Slough Borough Council | |
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Type | |
Type | |
Leadership | |
Chief Executive (interim) | Will Tuckley since 15 April 2024 [2] |
Structure | |
Seats | 42 councillors |
Political groups |
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Length of term | Whole council elected every four years |
Elections | |
Plurality-at-large | |
Last election | 4 May 2023 |
Next election | 6 May 2027 |
Meeting place | |
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Observatory House, 25 Winsdor Road, Slough, SL1 2EL | |
Website | |
www |
Slough Borough Council is the local authority for the Borough of Slough in Berkshire, England. Slough has had an elected council since 1863, which has been reformed several times. Since 1998 the council has been 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 Observatory House in the town centre.
Slough's first local authority was a local board, established in 1863. [3] Such boards were reconstituted as urban district councils in 1894. The urban district boundaries were enlarged several times, notably in 1930 when it absorbed areas including Langley and Cippenham. [4]
In 1938 the urban district was incorporated to become a municipal borough. It was then governed by a body formally called the 'mayor, aldermen and burgesses of the borough of Slough', generally known as the corporation, town council or borough council. [5]
The municipal borough was abolished in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972. It was replaced by a slightly larger non-metropolitan district of Slough, which covered the old borough plus the Britwell and Wexham Court areas, and was transferred from Buckinghamshire to Berkshire. [6] Slough's borough status was transferred to the new district, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor, continuing Slough's series of mayors dating back to 1938. [7]
From 1974 until 1998, Slough Borough Council was a lower-tier authority, with Berkshire County Council providing county-level services in the borough. The borough was enlarged in 1995 to take in Colnbrook with Poyle. [8]
Berkshire County Council was abolished in 1998. Slough Borough Council then became a unitary authority, taking over the former county council's functions in the borough. [9]
As a unitary authority, Slough Borough Council provides both district-level and county-level functions. There are three civil parishes in the borough at Britwell, Colnbrook with Poyle, and Wexham Court, which form an additional tier of local government for their area. The rest of the borough is unparished. [10]
Since the 2023 election the council has been under no overall control, being led by the Conservatives with support from the Liberal Democrats. [11]
Political control of the council since the 1974 reforms has been as follows: [12]
Lower-tier non-metropolitan district
Party in control | Years | |
---|---|---|
Labour | 1974–1976 | |
Conservative | 1976–1983 | |
Labour | 1983–1998 |
Unitary authority
Party in control | Years | |
---|---|---|
Labour | 1998–2004 | |
No overall control | 2004–2008 | |
Labour | 2008–2023 | |
No overall control | 2023–present |
The role of Mayor of Slough is largely ceremonial. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 1997 have been: [13]
Councillor | Party | From | To | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Geoff Cutting | Labour | 17 May 1997 | ||
John Connolly | Labour | 20 May 1999 | Jun 2001 | |
Rob Anderson [14] | Labour | Jun 2001 | Jun 2004 | |
Richard Stokes | Liberal | 6 Jul 2004 | 15 May 2008 | |
Rob Anderson [15] | Labour | 15 May 2008 | 6 Jun 2016 | |
Sohail Munawar [16] | Labour | 6 Jun 2016 | 28 Nov 2017 | |
James Swindlehurst | Labour | 28 Nov 2017 | 7 May 2023 | |
Dexter Smith | Conservative | 18 May 2023 |
Following the 2023 election and subsequent changes of allegiance up to June 2024, the composition of the council was: [17] [18]
Party | Councillors | |
---|---|---|
Conservative | 20 | |
Labour | 11 | |
Independent | 8 | |
Liberal Democrats | 3 | |
Green | 1 | |
Total | 27 |
Of the eight independent councillors, seven sit together as the 'Slough Independent Group'. The next election is due in May 2027. [18]
On 2 July 2021, Slough Borough Council issued a notice under Section 114 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988, having the effect of preventing any new expenditure on non-statutory services, after serious financial problems had been identified. [19] In October 2021, the government announced plans to appoint external commissioners to help run the council after a series of reports highlighted major problems at the local authority. [20] [21] [22]
Since the last boundary changes in 2023, the council has comprised 42 councillors representing 21 wards, with each ward electing two councillors. Elections are held every four years. [23]
The council is based at Observatory House at 25 Windsor Road in the town centre. It was built in the 1990s as commercial offices. The council bought the building in July 2018 for a reported £41.3 million and converted it to become their offices and meeting place, with the first council meetings in the building being held in September 2019. [24] [25]
The council was previously based at Slough Town Hall at 19 Bath Road, which was built in 1937 and served as the council's headquarters until 2011. The council was then temporarily based at St Martin's Place at 51 Bath Road from 2011 to 2019, holding meetings at various venues in the town whilst looking for a new home closer to the town centre. [26] [27]
Slough is a town in Berkshire, England, in the Thames Valley 20 miles (32 km) west of central London and 19 miles (31 km) north-east of Reading, at the intersection of the M4, M40 and M25 motorways. It is part of the historic county of Buckinghamshire. In 2021 Census, the population of the town was 143,184. In 2021, the wider Borough of Slough had a population of 158,500. Slough borders the ceremonial counties of Greater London and Buckinghamshire.
Britwell is a residential housing estate and civil parish in the north west of Slough, Berkshire, South East England. It is about 23 miles (37 km) west of Charing Cross, the centremost point of London.
Colnbrook is a village in the Slough district in Berkshire, England. It lies within the historic boundaries of Buckinghamshire, and straddles two distributaries of the Colne, the Colne Brook and Wraysbury River. These two streams have their confluence just to the southeast of the village. Colnbrook is centred 3 miles (4.8 km) southeast of the Slough town centre, 4 miles (6.4 km) east of Windsor, and 19 miles (31 km) west of central London.
The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead is a royal borough and unitary authority in Berkshire, South East England. While it is named after both the towns of Maidenhead and Windsor, the borough also covers the nearby towns of Ascot and Eton. It is home to Windsor Castle, Eton College, Legoland Windsor and Ascot Racecourse. It is one of four boroughs entitled to be prefixed Royal and is one of six unitary authorities in the county, which has historic and ceremonial status.
Poyle is a largely industrial and agricultural area in the unitary authority of Slough, in the ceremonial county of Berkshire, England. It is located 18.5 miles (30 km) west of Charing Cross in London and immediately west of the M25 motorway, near Heathrow Airport; it also adjoins the Colne Valley regional park.
Slough is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament by Tan Dhesi, a member of the Labour Party, since the 2017 UK general election.
Windsor (/ˈwɪnzə/) is a constituency in Berkshire, currently represented by Jack Rankin of the Conservative Party. It was re-created for the 1997 general election after it was abolished following the 1970 general election and replaced by the Windsor and Maidenhead constituency.
Bedford Borough Council is the local authority of the Borough of Bedford, a local government district in the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire, England. The town of Bedford was a borough from at least the 12th century until 1974, when the modern district was created. It covers a largely rural surrounding area as well as the town itself. The modern council was initially called Bedford District Council from 1974 to 1975, then North Bedfordshire Borough Council from 1975 until 1992, when the current name was adopted. Until 2009 it was a lower-tier district council, with county-level services provided by Bedfordshire County Council. The county council was abolished in 2009, since when Bedford Borough Council has been a unitary authority, being a district council which also performs the functions of a county council.
Colnbrook with Poyle is a civil parish in the borough of Slough in Berkshire, England. Located approximately 17 miles (27 km) west of central London and adjacent to the Greater London boundary, it is an urbanised parish with some industrial development and open land. The local council is Colnbrook with Poyle Parish Council. The parish was created on 1 April 1995 as an amalgamation of Colnbrook from the parish of Iver with Poyle from an unparished area. At the 2001 census it had a population of 5,426.
Reading Borough Council is the local authority for Reading in the county of Berkshire, England. Reading has had a council since at least 1542, which has been reformed on numerous occasions. Since 1998, the council has been a unitary authority, being a district council which also performs the functions of a county council.
Elections to Slough Borough Council were held on 4 May 2006. One third of the council was up for election. This was the 121st Slough general local authority election since Slough became a local government unit in 1863.
Windsor and Maidenhead Borough Council is the local authority for the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, which is a unitary authority in Berkshire, England. Until 1 April 1998 it was a non-metropolitan district. Elections are held every four years. Since the last boundary changes in 2019 there have been 41 councillors elected from 19 wards.
An election to Slough Borough Council was held on 10 June 2004. The whole council was up for election. This was the 120th Slough general local authority election, since Slough became a local government unit in 1863, including both whole Council elections and elections by thirds.
Elections to the Borough Council in Slough, England, were held on 3 May 2007. One third of the council was up for election. This was the 122nd Slough general local authority election since Slough became a local government unit in 1863.
Slough is a town and unitary authority in the English county of Berkshire, just to the west of Greater London. Until 1974 the town was in Buckinghamshire.
Wokingham Borough Council is the local authority of the Borough of Wokingham in Berkshire, England. Since 1998 the council has been a unitary authority, being a district council which also performs the functions of a county council.
Windsor and Maidenhead Borough Council is the local authority of the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England. It is a unitary authority, having the powers of a non-metropolitan county and district council combined. Windsor and Maidenhead is divided into 19 wards, electing 41 councillors. The council was created by the Local Government Act 1972 and replaced six local authorities: Cookham Rural District Council, Eton Urban District Council, Eton Rural District Council, Maidenhead Borough Council, New Windsor Borough Council and Windsor Rural District Council. Since 1 April 1998 it has been a unitary authority, assuming the powers and functions of Berkshire County Council.
The Borough of Slough is a unitary authority with borough status in the ceremonial county of Berkshire, Southern England. The borough is centred around the town of Slough and includes Langley. It forms an urban area with parts of Buckinghamshire and extends to the villages of Burnham, Farnham Royal, George Green, and Iver. Part of the district's area was in Buckinghamshire prior to the district's formation and in Middlesex until 1965.