Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council

Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council
Type
Type	Unitary authority
Leadership
Mayor	John Gardner, Conservative since 3 April 2024 [1]
Leader	Bob Cook, Labour since 25 May 2011 [2]
Managing Director	Mike Greene since 2022 [3] [4]
Structure
Seats	56 councillors [5]
Political groups	Administration (22) [6]   Labour (22) Other parties (34)   Conservative (26)   Thornaby Ind. (4)   Ingleby Barwick Ind. (3)   Independent (1)
Elections
Last election	4 May 2023
Next election	6 May 2027
Meeting place
Municipal Buildings, Church Road, Stockton-on-Tees, TS18 1LD
Website
stockton.gov.uk

Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council is the local authority of the Borough of Stockton-on-Tees, which straddles the ceremonial counties of County Durham and North Yorkshire in England. Since 1996 the council has been a unitary authority, being a district council which also performs the functions of a county council. It therefore provides services including Council Tax billing, libraries, social services, town planning, waste collection and disposal, and it is a local education authority. Since 2016 the council has been a member of the Tees Valley Combined Authority, which has been led by the directly elected Tees Valley Mayor since 2017.

History

The town of Stockton-on-Tees was an ancient borough. The borough's date of creation is unknown, but Stockton was being described as a borough by 1283. ^[7] The original borough had a very tightly drawn boundary; by 1835 it was said that the borough only covered a quarter of the urban area. ^[8] The borough was reformed to become a municipal borough in 1836 under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835, which standardised how many boroughs operated across the country. The borough was then administered by a body formally called the "mayor, aldermen and burgesses of the borough of Stockton", generally known as the corporation, town council or borough council. The boundaries were extended on several occasions, notably in 1852, 1889 and 1913 (in which year it gained Norton and Hartburn). ^{[7] [9]}

That council was abolished in 1968 and replaced by the short-lived County Borough of Teesside from 1968 to 1974. Under the Local Government Act 1972 a new non-metropolitan district called Stockton-on-Tees was established, with a larger territory than the pre-1968 borough. ^{[10] [11] [12]} County-level services were provided by Cleveland County Council until its abolition in 1996, when Stockton-on-Tees became a unitary authority. The way this change was implemented was to create a new non-metropolitan county of Stockton-on-Tees covering the same area as the existing borough, but with no separate county council; instead the existing borough council took on county functions, making it a unitary authority. ^[13] At the same time, the borough was declared to straddle County Durham (north of the River Tees) and North Yorkshire (south of the river) for ceremonial purposes. ^[14]

Governance

The local authority derives its powers and functions from the Local Government Act 1972 and subsequent legislation. For the purposes of local government, Stockton-on-Tees is within a non-metropolitan area of England. As a unitary authority, Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council has the powers and functions of both a non-metropolitan county and district council combined. In its capacity as a district council it is a billing authority collecting Council Tax and business rates, it processes local planning applications, it is responsible for housing, waste collection and environmental health. In its capacity as a county council it is a local education authority, responsible for social services, libraries and waste disposal. ^[15]

Since 2016 the council has been a member of the Tees Valley Combined Authority. ^[16]

Political control

The council has been under no overall control since 2019. Following the 2023 election the Conservatives were the largest party, but a minority Labour administration was able to retain control with the informal support of the two smaller parties, the Thornaby Independent Association and the Ingleby Barwick Independent Society. ^[17]

Political control of the council since its re-establishment in 1974 has been as follows: ^{[18] [19] [20]}

Non-metropolitan district

Party in control		Years
	Labour	1974–1976
	Conservative	1976–1979
	Labour	1979–1991
	No overall control	1991–1996

Unitary authority

Party in control		Years
	Labour	1996–2005
	No overall control	2005–2015
	Labour	2015–2019
	No overall control	2019–present

Leadership

The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Stockton-on-Tees, with political leadership instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 1990 have been: ^[21]

Councillor	Party		From	To
Bob Gibson [22]		Labour	1990	23 May 2007
Ken Lupton [23]		Conservative	23 May 2007	25 May 2011
Bob Cook		Labour	25 May 2011

Composition

Following the 2023 election the composition of the council was: ^[24]

Party		Councillors
	Conservative	26
	Labour	22
	Thornaby Independent Association	4
	Ingleby Barwick Independent Society	3
	Independent	1
Total		56

The next election is due in 2027.

Elections

See also: Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2023 the council has comprised 56 councillors representing 27 wards, with each ward election one, two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years. ^[25]

Premises

Town Hall, council's meeting place until 2020.

The council has its main offices at the Municipal Buildings on Church Road in Stockton, which was purpose-built for the old borough council and opened in 1961. ^[26] Until 2020 full council meetings were generally held at Stockton Town Hall in the High Street, which was built in 1735. ^[27] Following the resumption of in-person meetings in 2021 following the COVID-19 pandemic, meetings have been held instead in the Baptist Church or the conference suite at the town's library, both of which adjoin the Municipal Buildings. ^[28]

Dunedin House: Council's proposed new headquarters from 2024

In 2021 the council purchased an office building called Dunedin House on Columbia Drive on the south bank of the River Tees in Thornaby, which had been completed in 1992. ^{[29] [30]} Conversion works to turn it into a new headquarters for the council are underway with a view to it opening during 2024. ^[31]

References

1. "Meet the new Mayor of Stockton-on-Tees". Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
2. "Council minutes, 25 May 2011". Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
3. "Council minutes, 20 July 2022". Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council. 20 July 2022. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
4. Metcalfe, Alex (13 July 2022). "From Scarborough to Stockton: Yorkshire council chief to lead Teesside's biggest borough". Teesside Live. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
5. "Councillors and Council meetings (egenda) - Stockton Council". www.stockton.gov.uk.
6. Lightfoot, Gareth (23 June 2023). "Clean sweep for Conservatives in last local election making them largest party in Labour-led council". TeessideLive.
7. Page, William (1928). A History of the County of Durham, Volume 3. London: Victoria County History. pp. 348–365. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
8. Report of the Commissioners Appointed to Inquire into the Municipal Corporations in England and Wales: Appendix 3. 1835. p. 1729. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
9. "Stockton-on-Tees Municipal Borough". A Vision of Britain through Time. GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
10. "Local Government Act 1972", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, 1972 c. 70, retrieved 31 July 2022
11. "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, SI 1972/2039, retrieved 13 August 2022
12. "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Names) Order 1973", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, SI 1973/551, retrieved 13 August 2022
13. "The Cleveland (Structural Change) Order 1995", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, SI 1995/187, retrieved 11 June 2024
14. "The Local Government Changes for England (Miscellaneous Provision) Regulations 1995", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, SI 1995/1748, retrieved 6 March 2024
15. "Local Government in England outside London". Clean Highways. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
16. "The Tees Valley Combined Authority Order 2016", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, SI 2016/449, retrieved 25 February 2024
17. Lightfoot, Gareth (21 September 2023). "Conservative bid to take over council is defeated in night of drama for Stockton Council". Teesside Live. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
18. "Compositions calculator". The Elections Centre. 4 March 2016. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
19. "Local election results: Stockton-on-Tees". BBC News Online . Retrieved 4 September 2009.
20. "Stockton-On-Tees". BBC News Online . Retrieved 26 March 2010.
21. "Council minutes". Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
22. Larman, Connor (29 January 2020). "Tributes to Bob Gibson, former Stockton council leader". Northern Echo. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
23. Webber, Chris (11 November 2014). "All change for Stockton's Tories as Cllr Ken Lupton stands down as leader". Northern Echo. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
24. "Local elections 2023: live council results for England". The Guardian.
25. "The Stockton-on-Tees (Electoral Changes) Order 2023", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, SI 2023/1342, retrieved 21 February 2024
26. "Municipal Buildings, Stockton c. 1960s". Picture Stockton Archive. 8 January 2016. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
27. Historic England. "Town Hall, High Street (1139975)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 26 November 2020.
28. "Calendar". Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
29. "Planning Application 23/0447/FUL, Application Form". Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council. Retrieved 21 February 2024. "The building is currently used as offices, and had been since its completion in January 1992."
30. Metcalfe, Alex (27 July 2022). "New council headquarters for hundreds of workers to begin hosting staff in early 2023". Teesside Live. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
31. Lightfoot, Gareth (29 December 2023). "Stockton to transform its landscape through 2024". Darlington and Stockton Times. Retrieved 21 February 2024.