Wiltshire Council

Last updated

Wiltshire Council
Arms of Wiltshire County Council.svg
The coat of arms of the council
Wiltshire Council logo.svg
The logo of the council
Type
Type
History
Founded1 April 1889
Leadership
James Sheppard,
Conservative
since 16 May 2023 [1]
Richard Clewer,
Conservative
since 18 May 2021
Terence Herbert
since 1 July 2020 [2] [3]
Structure
Seats98 councillors
Wiltshire Council composition.svg
Political groups
Administration (60)
  Conservative (60)
Other parties (37)
  Liberal Democrats (28)
  Independent (6)
  Labour (3)
Vacant (1)
Length of term
4 years
Elections
First past the post
Last election
6 May 2021
Next election
1 May 2025
Meeting place
County Hall - geograph.org.uk - 3768045.jpg
County Hall, Bythesea Road, Trowbridge, BA14 8JN
Website
www.wiltshire.gov.uk

Wiltshire Council, known between 1889 and 2009 as Wiltshire County Council, is the local authority which governs the non-metropolitan county of Wiltshire in South West England. Since 2009 it has been a unitary authority, having taken over district-level functions when the county's districts were abolished. The non-metropolitan county of Wiltshire is smaller than the ceremonial county of the same name, the latter additionally including Swindon. Wiltshire Council has been controlled by the Conservative Party since 2000, and has its headquarters at County Hall in Trowbridge.

Contents

History

The logo until 2009 Wiltshire County Council.svg
The logo until 2009

Elected county councils were established in 1889 under the Local Government Act 1888, taking over administrative functions previously carried out by unelected magistrates at the quarter sessions. [4] The first elections to the new county council were held on 23 January 1889; the council had sixty seats, but in twenty-eight the candidate ran unopposed. [5] The first provisional meeting of the council was held at Devizes on 31 January 1889. [6] The council formally came into its powers on 1 April 1889, on which day it held its first official meeting at Salisbury Guildhall. The first chairman was John Thynne, 4th Marquess of Bath. [7]

The council was granted a coat of arms in 1937. [8]

Until 1974 the lower tier of local government comprised numerous boroughs, urban districts and rural districts. In 1974 the lower tier was reorganised and Wiltshire was left with five districts: Kennet, North Wiltshire, Salisbury, Thamesdown and West Wiltshire. [9] In 1997, Thamesdown was renamed 'Swindon' and converted into a unitary authority, removing it from the non-metropolitan county (the area controlled by Wiltshire County Council). [10] This reduced the population of the non-metropolitan county by almost a third. Swindon remains part of the wider ceremonial county of Wiltshire. [11]

As part of the 2009 structural changes to local government, Wiltshire's four remaining districts were abolished. Their functions were taken over by Wiltshire County Council as from 1 April 2009, at which point the county council renamed itself Wiltshire Council. [12]

Governance

Since 2009, Wiltshire Council has provided both county-level and district-level services. The whole county is also covered by civil parishes, which form a lower tier of local government. [13]

Most executive decisions are taken by the authority's cabinet, each member of which has a particular area of responsibility. Development control is undertaken by five planning committees, the powers of which cannot be exercised by the cabinet. Members of the authority are appointed to a wide range of outside bodies, providing them with some element of democratic accountability, such as the Kennet and Avon Canal Trust, the Wiltshire Victoria County History, and the Wiltshire Historic Buildings Trust.

Political control

The county council has been under Conservative majority control since 2000.

Political control of the council since the 1974 reforms has been as follows: [14]

Upper-tier authority

Party in controlYears
No overall control 1974–1977
Conservative 1977–1985
No overall control 1985–1997
Liberal Democrats 1997–1997
No overall control 1997–2000
Conservative 2000–2009

Unitary authority

Party in controlYears
Conservative 2009–present

Leadership

The leaders of the council since 1998 have been: [15]

CouncillorPartyFromTo
Peter Chalke Conservative 199815 Jul 2003
Jane Scott Conservative 15 Jul 20039 Jul 2019
Philip Whitehead Conservative 9 Jul 201918 May 2021
Richard Clewer Conservative 18 May 2021

Composition

Following the 2021 election, by-elections in November 2022 and February 2024, as well as a change of allegiance in April 2023, the composition of the council was: [16] [17] [18] [19]

PartyCouncillors
Conservative 60
Liberal Democrats 29
Independent 6
Labour 3
Total:98

The next election is due in 2025.

Elections

Since the last full review of boundaries in 2021 the county has been divided into 98 electoral divisions, each electing one councillor. Elections are held every four years. [20]

Premises

The council is based at County Hall, Trowbridge, which was purpose-built for the council and was completed in 1940. [21] It also has offices in Chippenham, Devizes and Salisbury. [22]

At the council's first official meeting in 1889 there was a debate about where the council should meet in future. The quarter sessions which preceded the county council had met in rotation at Devizes, Marlborough, Salisbury and Warminster, and some advocated that the council should similarly travel around. Others made the case that the rapidly growing town of Swindon should be one of the meeting places. It was decided that Trowbridge should be the meeting place; although not central to the county geographically, it had the best railway connections to other parts of the county, and there was also a large new Town Hall already under construction there which could serve as a meeting place. [7]

Arlington House, 72 Fore Street, Trowbridge: Council's headquarters 1896-1940. Listed building, Arlington House, 72 Fore Street, Trowbridge, Wiltshire. 2019.jpg
Arlington House, 72 Fore Street, Trowbridge: Council's headquarters 1896–1940.

As it happened, the council did continue to hold meetings in other towns for the first few years, but gradually consolidated its offices and meeting place in Trowbridge. [23] In 1896, the council acquired Arlington House at 72 Fore Street in Trowbridge to act as its offices. The building was extended in 1900 to include a dedicated council chamber, and was extended again in 1913. [24] [23]

In 1930, the council decided to build a new county hall in Devizes, which is nearer the geographical centre of Wiltshire, but construction was delayed and in 1933 the decision was reversed. [25] Instead a new County Hall was subsequently built on the former Trowbridge Town Football Club site on Bythesea Road in Trowbridge. The new building opened in 1940. [21]

In 2012 County Hall was renovated and expanded at a cost of about £24 million. [26] Services provided to the public in the building include the Trowbridge library, [26] and the main office of the council's Registration Service. [27]

See also

Related Research Articles

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

Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It borders Gloucestershire to the north, Oxfordshire to the north-east, Berkshire to the east, Hampshire to the south-east, Dorset to the south, and Somerset to the west. The largest settlement is Swindon, and Trowbridge is the county town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hampshire County Council</span> British administrative body and municipal art collection

Hampshire County Council (HCC) is the upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Hampshire in England. The council was created in 1889. The county council provides county-level services to eleven of the thirteen districts geographically located within the ceremonial county of Hampshire. The county council acts as the upper tier of local government to approximately 1.4 million people. It is one of 21 county councils in England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Borough of Swindon</span> Unitary authority area in Wiltshire, England

The Borough of Swindon is a unitary authority area with borough status in Wiltshire, England. Centred on Swindon, it is the most north-easterly district of South West England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warrington Borough Council</span>

Warrington Borough Council is the local authority of Warrington, Cheshire, England. It is a unitary authority, having the powers of a non-metropolitan county and district council combined. It provides a full range of local government services including Council Tax billing, libraries, social services, processing planning applications, waste collection and disposal, and it is a local education authority.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Non-metropolitan county</span> County-level entity in England

A non-metropolitan county, or colloquially, shire county, is a subdivision of England used for local government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties of England</span> Subdivisions of England

Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties are one of the four levels of subdivisions of England used for the purposes of local government outside Greater London and the Isles of Scilly. As originally constituted, the metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties each consisted of multiple districts, had a county council and were also the counties for the purposes of Lieutenancies. Later changes in legislation during the 1980s and 1990s have resulted in counties with no county council and 'unitary authority' counties with no districts. Counties for the purposes of Lieutenancies are now defined separately, based on the metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties.

The history of local government in Swindon has its origins in the Middle Ages. After a long period of very little change, there followed a new era, beginning in the 19th century, of constant redevelopment and re-adjustment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gloucestershire County Council</span> Local authority in England

Gloucestershire County Council is the upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Gloucestershire, in England. The council was created in 1889. The council's principal functions are county roads and rights of way, social services, education and libraries, but it also provides many other local government services in the area it covers. The council's administrative area does not include South Gloucestershire, which is a unitary authority with all the functions of a county and a non-metropolitan district. The council is based at Shire Hall in Gloucester.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swindon Borough Council</span>

Swindon Borough Council is the local authority of the Borough of Swindon in Wiltshire, England. It is a unitary authority, having the powers of a non-metropolitan county and district council combined. As such, it is administratively separate from the rest of Wiltshire. It was formed in 1997, replacing Thamesdown Borough Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ipswich Borough Council</span> English local authority

Ipswich Borough Council is the local authority for Ipswich, a non-metropolitan district with borough status in Suffolk, England. It is the second tier of a two-tier system, fulfilling functions such as refuse collection, housing and planning, with Suffolk County Council providing county council services such as transport, education and social services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Telford and Wrekin Council</span> English unitary authority council in the West Midlands

Telford and Wrekin Council is the local authority of Telford and Wrekin in Shropshire, England. It is a unitary authority, having the powers of a county council and district council combined.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2009 Wiltshire Council election</span>

Elections to Wiltshire Council, a new unitary authority, were held on 4 June 2009.

Swindon Borough Council is the local authority for the unitary authority of Swindon in Wiltshire, England. Until 1 April 1997 its area was a non-metropolitan district called Thamesdown Borough Council, with Wiltshire County Council providing the county-level services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">City of York Council</span> Council for the city of York, England

City of York Council is the local authority for York, in Yorkshire, England. York has had a city council from medieval times, which has been reformed on numerous occasions. Since 1996 the council has been a unitary authority, performing both district-level and county-level functions. It is composed of 47 councillors and has been under Labour majority control since 2023. The council is based at West Offices on Station Rise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council</span> Unitary authority in England

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, providing both district-level and county-level services. 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wokingham Borough Council</span>

Wokingham Borough Council is the local authority of the Borough of Wokingham in Berkshire, England. It is a unitary authority, being a district council which also performs the functions of a county council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">County Hall, Trowbridge</span> County building in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England

County Hall is a municipal building in Bythesea Road, Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England, completed in 1940. It is the headquarters of Wiltshire Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1889 Wiltshire County Council election</span>

The first-ever Elections to Wiltshire County Council were held on 23 January 1889. Sixty members were up for election, with up to twenty more voting aldermen to be appointed by the new council.

References

  1. "Council minutes, 26 May 2023". Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  2. "Cash strapped county unitary names new chief" . Local Government Chronicle. 29 June 2020. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  3. McLaughlin, Matthew (29 June 2020). "Wiltshire Council appoints chief executive officer". Wiltshire Times. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  4. John Edwards, 'County' in Chambers's Encyclopaedia (London: George Newnes, 1955), pp. 189–191
  5. The Times , 19 January 1889; p. 12; col A.
  6. The Times, 1 February 1889, p. 10, col D.
  7. 1 2 "Wiltshire County Council". Devizes and Wiltshire Gazette. 4 April 1889. p. 8. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  8. Civic Heraldry of England and Wales – Wiltshire page at civicheraldry.co.uk
  9. "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, SI 1972/2039, retrieved 31 May 2023
  10. "The Wiltshire (Borough of Thamesdown) (Structural Change) Order 1995", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, SI 1995/1774, retrieved 31 January 2024
  11. "Lieutenancies Act 1997", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, 1997 c. 23, retrieved 31 January 2024
  12. "The Wiltshire (Structural Change) Order 2008", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, SI 2008/490, retrieved 31 January 2024
  13. "Election Maps". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  14. "Compositions calculator". The Elections Centre. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  15. "Council minutes". Wiltshire County Council. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
  16. Griffin, Katy (10 August 2022). "Tributes to Salisbury councillor Mary Webb". Salisbury Journal. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
  17. "Unitary council election for Salisbury St Paul's Division on Thursday 3 November 2022". Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  18. "Constituents 'cheated' as Independent councillor joins Tories". 30 April 2023.
  19. "Calne Chilvester and Abberd". 22 February 2024.
  20. "The Wiltshire (Electoral Changes) Order 2020", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, SI 2020/306, retrieved 31 January 2024
  21. 1 2 "County Hall". PastScape. Retrieved 13 August 2016.
  22. "Council offices information". Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  23. 1 2 Pugh, R. B.; Crittall, Elizabeth, eds. (1953). A History of the County of Wiltshire: Volume 7. London: Victoria County History. pp. 125–171. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  24. Historic England. "Arlington House, Trowbridge (1364231)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  25. Russell Lincoln Ackoff, Systems and management annual (1974), p. 380
  26. 1 2 Wilkinson, Mike (23 March 2012). "Peek at £24m Wiltshire County Hall revamp (From Wiltshire Times)". Wiltshire Times. Retrieved 30 September 2013.
  27. "Contact Registration Service". Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 3 February 2023.

51°19′01″N2°12′36″W / 51.317°N 2.210°W / 51.317; -2.210