Staffordshire County Council

Last updated

Staffordshire County Council
Arms of Staffordshire County Council.svg
Staffordshire County Council.svg
Type
Type
Leadership
Phil Hewitt,
Conservative
since 18 May 2023 [1]
Alan White,
Conservative
since 23 July 2020 [2]
Patrick Flaherty
since June 2023
Structure
Seats62 councillors
Political groups
Administration (55)
  Conservative (55)
Other Parties (7)
  Labour (5)
  Independent (2)
Length of term
4 years
Elections
First past the post
Last election
 6 May 2021
Next election
 1 May 2025
Meeting place
County Buildings Stafford Guy Cockin.JPG
County Buildings, Martin Street, Stafford, ST16 2LH
Website
www.staffordshire.gov.uk

Staffordshire County Council is the upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Staffordshire, England. The non-metropolitan county is smaller than the ceremonial county, which additionally includes Stoke-on-Trent.

Contents

The council has been under Conservative majority control since 2009. It meets at County Buildings in Stafford and has its main offices nearby at Staffordshire Place on Tipping Street.

History

Elected county councils were created in 1889 under the Local Government Act 1888, taking over many administrative functions that had previously been performed by unelected magistrates at the quarter sessions. The four boroughs of Hanley, Walsall, West Bromwich and Wolverhampton were considered large enough to provide their own county-level services and so they were made county boroughs, independent from the new county council. Conversely the city of Lichfield, which had been a self-governing county corporate since 1553 with its own sheriffs and quarter sessions, was not considered large enough to be a county borough and so it was included in the county council's area. The county council was elected by and provided services to the part of the county outside the county boroughs, which area was termed the administrative county. [3]

The 1888 Act also said that urban sanitary districts which straddled county boundaries were to be placed entirely in the county which had the majority of their population, and so Staffordshire gained the parts of Burton upon Trent which had been in Derbyshire and the parts of Tamworth which had been in Warwickshire, but lost the parts of Dudley which had been in Staffordshire to Worcestershire. [4]

Shire Hall: Council's first meeting place Staffordshire Shire Hall.jpg
Shire Hall: Council's first meeting place

The first elections to the county council were held in January 1889. The council formally came into being on 1 April 1889, on which day it held its first official meeting at the Shire Hall in Stafford, the courthouse which had served as the meeting place for the quarter sessions which preceded the county council. The first chairman of the council was Dudley Ryder, 3rd Earl of Harrowby, a Conservative peer and former member of parliament. [5]

Additional county boroughs were later created at Burton upon Trent in 1901 and Smethwick in 1907, removing them from the administrative county. [6] In 1910 the administrative county ceded Burslem, Fenton, Longton, Stoke-upon-Trent and Tunstall to the new County Borough of Stoke on Trent, which also took in the previous county borough of Hanley. Territory was also transferred on a number of occasions from Staffordshire to the neighbouring county borough of Birmingham, which gained Harborne in 1891, [7] Handsworth in 1911, [8] and Perry Barr in 1928. [9] In 1966 the administrative county ceded eleven urban districts and one municipal borough in the Black Country area at the southern end of the county to become parts of county boroughs. [10]

Staffordshire was reconstituted as a non-metropolitan county in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972. The county council regained authority over Burton and Stoke, but lost the Aldridge-Brownhills Urban District to the new West Midlands county (which also covered the county boroughs in the area that were already outside the administrative county). [11] Stoke-on-Trent regained its independence from the county council in 1997, becoming a unitary authority. [12]

Governance

Staffordshire County Council provides county-level services. District-level services are provided by the area's eight district councils: [13]

Much of the county is also covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government. [14]

Political control

The council has been under Conservative majority control since 2009.

Political control of the council since the 1974 reforms has been as follows: [15]

Party in controlYears
Labour 1974–1977
Conservative 1977–1981
Labour 1981–2009
Conservative 2009–present

Leadership

The leaders of the council since 1974 have been: [16]

CouncillorPartyFromTo
Jim Westwood [17] [18] Labour 1 Apr 19748 May 1977
Rex Roberts [19] [20] Conservative May 1977May 1981
Bill Austin [21] Labour May 1981May 1996
Terry Dix [22] [23] Labour May 199617 May 2007
John Taylor Labour 17 May 20077 Jun 2009
Philip Atkins [24] Conservative 18 Jun 200923 Jul 2020
Alan White Conservative 23 Jul 2020

Composition

Following the 2021 election and subsequent by-elections and changes of allegiance up to December 2023, the composition of the council was: [25]

PartyCouncillors
Conservative 55
Labour 5
Independent 2
Total62

The next election is due in 2025.

Elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2013 the council has comprised 62 councillors representing 60 electoral divisions, with each division electing one or two councillors. Elections are held every four years. [26]

Premises

Staffordshire Place: Council's main offices since 2011 Staffordshire Place - geograph.org.uk - 5948833.jpg
Staffordshire Place: Council's main offices since 2011

The council has its main offices at Staffordshire Place, a modern office building on Tipping Street in Stafford. [27] The building was purpose-built for the council in 2011. [28] [29]

When the county council was first created in 1889 it met at the Shire Hall in the Market Place in Stafford, which had been completed in 1798. [30] Shortly after the council's creation it built itself a new meeting place and offices at County Buildings on Martin Street, adjoining the side of Shire Hall, with the new building opening in 1895. [31] The council later outgrew County Buildings, and by the early 21st century its offices were spread across seventeen different buildings. [28] The construction of Staffordshire Place in 2011 allowed for the consolidation of most of the council's offices at the one site, although the nearby County Buildings was retained by the council, with the council chamber there continuing to serve as the council's meeting place. [32]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Staffordshire</span> County of England

Staffordshire is a landlocked ceremonial county in the West Midlands of England. It borders Cheshire to the north-west, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the south-east, the West Midlands county and Worcestershire to the south, and Shropshire to the west. The largest settlement is the city of Stoke-on-Trent, and the county town is Stafford.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uttoxeter</span> Market town in Staffordshire, England

Uttoxeter is a market town and civil parish in the East Staffordshire borough of Staffordshire, England. It is near to the Derbyshire county border.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stafford</span> County town of Staffordshire, West Midlands, England

Stafford is a market town and the county town of Staffordshire, England. It is located about 15 miles (24 km) south of Stoke-on-Trent, 15 miles (24 km) north of Wolverhampton, and 24 miles (39 km) northwest of Birmingham. The town had a population of 71,673 in 2021, and is the main settlement within the larger Borough of Stafford, which had a population of 136,837 in 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rugeley</span> Town in Staffordshire, England

Rugeley is a market town and civil parish in the Cannock Chase District, in Staffordshire, England. It lies on the north-eastern edge of Cannock Chase next to the River Trent; it is situated 8 miles (13 km) north of Lichfield, 10 miles (16 km) south-east of Stafford, 5 miles (8.0 km) north-east of Hednesford and 11 miles (18 km) south-west of Uttoxeter. At the 2021 Census, the population was 26,156.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Staffordshire</span> Non-metropolitan district and Borough in England

East Staffordshire is a local government district with borough status in Staffordshire, England. The council is based in Burton upon Trent. The borough also contains the town of Uttoxeter and numerous villages and surrounding rural areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Borough of Stafford</span> Non-metropolitan district and borough in England

The Borough of Stafford is a local government district with borough status in Staffordshire, England. It is named after Stafford, its largest town, which is where the council is based. The borough also includes the towns of Stone and Eccleshall, as well as numerous villages and surrounding rural areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Staffordshire Moorlands</span> Non-metropolitan district in England

Staffordshire Moorlands is a local government district in Staffordshire, England. Its council is based in Leek, the district's largest town. The district also contains the towns of Biddulph and Cheadle, along with a large rural area containing many villages. North-eastern parts of the district lie within the Peak District National Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme</span> Non-metropolitan district and borough in England

The Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme is a local government district with borough status in Staffordshire, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cannock Chase District</span> Non-metropolitan district in England

Cannock Chase is a local government district in Staffordshire, England. It is named after and covers a large part of Cannock Chase, a designated National Landscape. The council is based in the town of Cannock. The district also contains the towns of Hednesford and Rugeley, as well as a number of villages and surrounding rural areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Staffordshire</span>

Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands of England. It adjoins Cheshire to the north west, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the south east, West Midlands and Worcestershire to the south, and Shropshire to the west. The historic county of Staffordshire includes Wolverhampton, Walsall, and West Bromwich, these three being removed for administrative purposes in 1974 to the new West Midlands authority. The resulting administrative area of Staffordshire has a narrow southwards protrusion that runs west of West Midlands to the border of Worcestershire. The city of Stoke-on-Trent was removed from the admin area in the 1990s to form a unitary authority, but is still part of Staffordshire for ceremonial and traditional purposes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warwickshire County Council</span>

Warwickshire County Council is the county council that governs the non-metropolitan county of Warwickshire in England. Its headquarters are at Shire Hall in the centre of Warwick, the county town. The council's principal functions are county roads and rights of way, social services, education and libraries, but it also provides numerous other local government services in its area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stoke-on-Trent City Council</span>

Stoke-on-Trent City Council is the local authority of the city of Stoke-on-Trent, in the ceremonial county of Staffordshire, England. Since 1997 the council has been a unitary authority, being a district council which also performs the functions of a county council; it is independent from Staffordshire County Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nottinghamshire County Council</span> The upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Nottinghamshire in England

Nottinghamshire County Council is the upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Nottinghamshire in England. It consists of 66 county councillors, elected from 56 electoral divisions every four years. The most recent election was held in 2021.

Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service is the statutory fire and rescue service responsible for fire protection, prevention, intervention and emergency rescue in the county of Staffordshire and unitary authority of Stoke-on-Trent. The county has a population of 1,126,200 and covers a total area of 2,260 km2. Staffordshire shares the majority of its border with Derbyshire, Cheshire, West Midlands (County) and Shropshire; although, in much shorter stretches, the county also butts up against Worcestershire, Warwickshire and Leicestershire.

The federation of Stoke-on-Trent was the 1910 amalgamation of the six Staffordshire Potteries towns of Burslem, Tunstall, Stoke-upon-Trent, Hanley, Fenton and Longton into the single county borough of Stoke-on-Trent. The federation was one of the largest mergers of local authorities, involving the greatest number of previously separate urban authorities, to take place in England between the nineteenth century and the 1960s. The 1910 federation was the culmination of a process of urban growth and municipal change that started in the early 19th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grade II* listed buildings in Staffordshire</span>

The county of Staffordshire is divided into nine districts: Tamworth, Lichfield, Cannock Chase, South Staffordshire, Stafford, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire Moorlands, East Staffordshire, and Stoke-on-Trent.

References

  1. ↑ "Council minutes, 18 May 2023". Staffordshire County Council. 18 May 2023. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  2. ↑ "Council minutes, 23 July 2020" (PDF). Staffordshire County Council. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  3. ↑ "Local Government Act 1888", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, 1888 c. 41, retrieved 27 August 2023
  4. ↑ Youngs, Frederic (1991). Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England: Volume 2. London: Royal Historical Society. p. 744. ISBN   0861931270.
  5. ↑ "Staffordshire County Council: First meeting today". Evening Express and Star. Wolverhampton. 1 April 1889. p. 3. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  6. ↑ "Smethwick Urban District / Municipal Borough / County Borough". A Vision of Britain through Time. GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  7. ↑ "Harborne Ancient Parish / Civil Parish". A Vision of Britain through Time. GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  8. ↑ "Handsworth Urban District". A Vision of Britain through Time. GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  9. ↑ Youngs, Frederic (1991). Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England: Volume 2. London: Royal Historical Society. p. 419. ISBN   0861931270.
  10. ↑ West Midlands Order 1965
  11. ↑ "Local Government Act 1972", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, 1972 c. 70, retrieved 26 December 2023
  12. ↑ "The Staffordshire (City of Stoke-on-Trent) (Structural and Boundary Changes) Order 1995", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, SI 1995/1779, retrieved 26 December 2023
  13. ↑ "Local Government Act 1972", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, 1972 c. 70, retrieved 31 May 2023
  14. ↑ "Election Maps". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  15. ↑ "Compositions calculator". The Elections Centre. 4 March 2016. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
  16. ↑ "Council minutes". Staffordshire County Council. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  17. ↑ "Labour group: leaders named". Rugeley Times. 21 April 1973. p. 1. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  18. ↑ "'Sort-out' time at county level". Rugeley Times. 14 May 1977. p. 10. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  19. ↑ "Council chief vows value for money". Burton Daily Mail. 21 May 1977. p. 1. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  20. ↑ "Lib / Lab Landslide". Rugeley Times. 9 May 1981. p. 1. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  21. ↑ "Now it's down to business". Staffordshire Newsletter. 15 May 1981. p. 14. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  22. ↑ "Terry Dix takes reins of power at county". Tamworth Herald. 17 May 1996. p. 3. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  23. ↑ "Leader of council to step down". Express and Star. 18 April 2007. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  24. ↑ "Staffordshire County Council leader to stand down". Staffordshire County Council. 20 July 2020. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  25. ↑ "Your County Councillors by Party". Staffordshire County Council. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  26. ↑ "The Staffordshire (Electoral Changes) Order 2012", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, SI 2012/875, retrieved 26 December 2023
  27. ↑ "Contact us". Staffordshire County Council. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  28. 1 2 "Wraps off £38m Staffordshire County Council HQ". Express and Star. 21 December 2011. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  29. ↑ "Men at work again after duchess officially opens beleaguered council HQ". Express and Star. 12 May 2013. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  30. ↑ Historic England. "Shire Hall and Attached Railings, Gates and Lamp Standards, Stafford (Grade II*) (1298177)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  31. ↑ Historic England. "County Buildings and Judges House, Martin Street (Grade II*) (1298178)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  32. ↑ "Council minutes, 14 December 2023". Staffordshire County Council. 14 December 2023. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
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