Richmond upon Thames London Borough Council explained

Richmond upon Thames London Borough Council
Coa Pic:Coat of arms of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames.svg
Coa Res:100px
Coa Caption:Coat of arms
Logo Pic:Lb richmond logo.svg
Logo Res:250px
House Type:London borough council
Leader1 Type:Mayor
Leader1:Richard Pyne
Party1:
Liberal Democrat
Election1:14 May 2024[1]
Leader2 Type:Leader
Leader2:Gareth Roberts
Party2:
Liberal Democrat
Election2:22 May 2018[2]
Leader3 Type:Chief Executive
Leader3:Mike Jackson
Election3:2022
Seats:54 councillors[3]
Structure1:File:Richmond upon Thames London Borough Council.svg
Structure1 Res:260px
Structure1 Alt:Richmond Council composition
Political Groups1:
Administration (49)
  • Opposition (5)
  • Voting System1:Plurality-at-large
    Last Election1:5 May 2022
    Next Election1:7 May 2026
    Session Room:Twickenham, York House, front.jpg
    Session Res:250
    Meeting Place:York House, Richmond Road, Twickenham, TW13AA

    Richmond upon Thames London Borough Council, also known as Richmond upon Thames Council, LBRUT or Richmond Council, is the local authority for the London Borough of Richmond 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. Although the borough is named after Richmond, the council meets at York House in Twickenham, and has its main offices in the adjoining Civic Centre.

    History

    The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and its council were created under the London Government Act 1963, with the first election held in 1964.[4] For its first year the council acted as a shadow authority alongside the area's three outgoing authorities, being the municipal borough councils of Barnes, Richmond, and Twickenham. The new council formally came into its powers on 1 April 1965, at which point the old boroughs and their councils were abolished.[5]

    The council's full legal name is the "Mayor and Burgesses of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames".[6]

    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 Richmond upon Thames) responsible for "personal" services such as social care, libraries, cemeteries and refuse collection. As an outer London borough council Richmond 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.[7]

    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.[8]

    Since 2016 the council has shared a chief executive and other staff with neighbouring Wandsworth Council.[9]

    Powers and functions

    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.[10] 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.[11]

    Political composition

    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:[12]

    Party in control Years
    1965–1982
    1982–1983
    1983–1988
    1988–2002
    2002–2006
    2006–2010
    2010–2018
    2018–present

    Leadership

    The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Richmond. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 1965 have been:[13] [14]

    Councillor Party From To
    Harry Hall 1965 1978
    John Barker 1978 1980
    Keith Morell 1980 1983
    1983 3 Mar 1988
    3 Mar 1988 22 May 2001
    22 May 2001 13 May 2002
    13 May 2002 16 May 2006
    16 May 2006 9 May 2010
    25 May 2010 4 Jul 2017
    Paul Hodgins 4 Jul 2017 22 May 2018
    Gareth Roberts22 May 2018

    Composition

    Following the 2022 election and by-elections in January 2024, the composition of the council was:[15] [16]

    Party Councillors
    49
    5
    Total 54
    The next election is due in May 2026.

    Elections

    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.[17]

    Premises

    The council meets at York House, a large 17th century house in the centre of Twickenham. The house had been bought in 1923 by the old Twickenham Urban District Council (predecessor of Twickenham Borough Council) and converted to become its headquarters.[18] In 1990 the council moved its main offices to a new purpose-built Civic Centre at 44 York Street, immediately west of York House.[19] The Civic Centre was partly built behind the retained Victorian façade of a parade of shops at the corner of York Street and Church Street.[20]

    Notable former councillors

    External links

    Notes and References

    1. Web site: New Mayor to raise money for Richmond Borough Mind and Home-Start RKH . Richmond upon Thames Council . 25 May 2024 . 15 May 2024.
    2. Web site: Local Election – Thursday, 3 May 2018 . 2018 Council Election results . 3 May 2018 . . 4 May 2018.
    3. Web site: Your Councillors . London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. 27 January 2018.
    4. act. London Government Act 1963. 33. 16 May 2024.
    5. Book: Youngs, Frederic . Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England . I: Southern England . 1979 . Royal Historical Society . London . 0901050679.
    6. Web site: Unilateral undertaking template . Richmond Council . 27 April 2024.
    7. act. Local Government Act 1985. 1985. 51. 5 April 2024.
    8. Book: Leach, Steve . Local Government Reorganisation: The Review and its Aftermath. 107. Routledge. 1998. 978-0714648590.
    9. Web site: Wandsworth and Richmond Councils choose new Chief Executive . Wandsworth Council . 26 April 2024.
    10. Web site: Council Tax and Business Rates Billing Authorities. Council Tax Rates. 8 April 2020.
    11. Web site: Local Plan Responses – within and outside London. 12 November 2015 . Mayor of London. 9 April 2020.
    12. Web site: Compositions calculator . The Elections Centre . 3 March 2023.
    13. Web site: Council minutes . Richmond upon Thames Council . 6 July 2022.
    14. Web site: London Boroughs Political Almanac . London Councils . 5 July 2022.
    15. News: Uyal . Berk . 6 May 2022 . Richmond local election results 2022: Liberal Democrats hold . 1 . . London . 8 May 2022.
    16. News: Burford . Rachael . London by-elections: Tories 'wiped out in their former heartlands' but Labour suffer blow in Hackney . 27 April 2024 . The Standard . 19 January 2024.
    17. si. The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames (Electoral Changes) Order 2020. 2020. 1230. 27 April 2024.
    18. Book: The London Encyclopaedia . 1993 . PaperMac . Weinreb . Ben . Hibbert . Christopher . 0333576888 . London . 28963301 . 1004.
    19. News: Richmond Council office moves update . 27 April 2024 . Richmond Informer . 13 April 1990 . 18.
    20. News: Bank backs civic centre: Work starts soon on council offices . 27 April 2024 . Richmond Informer . 18 June 1987 . 1.
    21. News: David Blomfield obituary . Grossman, Wendy . Wendy M. Grossman . The Guardian. 22 August 2016 . 16 July 2017.
    22. Tonge, Jenny . Jenny Tonge . Autumn 2016. 16 July 2017 . Tribute to David Blomfield MBE . The Kew Society Newsletter.
    23. News: Former Hampton councillor Dee Doocey welcomed into House of Lords . Fleming . Christine . 10 January 2011 . . 24 March 2019.
    24. Web site: Dee Doocey . . 24 May 2019.
    25. Web site: Sally Hamwee . . 24 May 2019.
    26. News: Ex-Richmond Council leader Serge Lourie loses seat after 28 years . Wickham . Chris . 14 May 2010 . . 24 March 2019.
    27. News: Cllr Nicholas True, Leader of Richmond Council, has announced he will step down . 23 June 2017 . . 24 March 2019.
    28. Book: Razzall, Tim . Chance Encounters: Tales from a Varied Life . Tim Razzall . . 2014 . 978-1-84954-820-5.
    29. News: Borough's longest-serving council leader and 'towering figure' of local politics to be awarded freedom of Richmond . Welch . Ben . 3 March 2017 . . 25 May 2019.
    30. News: 2023-07-13 . Meet the Leader with Gareth Roberts . 2024-05-07 . Cratus Group . en-GB.
    31. News: Gyles Brandreth's daughter Aphra follows father's footsteps to represent Chester for Conservatives . 6 July 2024 . . . 5 July 2024.