Luton, England, is a unitary authority, and remains part of the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire. Luton is currently represented by 48 councillors of the Luton Borough Council, the Bedfordshire Police and crime commissioner, and two MPs in the constituencies of Luton North and Luton South and South Bedfordshire.
Between 1999 and 2010, Luton was additionally represented by the East of England Regional Assembly.
Prior to the Local Government Act 1972, Luton had been a county borough, but still part of the county of Bedfordshire. However, with the abolition of the county boroughs, Luton was fully integrated into Bedfordshire and its county council. This wasn't to last however, as in 1992, the Local Government Commission for England, recommended that Luton be made into a unitary authority and be separate of the county council. The government agreed and this was enforced from 1997 onwards.
Luton remains part of Bedfordshire for ceremonial purposes and one Lord Lieutenant serves for the whole ceremonial county.
| Luton Borough Council | |
| Type: | Unitary authority |
| Foundation: | 1997 |
| Location: | Luton, Bedfordshire |
See also: Luton Borough Council elections.
, Luton Borough Council is represented by 48 councillors across 20 wards. The council offices are centred on the Town Hall on George Street, Luton.
See main article: Council elections in Luton.
NB: The make up of the council changed between 2003 and 2007, hence the apparent inconsistencies between the councillors in 2003 and the changes recorded for 2007.
See main article: East of England Regional Assembly.
Whilst not a directly elected body, the East of England Regional Assembly was responsible between 1999 and 2010 for promoting the economic, environmental and social well-being of the East England region. It was made up of representatives from councils across the region, business organisations, public sector agencies, education and training bodies, trade unions and co-operatives and the voluntary and community sector.
The Police and Crime Commissioner is a Bedfordshire county-wide post., the post is held by John Tizard for Labour.
See main article: Parliament of the United Kingdom.
The town of Luton historically was part of the Bedfordshire constituency which was created in 1290. In 1885, the county was redistributed into two seats, one of which was Luton, formally the Southern or Luton Division of Bedfordshire. After a Second Periodic Review of constituencies, which came into effect in February 1974, the town was divided into Luton West and Luton East. These two seats were fairly short lived; for 1983, after the third review, the town was reorganised as Luton North and Luton South. In the 2023 review, the latter was expanded and renamed Luton South and South Bedfordshire.
| Election | Member | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1885 | Liberal | |||
| 1892 | ||||
| 1895 | Liberal | |||
| 1911 | Liberal | |||
| 1922 | ||||
| 1923 | Liberal | |||
| 1924 | Unionist | |||
| 1929 | Liberal | |||
| 1931 | National Liberal | |||
| 1945 | Labour | |||
| 1950 | Conservative | |||
| 1963 | Labour | |||
| 1970 | Conservative | |||
| Feb 1974 | Constituency abolished: see Luton East and Luton West | |||
| Election | Member | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb. 1974 | Labour | |||
| 1979 | Conservative | |||
| Election | Member | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb. 1974 | Labour | |||
| 1979 | Conservative | |||
| Election | Member | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Conservative | |||
| 1987 | Conservative | |||
| 1992 | Conservative | |||
| 1997 | Labour | |||
| 2001 | Labour | |||
| 2005 | Labour | |||
| 2010 | Labour | |||
| 2015 | Labour | |||
| 2017 | Labour | |||
| 2019 | Labour | |||
| 2024 | Labour | |||
| Election | Member | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Conservative | |||
| 1987 | Conservative | |||
| 1992 | Conservative | |||
| 1997 | Labour | |||
| 2001 | Labour | |||
| 2005 | Labour | |||
| 2010 | Labour | |||
| 2015 | Labour | |||
| 2017 | Labour | |||
| 2019 | Labour | |||
| 2024 | Labour | |||