless won a decisive victory in terms of seats, winning 41 councillors to Labour's 19.
The 2022 Harrow London Borough Council election took place on 5 May 2022. All 55 members of Harrow London Borough Council were elected. The elections took place alongside local elections in the other London boroughs and elections to local authorities across the United Kingdom.
The 2022 Westminster City Council election took place on 5 May 2022. All 54 members of Westminster City Council have been elected. The elections took place alongside local elections in the other London boroughs and elections to local authorities across the United Kingdom.
Little Venice is an electoral ward of the City of Westminster. The population at the 2011 Census was 10,633. The ward covers the area south of Maida Vale and north of Paddington, bound by the Westway, Edgware Road and Grand Union Canal. The Regent's Canal runs through the ward to Little Venice basin, and it is served by Warwick Avenue station on the Bakerloo line, in addition to several bus routes running through the area. There are three primary schools, St Joseph's RC Primary School, St Saviour's CofE Primary School and Ark Paddington Green Primary Academy, and one GP surgery in the ward.
Maida Vale is an electoral ward of the City of Westminster. The population at the 2011 Census was 10,210. The ward covers the area south of Kilburn, north of Little Venice and west of St John's Wood, bordered by Maida Vale (A5), Shirland Road, Sutherland Avenue and Kilburn Park Road. The ward contains Paddington Recreation Ground, Lauderdale Road Spanish & Portuguese Synagogue, Saint Augustine's church and is home to the BBC Maida Vale Studios. The area is served by Maida Vale station on the Bakerloo line, in addition to several bus routes running through the locality. There are two primary schools, Essendine Primary School and St Augustine's Primary School, two secondary schools, St Augustine's CE High School and St. George's Catholic School, in addition to three GP surgeries located in the ward.