Brighton and Hove City Council | |
---|---|
Type | |
Type | |
History | |
Founded | 1 April 1997 |
Leadership | |
Structure | |
Seats | 54 councillors |
Political groups |
|
Joint committees | Greater Brighton City Board |
Length of term | 4 years |
Elections | |
Plurality block voting | |
Last election | 4 May 2023 |
Next election | 6 May 2027 |
Meeting place | |
Hove Town Hall, Norton Road, Hove, BN3 3BQ | |
Website | |
www |
Brighton and Hove City Council is the local authority for Brighton and Hove, a local government district with city status in the ceremonial county of East Sussex, 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 Hove Town Hall.
The district of Brighton and Hove was created in 1997 as a merger of the former Borough of Brighton and Borough of Hove, both of which had been lower-tier districts with East Sussex County Council providing county-level services prior to 1997. The new district was removed from the non-metropolitan county of East Sussex to also become its own non-metropolitan county, but with no county council; instead the district council performs both district and county functions, making it a unitary authority. [4] For the purposes of lieutenancy and shrievalty, Brighton and Hove remains part of the wider ceremonial county of East Sussex. [5]
The new district was awarded borough status from its creation on 1 April 1997, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor. [6] The borough was additionally awarded city status on 31 January 2001, since when the council has been called Brighton and Hove City Council. [7]
In December 2023 the council leader declared that the council was facing bankruptcy. [8]
The council provides both district-level and county-level services. In its capacity as a district council it is a billing authority collecting council tax and business rates, and it is responsible for town planning, housing, waste collection and environmental health. In its capacity as a county council it is a local education authority, and is responsible for social services, libraries and waste disposal. [9] There is one civil parish in the city at Rottingdean which provides an additional tier of local government for that area; the rest of the city is an unparished area. [10]
The council has been under Labour majority control since the 2023 election. [11]
The first election to the council was held in 1996, initially acting as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until it came into its powers on 1 April 1997. [4] Political control of the council since 1997 has been as follows: [12] [13]
Party in control | Years | |
---|---|---|
Labour | 1997–2003 | |
No overall control | 2003–2023 | |
Labour | 2023–present |
The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Brighton and Hove. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The first leader following the merger, Steve Bassam, had been the last leader of the old Brighton Borough Council. In 2011, Bill Randall of the Green Party was appointed leader, being the party's first council leader in the United Kingdom. [14] The leaders since the council's creation in 1997 have been: [15]
Councillor | Party | From | To | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Steve Bassam | Labour | 1997 | 1999 | |
Lynette Gwyn-Jones | Labour | 1999 | 2001 | |
Ken Bodfish | Labour | 2001 | 2006 | |
Simon Burgess | Labour | 2006 | 6 May 2007 | |
Brian Oxley | Conservative | 24 May 2007 | 15 May 2008 | |
Mary Mears | Conservative | 15 May 2008 | 19 May 2011 | |
Bill Randall | Green | 19 May 2011 | 17 May 2012 | |
Jason Kitcat | Green | 17 May 2012 | 10 May 2015 | |
Warren Morgan | Labour | 21 May 2015 | 17 May 2018 | |
Daniel Yates | Labour | 17 May 2018 | 22 May 2019 | |
Nancy Platts | Labour | 22 May 2019 | 23 Jul 2020 | |
Phélim Mac Cafferty | Green | 23 Jul 2020 | 7 May 2023 | |
Bella Sankey | Labour | 25 May 2023 |
Following the 2023 election and subsequent by-elections and changes of allegiance up to July 2024, the composition of the council was as follows: [16]
Party | Councillors | |
---|---|---|
Labour | 37 | |
Green | 8 | |
Conservative | 5 | |
Brighton and Hove Independents | 2 | |
Independent | 2 | |
Total | 54 |
The next election is due in 2027.
The council inherited Brighton Town Hall (completed 1832) [17] and the adjoining 1980s Priory House and Bartholomew House from the old Brighton Borough Council, and Hove Town Hall (completed 1974) from the old Hove Borough Council. [18]
Council meetings are generally held at Hove Town Hall, which also houses the council's main offices. [19] Brighton Town Hall and Bartholomew House continue to be used as a register office, customer service centre and additional offices. [20] Priory House was closed as council offices in 2011 and subsequently converted to residential use. [21]
Since the last boundary changes in 2023 the council has comprised 54 councillors representing 23 wards, with each ward electing two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years. [22]
The council's museums service takes the name Royal Pavilion & Museums, and operates the Royal Pavilion, Brighton Museum and Art Gallery, Hove Museum and Art Gallery, the Booth Museum of Natural History and Preston Manor. [23]
East Sussex is a ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Kent to the north-east, West Sussex to the west, Surrey to the north-west, and the English Channel to the south. The largest settlement is the city of Brighton and Hove, and the county town is Lewes.
Brighton and Hove is a unitary authority with city status in East Sussex, England. There are multiple villages alongside the seaside resorts of Brighton and Hove in the district. It is administered by Brighton and Hove City Council, which is currently under Labour majority control.
Mid Sussex is a local government district in West Sussex, England. The largest town is Haywards Heath, where the council is based. The district also contains the towns of Burgess Hill and East Grinstead plus surrounding rural areas, including many villages. The district includes part of the South Downs National Park and part of the designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty of High Weald, including sections of Ashdown Forest. The district contains most headwaters of the River Ouse. Its largest body of water is Ardingly reservoir which is used by watersports clubs. At the 2021 census the district had a population of 152,949.
Adur is a local government district in West Sussex, England. It is named after the River Adur which flows through the area. The council is based in the town of Shoreham-by-Sea, and the district also contains the town of Southwick, the large village of Lancing and a modest rural hinterland inland. The district had a population of 64,626 at the 2021 census.
Lewes is a local government district in East Sussex, England. The district is named after the town of Lewes. The largest town is Seaford. The district also includes the towns of Newhaven, Peacehaven and Telscombe and numerous villages and surrounding rural areas. The council meets in Lewes and has its main offices in Newhaven.
Horsham is a local government district in West Sussex, England. It is named after the town of Horsham, which is its largest settlement and where the council is based. The district also includes the surrounding rural area and contains many villages, the largest of which are Southwater and Billingshurst. The district includes part of the South Downs National Park and part of the designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty of High Weald. At the 2021 census the district had a population of 147,487.
Brighton Pavilion is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Siân Berry of the Green Party.
Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since the 2024 general election by Chris Ward of the Labour Party.
Brighton and Hove City Council is a unitary authority in East Sussex, England. It was created as Brighton and Hove Borough Council on 1 April 1997 replacing Brighton and Hove Borough Councils. It was granted city status in 2001.
Luton Borough Council, also known as Luton Council, is the local authority of Luton, in the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire, England. Luton has had an elected local authority since 1850, which has been reformed several times. Since 1997 the council has been a unitary authority, being a district council which also performs the functions of a county council.
East Sussex County Council is the upper tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of East Sussex in England. The non-metropolitan county is smaller than the ceremonial county; the latter additionally includes Brighton and Hove.
Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council is the local authority of Blackburn with Darwen in the ceremonial county of Lancashire, England. Since 1998 it has been a unitary authority, being a district council which also performs the functions of a county council; it is independent from Lancashire County Council.
Halton Borough Council is the local authority for Halton, a local government district with borough status in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. Since 1998 the council has been a unitary authority, being a district council which also performs the functions of a county council. Since 2014 the council has been a member of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority.
Worthing Borough Council is the local authority for Worthing in West Sussex, England. Worthing is a non-metropolitan district with borough status. It forms the lower tier of local government in Worthing, responsible for local services such as housing, planning, leisure and tourism. The council is currently led by the Labour Party. It is based at Worthing Town Hall.
North East Lincolnshire Council is the local authority of North East Lincolnshire, a local government district in the ceremonial county of Lincolnshire, England. The council is a unitary authority, being a district council which also performs the functions of a county council; it is independent from Lincolnshire County Council.
East Riding of Yorkshire Council is the local authority for the East Riding of Yorkshire, a local government district within the larger ceremonial county of the same name. It is a unitary authority, being a district council which also performs the functions of a county council. The council has been under no overall control since 2023, being led by a Conservative minority administration. It is based at County Hall in Beverley.
Brighton Town Hall stands on Bartholomew Square in Brighton, East Sussex, England. The town hall contains a number of police cells which were in use until the 1960s, and which now form the Old Police Cells Museum. The town hall is a Grade II listed building. It was formerly the headquarters of Brighton Borough Council and is still used for some meetings of the successor Brighton and Hove City Council.
Hove was a non-metropolitan district in East Sussex, England. It was abolished on 1 April 1997 and replaced by Brighton and Hove.
Hove was a non-metropolitan district with borough status of East Sussex, England. The district contained the unparished areas of Hove and Portslade-by-Sea. The population of the borough was recorded as 84,740 in 1981 and 90,400 in 1992. The borough council was based at Hove Town Hall, although part of Portslade Town Hall continued to be used for council purposes as well.