Southwark London Borough Council

Last updated
Southwark London Borough Council
Coat of arms of the London Borough of Southwark.svg
Coat of arms
Southwark London Borough Council.svg
Council logo
Type
Type
Leadership
Michael Situ,
Labour
since 20 May 2023 [1]
Kieron Williams,
Labour
since 16 September 2020
Althea Loderick
since May 2022 [2]
Structure
Seats63 councillors
Political groups
Administration (52)
  Labour (52)
Opposition (11)
  Liberal Democrats (11
Elections
First past the post
Last election
 5 May 2022
Next election
7 May 2026
Meeting place
Southwark Council Offices (geograph 2727779).jpg
160 Tooley Street, London, SE1 2QH
Website
www.southwark.gov.uk

Southwark London Borough Council, also known as Southwark Council, is the local authority for the London Borough of Southwark in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in London. The council has been under Labour majority control since 2010. The council is based at 160 Tooley Street.

Contents

History

Southwark was an ancient borough, being described as a borough from at least the 12th century. It had a complicated administrative relationship with the neighbouring City of London, to which it was connected by London Bridge across the River Thames. There was a parliamentary borough (constituency) of Southwark from 1295 onwards. London was given various manorial and judicial rights over parts of Southwark, notably in 1327 and 1550, when Southwark was brought within the city boundaries as the ward of Bridge Without. However, the city's authority over Southwark was not as complete as it was for the older part of the city north of the Thames; certain judicial powers over the borough were still exercised by the Surrey authorities. [3]

From 1856 the area was also governed by the Metropolitan Board of Works, which was established to provide services across the metropolis of London. 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. The parishes of Bermondsey, Camberwell, Newington, Rotherhithe and Southwark St George the Martyr were governed by their individual vestries, whilst other smaller parishes and liberties were grouped into the St Olave District and St Saviour's District. [4]

In 1900 the lower tier was reorganised into metropolitan boroughs. Bermondsey, Rotherhithe and the St Olave District merged to become the Metropolitan Borough of Bermondsey, the parish of Camberwell was made the Metropolitan Borough of Camberwell, and Newington, Southwark St George the Martyr, and the St Saviour's District merged to become the Metropolitan Borough of Southwark. [5]

The modern borough was created in 1965 under the London Government Act 1963. It was a merger of the old Bermondsey, Camberwell and Southwark metropolitan boroughs. [6] The council's full legal name is the "Mayor and Burgesses of the London Borough of Southwark", but it styles itself Southwark Council. [7] [2]

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 Southwark) 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. [8] Southwark became a local education authority in 1990 when the Inner London Education Authority was dissolved. [9]

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. [10]

In 2003 and 2004 the Southwark Council threatened the small community of houseboat dwellers at Downings Roads Moorings with eviction, which was appealed and ultimately quashed. [11]

From 2006, Southwark commenced implementation of a master data management system in conjunction with IBM UK Ltd., intending to rationalise "a number of disparate computerised systems" in use across the range of functions for which the Council was responsible. The project was abandoned after concerns that the recommended system adopted by Southwark was not satisfactory, but the Council was unsuccessful in its claim against IBM for breach of contract. [12] [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 2010.

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 1965–2002
No overall control 2002–2010
Labour 2010–present

Leadership

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

CouncillorPartyFromTo
Alfred John Kemp Labour 19651968
John O'Grady Labour 19681982
Alan Davis Labour 19821984
Tony Ritchie Labour 19841986
Annie Matthews Labour 19861990
Sally Keeble Labour 19901993
Jeremy Fraser Labour 19931997
Niall Duffy Labour 19972000
Stephanie Elsy Labour 20002002
Nick Stanton Liberal Democrats 200219 May 2010
Peter John Labour 19 May 201016 Sep 2020
Kieron Williams Labour 16 Sep 2020

Composition

Following the 2022 election the composition of the council was:

PartyCouncillors
Labour 52
Liberal Democrats 11
Total63

The next election is due in May 2026.

Premises

The council is based at 160 Tooley Street. [19] The building comprises several converted Victorian warehouses facing the street, with a modern six-storey office building behind, which was completed in 2008. [20] [21] The council moved in during 2009. [22] It initially rented the building, before purchasing it for £170 million in 2012. [23]

Southwark Town Hall, Camberwell: Council's headquarters until 2009 Southwark town hall 1.jpg
Southwark Town Hall, Camberwell: Council's headquarters until 2009

Prior to 2009 the council was based at Southwark Town Hall, formerly called Camberwell Town Hall, at 31 Peckham Road in Camberwell, which had been completed in 1934 for the old Camberwell Borough Council. [24]

Elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2018 the council has comprised 63 councillors representing 23 wards, with each ward electing two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years. [25]

Universal Credit trial

Southwark was one of the first areas where Universal Credit was fully introduced. The Council issued a report in 2018 which was strongly critical of Universal Credit. [26] Rent arrears among council tenants on Universal Credit are much higher than arrears among tenants on traditional benefits. Among two groups of council tenants investigated increase in arrears per claimant averaged between £586 and £309. The report disputed claims by ministers that rent arrears are temporary and notes that there are also arrears from tenants who have been on Universal Credit for over a year. Tenants who have been on Universal Credit for 15 months underpay rent by 7% on average. The report claims, "For now, the government must acknowledge that the current system is unworkable and broken. We strongly argue that the rollout of UC should be halted until radical steps are taken to fix the ongoing issues outlined in this research." Also use of food banks in Southwark has risen by 30% from 2017 to 2018 since Universal Credit was introduced there and 80% of the increase is attributed to Universal Credit. Victoria Mills of Southwark Council said, "Any delay to payments for those who are already under immense financial pressure will result in unrecoverable debt and unacceptable stress on people's lives. (...) A year on from our first research, the issues have simply got worse. We have to act on this evidence now and look at how we can support our residents and the pressure on our services. This situation is echoed across the country. The government needs to take rapid steps to fix universal credit or acknowledge that they have created a system that is unworkable and broken." [26]

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "Council minutes, 20 May 2023". Southwark Council. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
  2. 1 2 "Chief executive". Southwark Council. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
  3. ↑ A History of the County of Surrey: Volume 4. London: Victoria County History. 1912. pp. 135–141. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
  4. ↑ Metropolis Management Act 1855 (18 & 19 Vict. c. 120)
  5. ↑ London Government Act 1899 (62 & 63 Vict. c. 14)
  6. ↑ Youngs, Frederic (1979). Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England. Vol. I: Southern England. London: Royal Historical Society. ISBN   0-901050-67-9.
  7. ↑ "Service Level Agreement" (PDF). Harrow Council. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
  8. ↑ "Local Government Act 1985", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, 1985 c. 51, retrieved 5 April 2024
  9. ↑ Education Reform Act 1988 (c. 40)
  10. ↑ Leach, Steve (1998). Local Government Reorganisation: The Review and its Aftermath. Routledge. p. 107. ISBN   978-0714648590.
  11. ↑ "Boat evictions inquiry adjourned". BBC News. 2 March 2004. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
  12. ↑ Pinsent Masons LLP, The Mayor and Burgesses of the London Borough of Southwark v IBM UK Ltd., published 9 September 2011, accessed 5 November 2022
  13. ↑ England and Wales High Court (Technology and Construction Court), London Borough of Southwark v IBM UK Ltd., EWHC 549 (TCC), published 17 March 2011, accessed 5 November 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. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  16. ↑ "Compositions calculator". The Elections Centre. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  17. ↑ "Council minutes". Southwark Council. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  18. ↑ "London Boroughs Political Almanac". London Councils. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  19. ↑ "About Southwark Council". Southwark Council. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
  20. ↑ "Tooley Street" (PDF). Post-Tensioning Association. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  21. ↑ "160 Tooley Street: information pack" (PDF). Allford Hall Monaghan Morris. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  22. ↑ "Southwark Council begins move to Tooley Street offices". London SE1. 2 March 2009. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  23. ↑ "London council buys Tooley Street HQ for £170m". Property Week. 13 December 2012. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  24. ↑ Beasley, John D. (2010). Camberwell Through Time. Amberley Publishing. ISBN   978-1848685635.
  25. ↑ "The London Borough of Southwark (Electoral Changes) Order 2016", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, SI 2016/1202, retrieved 27 April 2024
  26. 1 2 Cowburn, A., Universal credit is 'broken' says report highlighting alarming rent arrears, The Independent , published 29 November 2018, accessed 5 November 2022
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