Westminster City Council Explained

Westminster City Council
House Type:London borough council
Leader1:Robert Rigby
Election1:15 May 2024[1]
Leader2:Adam Hug
Election2:18 May 2022[2]
Leader3:Stuart Love
Election3:January 2018[3]
Members:54 councillors
Structure1:File:Westminster City Council 2022.svg
Structure1 Res:250px
Political Groups1:
Administration (31)
  • Labour (31)
    Opposition (23)
  • Conservative (23)
    • Next Election1:7 May 2026
    Session Room:Westminster Council House.jpg
    Session Res:250
    Meeting Place:Westminster Council House, 97–113 Marylebone Road, London, NW15PT

    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.

    History

    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), Paddington and St Marylebone, each with a borough council.[6]

    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.[7] 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.[8] [9] In 1966 the city was granted the dignity of having a lord mayor.

    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.[10]

    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.[11] Westminster became a local education authority in 1990 when the Inner London Education Authority was dissolved.[12]

    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 £36.1million; a payment of £12.3million was eventually accepted.[13] [14] [15]

    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.[16]

    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.[17] 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.[18]

    Political control

    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.[19]

    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:[20]

    Party in control Years
    1965–2022
    2022–present

    Leadership

    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:[21] [22]

    Councillor Party From To
    Gordon Pirie[23] 1965 1969
    Arthur Barrett 1969 1972
    Guy Cubitt 1972 1976
    David Cobbold 1976 1983
    1983 1991
    David Weeks[24] 1991 13 Jul 1993
    Miles Young[25] 29 Jul 1993 1995
    1995 2000
    2000 Jun 2008
    Colin Barrow 18 Jun 2008 7 Mar 2012
    7 Mar 2012 25 Jan 2017
    25 Jan 2017 22 Jan 2020
    Rachael Robathan 22 Jan 2020 18 May 2022
    Adam Hug 18 May 2022

    Composition

    Following the 2022 election the composition of the council was:

    PartyCouncillors
    31
    23
    Total54
    The next election is due in 2026.

    Elections

    See also: Westminster City Council 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.[26]

    Premises

    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.[27] 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.[28]

    Notable councillors

    See also

    Notes and References

    1. Web site: New Lord Mayor of Westminster elected . Westminster City Council . 26 May 2024.
    2. Web site: Council minutes, 18 May 2022 . Westminster City Council . 29 June 2022.
    3. News: Westminster names new chief . 30 April 2024 . The MJ . 17 January 2018.
    4. Book: Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1541–1857: Volume 7 . 1992 . Institute of Historical Research . London . 65–67 . 30 April 2024.
    5. [Metropolis Management Act 1855]
    6. [London Government Act 1899]
    7. act. London Government Act 1963. 33. 16 May 2024.
    8. Book: Youngs, Frederic . Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England . I: Southern England . 1979 . Royal Historical Society . London . 0901050679.
    9. Web site: Grant of title of city: London Borough of Westminster, 1964 . The National Archives . 1 May 2024 . LCO 6/2762.
    10. Web site: Central London Forward Joint Venture Agreement . City of London Corporation . 30 April 2024.
    11. act. Local Government Act 1985. 1985. 51. 5 April 2024.
    12. [Education Reform Act 1988]
    13. All facts below are taken from the description of facts as printed in the decision of the Judicial Appealate Committee of the House of Lords of the Westminster Parliament in Porter v Magill [2002] 2 AC 357, and are repeated here under absolute privilege
    14. Book: Rosenberg, Jonathan . Against the odds . WECH . London . 0-9533073-0-1 . 1998.
    15. News: WESTMINSTER CITY COUNCIL BUILDING STABLE COMMUNITIES REPORT IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST. John. Magill. 3 February 2004. London. The Guardian.
    16. Book: Leach, Steve . Local Government Reorganisation: The Review and its Aftermath. 107. Routledge. 1998. 978-0714648590.
    17. Web site: Council Tax and Business Rates Billing Authorities. Council Tax Rates. 8 April 2020.
    18. Web site: Local Plan Responses – within and outside London. 12 November 2015 . Mayor of London. 9 April 2020.
    19. News: Neary . Hannah . Westminster local election results 2022: Tories lose council to Labour for first time ever . 30 April 2024 . My London . 6 May 2022.
    20. Web site: Compositions calculator . The Elections Centre . 3 March 2023.
    21. Web site: Council minutes . Westminster City Council . 29 June 2022.
    22. Web site: London Boroughs Political Almanac . London Councils . 4 July 2022.
    23. News: Group Captain Sir Gordon Pirie . 30 April 2024 . The Telegraph . 14 August 2003.
    24. News: Power . Lynn . Weeks' End . 4 July 2022 . Westminster and Pimlico News . 15 July 1993 . 1.
    25. News: Young wins . 4 July 2022 . Westminster and Pimlico News . 29 July 1993 . 3.
    26. si. The City of Westminster (Electoral Changes) Order 2020. 2020. 1224. 30 April 2024.
    27. Web site: Westminster City Hall. Open House London. 26 April 2020.
    28. Book: Hosken, Andrew. Nothing Like a Dame: The Scandals of Shirley Porter. 2007. 31. Granta Books. 978-1862079229.
    29. News: Cities of London and Westminster - General election results 2024 . 2024-07-08 . BBC News . en-GB.
    30. Web site: Boothroyd . David . Members of Westminster City Council . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20171108051126/http://www.election.demon.co.uk/wcc/members.html . 2017-11-08 . 2022-07-18 . Westminster City Council Election Results.
    31. News: 2015-09-17 . Neale Coleman, the new member of Jeremy Corbyn's inner circle . en-GB . BBC News . 2022-08-11.
    32. Web site: Crown Office The Gazette . 2024-08-19 . www.thegazette.co.uk.
    33. Web site: May, His Honour Sir Richard (George), (12 Nov. 1938–1 July 2004), a Judge of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, 1997–2004 . 2022-08-11 . WHO'S WHO & WHO WAS WHO . 2007 . en . 10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.u27081. 978-0-19-954089-1 .
    34. Web site: Colombeau . Joseph . London Borough Council Elections 3 May 2018 . 29 November 2018 . Elections - London Datastore . Greater London Authority.
    35. Web site: Macclesfield General Election 2024 Sky News . 2024-07-08 . election.news.sky.com . en.

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