Bracknell Forest Council

Last updated

Bracknell Forest Council
Bracknell Forest Council logo.svg
Council logo
Type
Type
History
Founded1 April 1974
Leadership
Jenny Penfold,
Labour
since 15 May 2024 [1]
Mary Temperton,
Labour
since 24 May 2023
Susan Halliwell
since 2022 [2]
Structure
Seats41 councillors
Bracknell Forest Council composition 2023.svg
Political groups
Administration (22)
  Labour (22)
Other parties (19)
  Conservative (10)
  Liberal Democrats (7)
  Green (2)
Length of term
4 years
Elections
Plurality-at-large
Last election
 4 May 2023
Next election
6 May 2027
Meeting place
Time Square, Market Street, Bracknell.jpg
Time Square, Market Street, Bracknell, RG12 1JD
Website
www.bracknell-forest.gov.uk

Bracknell Forest Council, also known as Bracknell Forest Borough Council, is the local authority for Bracknell Forest, a local government district with borough status in Berkshire, England. The council is a unitary authority, being a district council which also performs the functions of a county council. The council has been under Labour majority control since 2023. It is based at Time Square in Bracknell.

Contents

History

The non-metropolitan district of Bracknell was created in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, covering the same area as the former Easthampstead Rural District, which had been created in 1894. Bracknell District Council was a lower-tier authority, with Berkshire County Council providing county-level services to the area. [3] [4] In 1988 the district was awarded borough status, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor. The council changed the district's name from Bracknell to Bracknell Forest at the same time, becoming Bracknell Forest Borough Council. [5]

In 1998, Berkshire County Council was abolished and its functions were taken over by the county's six districts, including Bracknell Forest. Berkshire continues to exist as a ceremonial county and a non-metropolitan county, albeit without a county council. [6] The council's full legal name remains Bracknell Forest Borough Council, but it styles itself Bracknell Forest Council. [7]

Governance

The council provides both district-level and county-level functions. [8] The whole borough is covered by civil parishes, which form a second tier of local government for their areas. [9]

Political control

The council has been under Labour majority control since the 2023 election.

The first election to the council was held in 1973, initially acting as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until it came into its powers on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows: [10] [11]

Lower-tier district council

Party in controlYears
Labour 1974–1976
Conservative 1976–1995
Labour 1995–1997
Conservative 1997–1998

Unitary authority

Party in controlYears
Conservative 1998–2023
Labour 2023–present

Leadership

The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Bracknell Forest. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 1984 have been: [12]

CouncillorPartyFromTo
Alan Ward [13] Conservative 198430 Apr 1992
Bob Angell [14] Conservative 30 Apr 19927 May 1995
Austin McCormack Labour May 199513 May 1997
Paul Bettison Conservative 13 May 19977 May 2023
Mary Temperton [15] Labour 24 May 2023

Composition

Following the 2023 election the composition of the council was as follows: [16]

PartyCouncillors
Labour 22
Conservative 10
Liberal Democrats 17
Green 2
Total51

The next election is due in 2027.

Premises

The council was originally based at Easthampstead House in Town Square, Bracknell, which had been built in 1970 for its predecessor authority, Easthampstead Rural District Council. [17] In 1997 the council acquired additional office space in a modern building called Time Square on Market Street, Bracknell, with functions split between the two buildings for a time. [18] [19] Council meetings continued to be held at Easthampstead House until a new council chamber was created in Time Square in 2018, after which the council vacated Easthampstead House and is now solely based at Time Square. [20]

Elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2023 the council has comprised 41 councillors representing 15 wards, with each ward electing two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years. [21]

Related Research Articles

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Bracknell Forest is a unitary authority area in Berkshire, southern England. It covers the two towns of Bracknell and Sandhurst and the village of Crowthorne and also includes the areas of North Ascot, Binfield, Warfield, and Winkfield. The borough borders Wokingham and the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead in Berkshire, and also parts of Surrey and Hampshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bracknell</span> New town and civil parish in England

Bracknell is a town and civil parish in Berkshire, England, the westernmost area within the Greater London Urban Area and the administrative centre of the borough of Bracknell Forest. It lies 11 miles (18 km) to the east of Reading, 9 miles (14 km) south of Maidenhead, 10 miles (16 km) southwest of Windsor and 25 miles (40 km) west of central London. Bracknell is the third largest town in Berkshire.

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References

  1. ↑ "Council meeting, 15 May 2024". Bracknell Forest Council. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
  2. ↑ Williams, Grant (23 June 2022). "Bracknell Forest Council announces new chief executive". Bracknell News. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  3. ↑ "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, SI 1972/2039, retrieved 3 March 2023
  4. ↑ "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Names) Order 1973", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, SI 1973/551, retrieved 3 March 2023
  5. ↑ Bulletin of Changes of Local Authority Status, Names and Areas (PDF). London: Department of the Environment. 1988. p. 2. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
  6. ↑ "The Berkshire (Structural Change) Order 1996", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, SI 1996/1879, retrieved 9 May 2024
  7. ↑ "Pay your council tax". Bracknell Forest Council. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
  8. ↑ "Local Government Act 1972", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, 1972 c. 70
  9. ↑ "Election Maps". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  10. ↑ "Compositions calculator". The Elections Centre. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  11. ↑ "Bracknell Forest". BBC News Online . Retrieved 17 October 2009.
  12. ↑ "Council minutes". Bracknell Forest Council. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  13. ↑ "A new man in the hot seat". Bracknell Times. 7 May 1992. p. 3. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
  14. ↑ "Angell falls in a night of shocks". Wokingham Times. 11 May 1995. p. 7. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
  15. ↑ "'History made' at Bracknell Forest Council, says new mayor". Bracknell News. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
  16. ↑ "Local elections 2023: full council results for England". The Guardian. 9 May 2023. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
  17. ↑ "People and Places". Reading Evening Post. 23 October 1970. p. 13. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
  18. ↑ Bracknell Forest Borough Council, planning application 622864 for change of use of offices to local authority use at Time Square, Market Street, Bracknell, granted 8 September 1997.
  19. ↑ Slevin, Jennie (10 April 2014). "Bracknell council services all under one roof after Time Square refurbishment". Berkshire Live. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
  20. ↑ "Council minutes, 23 May 2018" (PDF). Bracknell Forest Council. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
  21. ↑ "The Bracknell Forest (Electoral Changes) Order 2021", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, SI 2021/887, retrieved 9 May 2024
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