Bexley London Borough Council

Last updated

Bexley London Borough Council
Coat of arms of the Ldn Borough of Bexley.svg
Coat of arms
Lb bexley logo.svg
Council logo
Type
Type
History
Founded1 April 1965
Leadership
Ahmet Dourmoush,
Conservative
since 24 May 2023 [1]
Teresa O’Neill,
Conservative
since 14 May 2008
Chief Executive
(interim)
Paul Thorogood
since 23 October 2023 [2]
Structure
Seats45 councillors
Bexley Council Oct 22.svg
Political groups
Administration
  Conservative (32)
Other parties
  Labour (12)
  Independent (1)
Length of term
4 years
Elections
Plurality-at-large
Last election
 5 May 2022
Next election
7 May 2026
Meeting place
Bexley Civic Offices 2.jpg
Civic Offices, 2 Watling Street, Bexleyheath, DA6 7AT
Website
www.bexley.gov.uk

Bexley London Borough Council, also known as Bexley Council is the local authority for the London Borough of Bexley in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in London. The council has been under Conservative majority control since 2006. It is based at Bexley Civic Offices in the Bexleyheath area of the borough.

Contents

History

There has been a Bexley local authority since 1880 when the parish of Bexley, which included both the village of Bexley and Bexley Heath, was made a local government district, governed by an elected local board. [3] Such districts were converted into urban districts under the Local Government Act 1894, which saw the board replaced by an urban district council. [4] [5] Bexley Urban District was incorporated to become a municipal borough in 1935, governed by a body formally called the "Mayor, Aldermen and Burgesses of the Borough of Bexley", but generally known as the corporation, borough council or town council. [6]

The much larger London Borough of Bexley 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 four outgoing authorities, being the borough councils of Bexley and Erith, and the urban district councils of Crayford and Chislehurst and Sidcup (the latter in respect of the Sidcup area only; the Chislehurst area went to the London Borough of Bromley). [8] The new council formally came into its powers on 1 April 1965, at which point the old districts and their councils were abolished. [9]

The council's full legal name is "The Mayor and Burgesses of the London Borough of Bexley". [10] Prior to 2007 the council branded itself "Bexley Council", which name is still commonly used for it. [11] [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 Bexley) responsible for "personal" services such as social care, libraries, cemeteries and refuse collection. As an outer London borough council Bexley 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. [13]

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. [14]

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. [15] 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. [16]

Political control

The council has been under Conservative majority control since 2006.

The first election to the council was held in 1964, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new arrangements came into effect on 1 April 1965. Political control of the council since 1965 has been as follows: [17]

Party in controlYears
Labour 1965–1968
Conservative 1968–1971
Labour 1971–1974
Conservative 1974–1994
No overall control 1994–1998
Conservative 1998–2002
Labour 2002–2006
Conservative 2006–present

Leadership

Political leadership is provided by the leader of the council. The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Bexley. The leaders since 1965 have been: [18] [19]

CouncillorPartyFromTo
Jim Wellbeloved Labour 19651966
Peter Maxwell Labour 19661968
Frederick Brearley Conservative 19681971
Peter Maxwell Labour 19711974
Julian Tremayne Conservative 19741977
Len Newton [20] Conservative 19771994
Donna Briant Labour 19941996
Kathryn Smith Labour 19961998
Mike Slaughter Conservative 199827 May 2002
Chris Ball Labour 27 May 200224 May 2006
Ian Clement [21] Conservative 24 May 20065 May 2008
Teresa O'Neill Conservative 14 May 2008

Elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2018 the council has comprised 45 councillors representing 17 wards, with each ward electing two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years. [22]

Following the 2022 election and a subsequent change of allegiance in April 2023, the composition of the council was: [23] [24]

PartyCouncillors
Conservative 32
Labour 12
Independent 1
Total45

The next election is due in 2026.

Premises

The council is based at the Civic Offices on Watling Street in Bexleyheath. [25] The building was completed in 1989 as the headquarters of Woolwich Building Society. The council moved into the building in 2014. [26]

When the modern council was created in 1965, its functions had been divided between the buildings inherited from its predecessors at Erith Town Hall, Crayford Town Hall, Sidcup Place, and Oak House on Broadway in Bexleyheath. [27] Oak House was subsequently demolished and a new building called Civic Offices was built on the site, opening in 1980. The Broadway building remained the council's headquarters until 2014, and has since been redeveloped. [28]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">London Borough of Bexley</span> London borough in United Kingdom

The London Borough of Bexley is a London borough in south-east London, forming part of Outer London. It has a population of 248,287. The main settlements are Sidcup, Erith, Bexleyheath, Crayford, Welling and Old Bexley. The London Borough of Bexley is within the Thames Gateway, an area designated as a national priority for urban regeneration. The local authority is Bexley London Borough Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bexley</span> Human settlement in England

Bexley is an area of south-eastern Greater London, England and part of the London Borough of Bexley. It is sometimes known as Bexley Village or Old Bexley to differentiate the area from the wider borough. It is located 13 miles (21 km) east-southeast of Charing Cross and south of Bexleyheath.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Bexley and Sidcup (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1983 onwards

Old Bexley and Sidcup is a constituency in Greater London represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since its 1983 creation. Its first Member of Parliament (MP) was former Prime Minister Edward Heath, who previously represented Bexley (1950–1974) and Sidcup (1974–1983). The seat has been held since a 2021 by-election by Louie French of the Conservative Party, following the death of incumbent James Brokenshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barnehurst</span> Human settlement in England

Barnehurst is a town and electoral ward in South East London within the London Borough of Bexley. It lies north east of Bexleyheath, and 13.0 miles (20 km) east south-east of Charing Cross. It is separated from North Bexleyheath by the A220, Erith Road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bexleyheath and Crayford (UK Parliament constituency)</span> UK Parliament constituency in England since 1997

Bexleyheath and Crayford is a constituency in Greater London represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2005 by David Evennett, a Conservative.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Municipal Borough of Bexley</span> Abolished 1965

Bexley was a local government district in north west Kent from 1880 to 1965 covering the parish of Bexley, which included both Bexley village and Bexleyheath.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Municipal Borough of Erith</span>

Erith was a local government district in north west Kent from 1876 to 1965 around the town of Erith. It also included the generally suburban areas of Northumberland Heath, Belvedere, and parts of Barnehurst, Bexleyheath, Crayford and the SE2 London Postal District of Abbey Wood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">London Government Act 1963</span> United Kingdom legislation

The London Government Act 1963 is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which created Greater London and a new local government structure within it. The Act significantly reduced the number of local government districts in the area, resulting in local authorities responsible for larger areas and populations. The upper tier of local government was reformed to cover the whole of the Greater London area and with a more strategic role; and the split of functions between upper and lower tiers was recast. The Act classified the boroughs into inner and outer London groups. The City of London and its corporation were essentially unreformed by the legislation. Subsequent amendments to the Act have significantly amended the upper tier arrangements, with the Greater London Council abolished in 1986, and the Greater London Authority introduced in 2000. As of 2024, the London boroughs are more or less identical to those created in 1965, although with some enhanced powers over services such as waste management and education.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bexley and Bromley (London Assembly constituency)</span>

Bexley and Bromley is a constituency represented in the London Assembly. It consists of the combined areas of the London Borough of Bexley and the London Borough of Bromley. The constituency is represented by Thomas Turrell, a Conservative, first elected in the 2024 election.

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References

  1. ↑ "Council minutes, 24 May 2023". Bexley Council. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
  2. ↑ "Senior Council Officers". Bexley Council. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
  3. ↑ Annual Report of the Local Government Board. 1881. p. 494. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
  4. ↑ Kelly's Directory of Kent. 1913. pp. 72, 75. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
  5. ↑ "Local Government Act 1894", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, 1894 c. 73, retrieved 12 April 2024
  6. ↑ "Bexley Urban District / Municipal Borough". A Vision of Britain through Time. GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
  7. ↑ "London Government Act 1963", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, 1978 c. 33, retrieved 16 May 2024
  8. ↑ Youngs, Frederic (1979). Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England. Vol. I: Southern England. London: Royal Historical Society. ISBN   0901050679.
  9. ↑ Youngs, Frederic (1979). Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England. Vol. I: Southern England. London: Royal Historical Society. ISBN   0901050679.
  10. ↑ "Inter Authority Agreement for the Local London Partnership Programme" (PDF). Havering Council. 2023. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
  11. ↑ "Bexley Council". Archived from the original on 4 January 2007.
  12. ↑ "London Borough of Bexley". Archived from the original on 24 December 2007.
  13. ↑ "Local Government Act 1985", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, 1985 c. 51, retrieved 5 April 2024
  14. ↑ Leach, Steve (1998). Local Government Reorganisation: The Review and its Aftermath. Routledge. p. 107. ISBN   978-0714648590.
  15. ↑ "Council Tax and Business Rates Billing Authorities". Council Tax Rates. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  16. ↑ "Local Plan Responses – within and outside London". Mayor of London. 12 November 2015. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  17. ↑ "Compositions calculator". The Elections Centre. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  18. ↑ "Council minutes". Bexley Council. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  19. ↑ "London Boroughs Political Almanac". London Councils. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  20. ↑ "Len Newton RIP: The man who changed the face of Bexley Council". Bexleyheath and Crayford Conservative Association. 17 May 2017. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  21. ↑ Piper, Linda (6 May 2008). "Council leader takes deputy mayor role". News Shopper. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  22. ↑ "The London Borough of Bexley (Electoral Changes) Order 2017", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, SI 2017/481, retrieved 2 May 2024
  23. ↑ "Bexley London Borough Council". BBC News.
  24. ↑ Boothroyd, David (28 April 2023). "The meanest cat from old Swansea town". Local Councils. Thorncliffe. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  25. ↑ "Contact us". Bexley Council. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
  26. ↑ Wood, Heloise (12 May 2014). "Bexley Council moves offices to old Woolwich building in Watling Street". News Shopper. Retrieved 2 May 2004.
  27. ↑ Municipal Year Book. London: Municipal Journal. 1976. pp. 576–578.
  28. ↑ "Bexleyheath Civic Offices Planning Brief" (PDF). Bexley Council. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
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