| Kingston upon Thames London Borough Council | |
| Logo Pic: | Kingston upon Thames.svg |
| Logo Res: | 175px |
| Coa Pic: | Coat of Arms of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames.svg |
| Coa Res: | 175px |
| House Type: | London borough |
| Leader1 Type: | Mayor |
| Leader1: | Liz Green |
| Party1: | Liberal Democrat |
| Election1: | 16 May 2024 |
| Leader2 Type: | Leader |
| Leader2: | Andreas Kirsch |
| Party2: | Liberal Democrat |
| Election2: | 26 October 2021 |
| Leader3 Type: | Chief Executive |
| Leader3: | Sarah Ireland |
| Election3: | 16 May 2023[1] |
| Members: | 48 councillors |
| Structure1: | United_Kingdom_Kingston_upon_Thames_London_Borough_Council_2024.svg |
| Structure1 Res: | 250px |
| Political Groups1: |
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| Voting System1: | First past the post |
| Last Election1: | 5 May 2022 |
| Next Election1: | 7 May 2026 |
| Session Room: | Guildhall, Kingston.jpg |
| Session Res: | 250 |
| Meeting Place: | Guildhall, High Street, Kingston upon Thames, KT11EU |
Kingston upon Thames London Borough Council, which styles itself Kingston Council, is the local authority for the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in London. The council has been under Liberal Democrat majority control since 2018. It is based at Kingston upon Thames Guildhall.
The town of Kingston upon Thames was an ancient borough, having been formally incorporated in 1441, with a long history prior to that as a royal manor dating back to Saxon times.[2] [3] The borough was reformed to become a municipal borough in 1836 under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835, which standardised how most boroughs operated across the country. It was thereafter run by a body formally called the "Mayor, Aldermen and Burgesses of the Borough (or Royal Borough) of Kingston-upon-Thames".[4] Kingston was often described as a royal borough, with its right to that title being formally confirmed in 1927.[5]
The much larger London Borough of Kingston upon Thames and its council were created in 1965 under the London Government Act 1963, with the first election held in 1964.[6] For its first year the council acted as a shadow authority alongside the area's outgoing authorities, being the councils of the three municipal boroughs of Kingston-upon-Thames, Malden and Coombe and Surbiton.[7] The new council formally came into its powers on 1 April 1965, at which point the old boroughs and their councils were abolished.[8]
Kingston's royal borough status transferred to the enlarged borough.[9] The council's full legal name is the "Mayor and Burgesses of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames", although it styles itself Kingston Council.[10] The council counts its mayors as forming a continuous series with the mayors of the old municipal borough of Kingston-upon-Thames as first appointed in 1836.[11]
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 Kingston upon Thames) responsible for "personal" services such as social care, libraries, cemeteries and refuse collection. As an outer London borough council Kingston upon Thames has been a local education authority since 1965. The Greater London Council was abolished in 1986 and its functions passed to the London Boroughs, with some services provided through joint committees.[12]
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.[13]
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.[14] 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.[15]
The council has been under Liberal Democrat majority control since 2018.
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:[16]
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| 1965–1986 | ||
| 1986–1994 | ||
| 1994–1998 | ||
| 1998–2002 | ||
| 2002–2014 | ||
| 2014–2018 | ||
| 2018–present | ||
The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Kingston upon Thames. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 1972 have been:[17] [18]
| Councillor | Party | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| C. M. Cotton | 1972 | 1974 | ||
| Mike Knowles | 1974 | 1983 | ||
| David Edwards | 1983 | 1985 | ||
| Frank Hartfree | 1985 | 1986 | ||
| Chris Nicholson | 1986 | 1987 | ||
| Steve Harris | 1987 | 1988 | ||
| Frank Hartfree | 1988 | 1990 | ||
| Paul Clokie | 1990 | 1994 | ||
| John Tilley | 1994 | 1997 | ||
| Derek Osbourne | 1997 | 1998 | ||
| David Edwards | 1998 | 2001 | ||
| Kevin Davis | 2001 | 2002 | ||
| Roger Hayes | 2002 | 2003 | ||
| Derek Osbourne[19] [20] | 2003 | Jun 2013 | ||
| Liz Green | 19 Jun 2013 | May 2014 | ||
| Kevin Davis | May 2014 | May 2018 | ||
| Liz Green | May 2018 | 24 Mar 2020 | ||
| Caroline Kerr | 24 Mar 2020 | 26 Oct 2021 | ||
| Andreas Kirsch[21] | 26 Oct 2021 | |||
Following the 2022 election, a by-election in November 2022 and a change of allegiance in November 2023,[22] the composition of the council was as follows:
| Party | Councillors | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 43 | |||
| 2 | |||
| 2 | |||
| 1 | |||
| Total | 48 | ||
Since the last boundary changes in 2022 the council has comprised 48 councillors representing 19 wards, with each ward electing two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years.[24]
The council meets at the Guildhall on the High Street in Kingston upon Thames, which had been completed in 1935 for the old borough council. Most of the council's offices are into two 1970s buildings behind the Guildhall, known as Guildhall 1 and Guildhall 2.[25]
In the financial years 2015–19, under a Conservative and then Liberal Democrat administration the council spent £2.4 million of public money on so-called ‘golden goodbyes’ to departing senior staff, including: