Hammersmith and Fulham London Borough Council

Last updated

Hammersmith and Fulham London Borough Council
Coat of arms of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham.svg
Coat of arms
Lb Hammersmith and Fulham logo.svg
Logo
Type
Type
Leadership
Patricia Quigley,
Labour
since 24 May 2023 [1]
Stephen Cowan,
Labour
since 22 May 2014
Sharon Lea
since 24 February 2022 [2]
Structure
Seats50 councillors
Hammersmith and Fulham London Borough Council 2022.svg
Political groups
Administration (39)
  Labour (39)
Other parties (11)
  Conservative (10)
  Independent (1)
Elections
First past the post
Last election
 5 May 2022
Next election
7 May 2026
Meeting place
Hammersmith Town Hall in daylight - geograph.org.uk - 800796.jpg
Town Hall, King Street, Hammersmith, London, W6 9JU
Website
www.lbhf.gov.uk OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

Hammersmith and Fulham London Borough Council, which styles itself Hammersmith and Fulham Council, is the local authority for the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in London. The council has been under Labour majority control since 2014. The council's usual meeting place is at Hammersmith Town Hall.

Contents

History

The area of the modern borough broadly corresponds to the ancient parish of Fulham, which was historically part of the county of Middlesex. The chapelry of Hammersmith was given its own vestry in 1631, making it independent from Fulham. [3] From 1856 the area was governed by the Metropolitan Board of Works, which was established to provide services across the metropolis of London. [4] In 1889 the Metropolitan Board of Works' area was made the County of London. From 1856 until 1900 the lower tier of local government within the metropolis comprised various parish vestries and district boards. From 1856 until 1886 the two parishes of Fulham and Hammersmith were administered together as the Fulham District. The Fulham district was dissolved in 1886 when the vestries for its two parishes took on district functions. [5]

In 1900 the lower tier was reorganised into metropolitan boroughs. In this area the two vestries which had been in operation prior to 1900 each became a borough: Fulham and Hammersmith. [6]

The modern borough was created in 1965 under the London Government Act 1963. It was a merger of the old Fulham and Hammersmith metropolitan boroughs. [5] The borough was initially just called Hammersmith, but changed its name to Hammersmith and Fulham in 1979. [7] The council's full legal name is "The Mayor and Burgesses of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham", but it styles itself Hammersmith and Fulham Council. [8]

From 1965 until 1986 the council was a lower-tier authority, with upper-tier functions provided by the Greater London Council. The split of powers and functions meant that the Greater London Council was responsible for "wide area" services such as fire, ambulance, flood prevention, and refuse disposal; with the boroughs (including Hammersmith and Fulham) responsible for "personal" services such as social care, libraries, cemeteries and refuse collection. The Greater London Council was abolished in 1986 and its functions passed to the London Boroughs, with some services provided through joint committees. [9] Hammersmith and Fulham became a local education authority in 1990 when the Inner London Education Authority was dissolved. [10]

Since 2000 the Greater London Authority has taken some responsibility for highways and planning control from the council, but within the English local government system the council remains a "most purpose" authority in terms of the available range of powers and functions. [11]

The council was involved in a landmark English administrative law case in 1991, Hazell v Hammersmith and Fulham LBC, which ruled that local authorities had no power to engage in interest rate swap agreements because they were beyond the council's borrowing powers. [12]

In 2021 the council was said by the Housing Ombudsman to be the worst performing landlord in the country with regard to damp and mould in its properties. [13]

Governance

The local authority derives its powers and functions from the London Government Act 1963 and subsequent legislation, and has the powers and functions of a London borough council. It sets council tax and as a billing authority also collects precepts for Greater London Authority functions and business rates. [14] It sets planning policies which complement Greater London Authority and national policies, and decides on almost all planning applications accordingly. It is a local education authority and is also responsible for council housing, social services, libraries, waste collection and disposal, traffic, and most roads and environmental health. [15]

Political control

The council has been under Labour majority control since 2014.

The first election was held in 1964, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until it came into its powers on 1 April 1965. Political control of the council since 1965 has been as follows: [16]

Party in controlYears
Labour 1965–1968
Conservative 1968–1971
Labour 1971–1978
No overall control 1978–1986
Labour 1986–2006
Conservative 2006–2014
Labour 2014–present

Leadership

The role of Mayor of Hammersmith and Fulham is largely ceremonial. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 1965 have been: [17] [18]

CouncillorPartyFromTo
John Heaks Labour 19651966
Anthony Chapman Labour 19661968
William Smith Conservative 19681971
Alfred Little Labour 19711973
Barry Stead Labour 19731978
Stuart Leishman Conservative 19781979
Kim Howe Conservative 19791985
John Putnam Conservative 19851986
Gordon Prentice Labour 19861988
Mike Goodman Labour 19881991
Iain Coleman Labour 19911996
Andy Slaughter Labour 199625 May 2005
Stephen Burke Labour 25 May 20057 May 2006
Stephen Greenhalgh Conservative 24 May 200630 May 2012
Nick Botterill Conservative 30 May 201222 May 2014
Stephen Cowan Labour 22 May 2014

Premises

The council's usual meeting place is at Hammersmith Town Hall on King Street, which was completed in 1939 for the old Hammersmith Borough Council. [19] The building has been closed since 2019 whilst being refurbished as part of the development of a new 'Civic Campus' around it, which has included the demolition of the council's former main offices which had been built in front of the Town Hall in 1974/5. The Town Hall is due to reopen in 2024. [20] [21]

Elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2022 the council has comprised 50 councillors representing 21 wards, with each ward electing two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years. [22]

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "Council minutes, 24 May 2023". Hammersmith and Fulham Council. 24 May 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  2. ↑ "Council report, 24 May 2023" (PDF). Hammersmith and Fulham Council. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  3. ↑ "Hammersmith Chapelry / Civil Parish / Vestry". A Vision of Britain through Time. GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
  4. ↑ Metropolis Management Act 1855 (18 & 19 Vict. c. 120)
  5. 1 2 Youngs, Frederic (1979). Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England. Vol. I: Southern England. London: Royal Historical Society. ISBN   0-901050-67-9.
  6. ↑ London Government Act 1899 (62 & 63 Vict. c. 14)
  7. ↑ "Historical information from 1973 onwards". Boundary-Line support. Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  8. ↑ "Cabinet agenda, 6 November 2023" (PDF). Hammersmith and Fulham Council. p. 121. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
  9. ↑ "Local Government Act 1985", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, 1985 c. 51, retrieved 5 April 2024
  10. ↑ Education Reform Act 1988 (c. 40)
  11. ↑ Leach, Steve (1998). Local Government Reorganisation: The Review and its Aftermath. Routledge. p. 107. ISBN   978-0714648590.
  12. ↑ "Hazell -v- Hammersmith and Fulham London Borough Council; HL 1991". swarb.co.uk. 9 July 2015. Retrieved 11 July 2015.
  13. ↑ "Council launches damp and mould strategy after topping ombudsman's worst performers list". Inside Housing. 10 February 2022. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  14. ↑ "Council Tax and Business Rates Billing Authorities". Council Tax Rates. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  15. ↑ "Local Plan Responses – within and outside London". Mayor of London. 12 November 2015. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  16. ↑ "Compositions calculator". The Elections Centre. 4 March 2016. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  17. ↑ "Council minutes". Hammersmith and Fulham Council. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
  18. ↑ "London Boroughs Political Almanac". London Councils. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
  19. ↑ Historic England. "Hammersmith Town Hall (Grade II) (1079785)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  20. ↑ "Civic Campus". Hammersmith and Fulham Council. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  21. ↑ "H&F Council's new King Street Service Centre is now open". Hammersmith Today. 13 September 2019. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  22. ↑ "The London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham (Electoral Changes) Order 2020", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, SI 2020/1229, retrieved 7 April 2024
Awards and achievements
Preceded by LGC Council of the Year
2010		Succeeded by
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