North Somerset Council | |
---|---|
Type | |
Type | |
History | |
Founded | 1 April 1996 |
Preceded by | Avon County Council Woodspring District Council |
Leadership | |
Jo Walker since January 2019 [2] | |
Structure | |
Seats | 50 councillors |
Political groups |
|
Length of term | Whole council elected every four years |
Elections | |
First-past-the-post | |
Last election | 4 May 2023 |
Next election | 6 May 2027 |
Meeting place | |
Town Hall, Walliscote Grove Road, Weston-super-Mare, BS23 1UJ | |
Website | |
www |
North Somerset Council is the local authority of North Somerset, England. It is a unitary authority, having the powers of a non-metropolitan county and district council combined. It provides a full range of local government services including Council Tax billing, libraries, social services, processing planning applications, waste collection and disposal, and it is a local education authority. The council meets at Weston-super-Mare Town Hall.
North Somerset Council provides both county-level and district-level services. The whole area is also covered by civil parishes, which form a second tier of local government. [3]
The council has been under no overall control since 2019.
The first election to Woodspring District Council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new arrangements took effect on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows: [4] [5]
Woodspring district
Party in control | Years | |
---|---|---|
Conservative | 1974–1995 | |
No overall control | 1995–1996 |
North Somerset unitary authority
Party in control | Years | |
---|---|---|
Liberal Democrats | 1996–1999 | |
Conservative | 1999–2003 | |
No overall control | 2003–2007 | |
Conservative | 2007–2019 | |
No overall control | 2019–present |
The leaders of the council since 2005 have been: [6]
Councillor | Party | From | To | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Alan Hockridge [7] | Liberal Democrats | 2005 | 14 Apr 2007 | |
Nigel Ashton [8] | Conservative | 2007 | 14 May 2019 | |
Don Davies | Independent | 14 May 2019 | 10 May 2022 | |
Steve Bridger | Independent | 10 May 2022 | 12 May 2023 | |
Mike Bell [9] | Liberal Democrats | 12 May 2023 |
Following the 2023 North Somerset Council election and a by-election in November 2023, the composition of the council was:
Party | Councillors | |
---|---|---|
Conservative | 13 | |
Labour | 10 | |
Liberal Democrats | 9 | |
Green | 8 | |
Independent | 7 | |
Portishead Independents | 3 | |
Total | 50 |
Of the independent councillors, three sit in a group with the Liberal Democrats, one sits with the Portishead Independents, two sit with the Conservatives and the other does not belong to a group. [10] The next election is due in 2027.
Since the last boundary changes in 2015 the council has comprised 50 councillors representing 35 wards, with each ward electing one or two councillors. Elections are held every four years. [11]
The council is based at Weston-super-Mare Town Hall on Walliscote Grove Road. The building had been the headquarters of the old Weston-super-Mare Borough Council, one of Woodspring's predecessors, having been built in 1856 for the town's improvement commissioners, predecessors of the borough council. [12]
Avon was a non-metropolitan and ceremonial county in the west of England that existed between 1974 and 1996. The county was named after the River Avon, which flows through the area. It was formed from the county boroughs of Bristol and Bath, together with parts of the administrative counties of Gloucestershire and Somerset.
Weston-super-Mare, also known simply as Weston, is a seaside town in the North Somerset unitary area in the county of Somerset, England. It lies by the Bristol Channel 20 miles (32 km) south-west of Bristol between Worlebury Hill and Bleadon Hill. Its population at the 2021 census was 82,418.
North Somerset is a unitary authority in the ceremonial county of Somerset, England. The council is based in Weston-super-Mare, the area's largest town. The district also contains the towns of Clevedon, Nailsea and Portishead, along with a number of villages and surrounding rural areas. Some southern parts of the district fall within the Mendip Hills, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Weston-super-Mare is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2005 by John Penrose, a Conservative.
Kingston Seymour is a small village and civil parish with royal status in Somerset, England. It is situated within the unitary authority of North Somerset, between Clevedon and Weston-super-Mare on the North Somerset Levels. The parish has a population of 388.
Locking is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England. It is a predominantly quiet residential area of North Somerset, 3.5 miles (5.6 km) south east of the town of Weston-super-Mare.
Kenn is a small village and civil parish in the county of Somerset, England. It falls within the area of the North Somerset unitary authority. It lies on the B3133 road near Clevedon in the North Somerset Levels. The parish has a population of 431.
Burrington is a small village and civil parish in Somerset, England. It is situated in the unitary authority of North Somerset, 5 miles (8.0 km) north east of Axbridge and about 10 miles (16 km) east of Weston-super-Mare. The parish includes the hamlets of Bourne and Rickford and has a population of 464.
Hutton is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England. The parish, which has a population of 2,582, is within the unitary authority of North Somerset and located on the western edge of the Mendip Hills, close to Weston-super-Mare.
Loxton is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England. It is close to the M5 motorway in the unitary authority of North Somerset. The parish includes the village of Christon and has a population of 214.
Wick St. Lawrence is a civil parish and village in Somerset, England. It falls within the unitary authority of North Somerset. The population of the parish, which includes Bourton, Icelton and Ebdon, in the 2011 census was 1,331.
St. Georges is a civil parish and village in the unitary authority of North Somerset, England. Its population in the 2011 census was 3,379.
Weston Museum is a museum in Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset, England. It was established in 1861. and is home to North Somerset Council museum collection with exhibits relating to Weston-super-Mare and the surrounding area from 400 million years ago to the present day.
Winscombe and Sandford is a civil parish in Somerset, England. It includes the villages of Winscombe and Sandford. The parish has a population of 4,546.
Wraxall and Failand, formerly just Wraxall is a civil parish in the North Somerset district, in the ceremonial county of Somerset, England. It includes the villages of Wraxall and Failand. In 2011 it had a population of 2,302. On 1 October 1996 the parish was renamed from "Wraxall" to "Wraxall and Failand".
The 2011 North Somerset Council election took place on 5 May 2011 to elect members of North Somerset Unitary Council in Somerset, England. The whole council was up for election and the Conservative Party stayed in overall control of the council.
Torbay Council is the local authority for Torbay, a unitary authority with borough status in the ceremonial county of Devon, England. The council is based in Torquay.
Structural changes to local government in England took place between 2019 and 2023. Some of these changes continue the trend of new unitary authorities being created from other types of local government districts, which was a policy of Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick from 2019.
The 2019 North Somerset Council election took place on 2 May 2019 to elect members of North Somerset Council in England.
Weston-super-Mare Town Hall is a municipal building in Walliscote Grove Road in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, England. The building, which is the headquarters of North Somerset Council, is a Grade II listed building.