Elected county councils were created in 1889 under the Local Government Act 1888, taking over administrative functions which had previously been performed by unelected magistrates at the quarter sessions. The borough of Leicester was considered large enough for its existing borough council to provide county-level services, and so it was made a county borough, independent from the county council. The 1888 Act also directed that urban sanitary districts which straddled county boundaries were to be placed entirely in one county, which saw Leicestershire gain part of Market Harborough from Northamptonshire and part of Hinckley from Warwickshire. Leicestershire County Council was elected by and provided services to the parts of the county (as thus adjusted) outside the county borough of Leicester. The county council's area was termed the administrative county.[3]
The first elections were held in January 1889, and the council formally came into being on 1 April 1889, on which day it held its first official meeting at Leicester Town Hall. Henry St John Halford was appointed the first chairman of the council.[4]
In 1974, the Local Government Act 1972 reconstituted Leicestershire as a non-metropolitan county, adding the former county borough of Leicester, and the small county of Rutland to the area.[5] The lower tier of local government was reorganised as part of the same reforms. Previously it had comprised numerous boroughs, urban districts and rural districts; they were reorganised into nine non-metropolitan districts, including Leicester and Rutland.[6] In 1997 Leicester and Rutland were removed from the county council's area again, to become unitary authorities.[7]
Governance
Leicestershire County Council provides county-level services. District-level services are provided by the area's seven district councils.[8] Much of the county is also covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government.[9][10] The seven district councils are:[11]
The council has been under no overall control since the 2025 elections. Reform UK won most seats at that election, although were three seats short of having an overall majority.[12] They subsequently formed a minority administration, taking all the seats on the council's cabinet.[13] Political control of the council since the 1974 reforms has been as follows:[14][15]
Since the last boundary changes in 2019 the council has comprised 55 councillors representing 53 electoral divisions. Most divisions elect one councillor, but two divisions elect two councillors. Elections are held every four years.[26]
Premises
The council is based at County Hall in Glenfield, on the outskirts of Leicester but just outside the city boundary in the Blaby district.[27]
County Rooms, 16 Hotel Street, Leicester: County council's meeting place until 1967, since renamed City Rooms
Having held its first meeting in 1889 at Leicester Town Hall, later that year the council moved its meetings to the County Rooms on Hotel Street in the centre of Leicester, which had been built in 1800.[28][29] It continued to meet there until County Hall at Glenfield was completed in 1967.[30]
Cabinet
The Cabinet meets monthly and is responsible for the most important decisions affecting the council. It also makes recommendations to the council regarding the annual budget and major plans.
The Leader acts as the Chairman of the Cabinet and chooses up to nine other members.
Each Cabinet member is given specific roles or responsibilities.
Departments
There are six departments:
Corporate Resources (including property, finance, HR, communications, country parks and traded services)
Environment and Transport (including highways, transport and waste)
Adults and Communities (including adult social care, museums, libraries and adult learning)
Children and Family Services (including children's social care and school support)
Public health (which commissions a wide range of public health services, including smoking cessation, school nurses and sport and fitness programmes)
In the five years to 2015, the council's roles and responsibilities changed significantly, due to austerity savings, the transfer of public health from the NHS to the council and many schools becoming academies, independent of the council.
However, that still left a number of key responsibilities. As of December 2015, these are: social care for adults and children; support for schools; highways and transport; public health; waste disposal; economic development; libraries and museums; strategic planning; trading standards; country parks; registration of births, marriages and deaths; and community leadership.
Financial situation
The council claims to be the lowest-funded county council,[31] yet one of the top three best performers, across a wide range of indicators.[32]
From 2010–2015, the council has had to save £100 million – two-thirds as efficiency savings and the remainder from services. The council has predicted it will have to save more from services as austerity continues, with a further £100 million-plus of savings required over the next four years.
As of 2015/16, the council's annual budget was £348 million and it had just over 5,000 full-time equivalent staff.
Joseph Boam, Reform UK politician elected in 2025 for Whitwick, who briefly served as Deputy Leader of the County Council and Cabinet Member for Adults and Communities at the age of 22.[34]
↑ From July 2024 to May 2025 Nick Rushton remained nominally leader, but deputy leader Deborah Taylor was serving as acting leader while Rushton was undergoing medical treatment.[21][22]
↑ "Compositions Calculator". The Elections Centre. University of Exeter. Retrieved 21 May 2025. (Put "Leicestershire" in search box to see specific results.)
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