Havering London Borough Council

Last updated

Havering London Borough Council
Lb havering logo.svg
Council logo
Type
Type
History
Founded1 April 1965
Leadership
Stephanie Nunn,
Havering Residents Association
since 24 May 2023
Ray Morgon,
Havering Residents Association
since 25 May 2022
Andrew Blake-Herbert
since 31 March 2016 [1]
Structure
Seats55 Councillors
Political groups
Administration (31)
  Havering RA (22)
  Labour (9)
Other parties (24)
  Conservative (19)
  East Havering RG (3)
  Independent (2)
Committees
7
  • Adjudication and Review
  • Audit
  • Governance
  • Highways Advisory
  • Licensing
  • Pensions
  • Regulatory Services
Joint committees
 Thames Chase Joint Committee
Thames Gateway London Partnership
East London Waste Authority
London Councils
Length of term
Whole council elected every four years
Elections
Plurality-at-large
Last election
 5 May 2022
Next election
7 May 2026
Motto
Liberty
Meeting place
Havering town hall london.jpg
Havering Town Hall, Main Road, Romford, RM1 3BB
Website
www.havering.gov.uk
Constitution
Constitution

Havering London Borough Council, also known as Havering Council, is the local authority for the London Borough of Havering in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in London. The council has been under no overall control since 2014; since 2022 it has been run by a coalition of the Havering Residents Association and Labour. The council is based at Havering Town Hall in Romford.

Contents

History

The borough was created in 1965 under the London Government Act 1963, covering the combined area of the former Municipal Borough of Romford and Hornchurch Urban District. The area was transferred from Essex to Greater London to become one of the 32 London Boroughs. [2]

Romford had been a local board district from 1851. [3] It was converted into an urban district in 1894, was enlarged in 1934 to take in the neighbouring parishes of Havering-atte-Bower and Noak Hill, and was incorporated to become a municipal borough in 1937. [4] The parish of Hornchurch had been made an urban district in 1926, which was enlarged in 1934 to take in the parishes of Cranham, Great Warley, Rainham, Upminster and Wennington. [5]

The new borough was named after the former Royal Liberty of Havering, which had covered a similar area. The council's full legal name is "The Mayor and Burgesses of the London Borough of Havering". [6]

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 (incluing Havering) responsible for "personal" services such as social care, libraries, cemeteries and refuse collection. As an outer London borough council Havering 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. [7]

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. [8]

In September 2023, the leader of the council warned the authority could be six months away from triggering a Section 114 notice because of the increasing cost of social care and housing. [9] [10] The council managed to set a budget in 2024, but only through relying on an exceptional £54 million loan from the government. [11]

Governance

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 plus levies on behalf of the East London Waste Authority, the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority and others. [12] [13] 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. [14]

Political control

The council has been under no overall control since 2014.

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: [15]

Party in controlYears
No overall control 1965–1968
Conservative 1968–1971
Labour 1971–1974
No overall control 1974–1978
Conservative 1978–1986
No overall control 1986–2006
Conservative 2006–2014
No overall control 2014–present

Leadership

The role of mayor in Havering is largely ceremonial, usually being held by a different councillor each year. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 1965 have been: [16] [17]

CouncillorImagePartyFromTo
Jack Moultrie Cllr. Jack Moultrie.jpg Conservative 19651971
Michael Ward Cllr. Michael Ward.jpg Labour 19711974
Jack Moultrie Cllr. Jack Moultrie.jpg Conservative 19741977
William Sibley Cllr. William Sibley.jpg Conservative 19771978
Jack Moultrie Cllr. Jack Moultrie.jpg Conservative 19781984
Roger Ramsey Cllr. Roger Ramsey.jpg Conservative 19841990
Arthur Latham Labour 19901996
Louise Sinclair Cllr. Louise Sinclair.jpg Residents' Association19961997
Wilf Mills Cllr. Wilf Mills.jpg Labour 19971998
Ray Harris Cllr. Ray Harris.jpg Labour 19982002
Eric Munday Cllr Eric Munday.jpg Conservative 20022004
Michael White Cllr. Michael White.jpg Conservative 200429 Jan 2014
Steven Kelly Conservative 29 Jan 200411 Jun 2014
Roger Ramsey Cllr. Roger Ramsey.jpg Conservative 11 Jun 201423 May 2018
Damian White Conservative 23 May 201825 May 2022
Ray Morgon Havering Residents Association 25 May 2022

Elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2022 the council has comprised 55 councillors representing 20 wards, with each ward electing two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years. [18]

Electoral arrangements

Wards were established for Havering when it came into existence on 1 April 1965. The first elections of ward councillors took place in 1964. [19] These boundaries were also used for the 1968, 1971 and 1974 elections. For the 1978 elections the ward boundaries were revised. [20] These boundaries were then also used at the 1982, 1986 and 1990 elections.

For the May 1994 elections there were minor adjustments to London borough boundaries, which affected the area and population of some Havering wards. [21] [22] These boundaries were also used at the 1998 elections. The ward boundaries were revised at the May 2002 elections. [23] These boundaries were also used at the 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2018 elections. The current ward boundaries came into effect at the May 2022 elections. [24]

Leadership

The London Borough of Havering is led by the Leader of the Council and an appointed cabinet formed from the party with majority control of the council. The leader is elected by fellow councillors once every four years following local elections (since 2010, previously annually, with the cabinet being directly appointed by the leader). The current leader is Ray Morgon who has held the position since 2022.

Cabinet

The current composition of Havering Council's Cabinet is as follows.

Party key Havering Residents Association
Labour
PostCouncillorWard
Mayor and Deputy Mayor
Mayor of HaveringStephanie NunnBeam Park
Deputy Mayor of HaveringPatricia BrownElm Park
Cabinet members
Leader of the CouncilRay MorgonHacton
Deputy Leader of the Council
Cabinet Member for Adults and Health		Gillian FordCranham
Cabinet Member for Development and RegenerationGraham WilliamsonSouth Hornchurch
Cabinet Member for Children's' ServicesOscar FordUpminster
Cabinet Member for HousingPaul McGearyGooshays
Cabinet Member for Finance and TransformationChris WilkinsUpminster
Cabinet Member for EnvironmentBarry MugglestoneElm Park
Cabinet Member for Corporate, Culture & Leisure ServicesPaul MiddletonSt Andrew's
Cabinet Member for ClimateKeith DarvillHeaton

Mayor

The mayor for 2023/2024 municipal year is Stephanie Nunn and the deputy mayor is Patricia Brown.

Controversies

The council's leader, Cllr Damian White, was secretly recorded outlining plans to modify ward boundaries intended to give political advantage to the Conservative party, reported Private Eye in July 2020. The recording was attributed to a "disgruntled" Tory councillor, Bob Perry, who quit shortly after, citing the group's "dictatorial behaviour". The scheme was reported to involve splitting areas unlikely to vote Conservative into wards with large populations, while merging areas with Conservative support into wards with few residents. Where unpopular development projects were located, new boundaries would be drawn intending to divide anti-Tory vote into multiple wards to minimise its overall impact. [25]

In the recording, Cllr White reportedly claimed council chief executive, Andrew Blake-Herbert, had supported White's "influence" of the newly defined boundaries, and had selected a Tory-controlled committee to review all boundary change options put forward by council officers and to select their preferred one to take to a full council meeting. White reportedly went on to say the Boundary Commission had so few staff it was "highly unlikely they'll put in the effort" to scrutinise the changes and that "They only look at what was discussed ... at the full council meeting. So there will be only one option.". The council's press office denied "any suggestion the chief executive was influenced in any way". Despite this denial, after a complaint by Labour MP John Cruddas, the council's monitoring officer agreed to an investigation by a "senior figure from another council". [25]

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Cranham is a residential area of east London, and part of the London Borough of Havering. It is located 17.5 miles (28 km) east-northeast of Charing Cross and comprises an extensive built-up area to the north and a low density conservation area to the south surrounded by open land. It was historically a rural village in the county of Essex and formed an ancient parish. It is peripheral to London, forming the eastern edge of the urban sprawl. The economic history of Cranham is characterised by a shift from agriculture to housing development. As part of the suburban growth of London in the 20th century, Cranham significantly increased in population, becoming part of Hornchurch Urban District in 1934 and has formed part of Greater London since 1965. The 2011 Census population of Cranham was included in Upminster.

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Harold Wood is a suburban neighbourhood in East London in the London Borough of Havering. It is situated 16.5 miles (26.6 km) east-northeast of Charing Cross. Harold Wood was part of the ancient parish of Hornchurch, which became the Liberty of Havering. Most of the current area of Harold Wood became part of Hornchurch Urban District in 1926. It is near to the Greater London boundary with Essex.

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References

  1. ↑ "Council minutes, 30 March 2016". Havering Council. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
  2. ↑ Youngs, Frederic (1979). Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England. Vol. I: Southern England. London: Royal Historical Society. ISBN   0-901050-67-9.
  3. ↑ Johnson, Cuthbert (1852). The Acts for Promoting the Public Health, 1848 to 1851. London: Charles Knight. p. 227. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
  4. ↑ "Romford Urban District / Municipal Borough". A Vision of Britain through Time. GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
  5. ↑ "Hornchurch Urban District". A Vision of Britain through Time. GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
  6. ↑ "Inter Authority Agreement for the Local London Partnership Programme" (PDF). Havering Council. 2023. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
  7. ↑ "Local Government Act 1985", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, 1985 c. 51, retrieved 5 April 2024
  8. ↑ Leach, Steve (1998). Local Government Reorganisation: The Review and its Aftermath. Routledge. p. 107. ISBN   978-0714648590.
  9. ↑ Rudgewick, Oliver (28 September 2023). "London borough at risk of S114 this year". Public Finance. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  10. ↑ Mellor, Josh (28 September 2023). "Havering could be 'six months' away from 'bankruptcy' notice". Romford Recorder. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  11. ↑ Mendonca, Susana (29 February 2024). "Havering Council secures £54m government help to avoid going bust". BBC News. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
  12. ↑ "Council Tax Booklet 2022-2023". Havering London Borough Council. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  13. ↑ "Council Tax and Business Rates Billing Authorities". Council Tax Rates. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  14. ↑ "Local Plan Responses – within and outside London". Mayor of London. 12 November 2015. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  15. ↑ "Compositions calculator". The Elections Centre. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  16. ↑ "Council minutes". Havering Council. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  17. ↑ "London Boroughs Political Almanac". London Councils. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  18. ↑ "The London Borough of Havering (Electoral Changes) Order 2021", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, SI 2021/1053, retrieved 14 April 2024
  19. ↑ London Borough Council Elections (1964) Archived 2013-08-22 at the Wayback Machine
  20. ↑ London Borough Council Elections (1978) Archived 2012-08-15 at the Wayback Machine
  21. ↑ Alteration of Status of Local Authorities 1993-1994 Archived 2014-02-21 at the Wayback Machine
  22. ↑ London Borough Council Elections (1994) Archived 2013-08-22 at the Wayback Machine
  23. ↑ London Borough Council Elections (2002) Archived 2013-08-22 at the Wayback Machine
  24. ↑ "The London Borough of Havering (Electoral Changes) Order 2021". gov.uk . 20 September 2021. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  25. 1 2 Private Eye, Issue 1527, p.21
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