Westminster City Council


Westminster City Council is the local authority for the City of Westminster in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council and is entitled to be known as a city council, which is a rare distinction in the United Kingdom. The city is divided into 20 wards, each electing three councillors. The council is currently composed of 41 Conservative Party members and 19 Labour Party members. The council was created by the London Government Act 1963 and replaced three local authorities: Paddington Metropolitan Borough Council, St Marylebone Metropolitan Borough Council and Westminster Borough Council. The present-day city council provides some shared services with Hammersmith and Fulham, and with Kensington and Chelsea.

History

There have previously been a number of local authorities responsible for the Westminster area. The current local authority was first elected in 1964, a year before formally coming into its powers and prior to the creation of the City of Westminster on 1 April 1965. Westminster City Council replaced Paddington Metropolitan Borough Council, St Marylebone Metropolitan Borough Council and the Westminster City Council which had responsibility for the earlier, smaller City of Westminster. All three had been created in 1900, with Paddington and St Marylebone replacing the parish vestries incorporated by the Metropolis Management Act 1855. Westminster itself has a more convoluted history and the metropolitan borough council established in 1900 had replaced the Vestry of the Parish of St George Hanover Square, the Vestry of the Parish of St Martin in the Fields, the Strand District Board of Works, the Westminster District Board of Works and the Vestry of the Parish of Westminster St James.
It was envisaged through the London Government Act 1963 that Westminster City Council as a London local authority would share power with 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 local authorities responsible for "personal" services such as social care, libraries, cemeteries and refuse collection. This arrangement lasted until 1986 when Westminster City Council gained responsibility for some services that had been provided by the Greater London Council, such as waste disposal. Westminster became an education authority in 1990. 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.

Powers and functions

The local authority derives its powers and functions from the London Government Act 1963 and subsequent legislation. Westminster has the powers and functions of a London borough 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. It is a local education authority responsible for social services, libraries and waste disposal. The council shares responsibility with the Greater London Authority for strategic policies including housing, planning and the environment.

Finances

Westminster City Council is the billing authority for Council Tax, and collects a precepts on behalf of the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime, the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority, the Greater London Authority and Transport for London.

Buildings

The Council is usually based at Westminster City Hall on Victoria Street in Victoria. The City Hall was designed by Burnet Tait & Partners on a speculative basis, and completed in 1966.

Summary results of elections

Overall controlConservativeLabourResidents
2018Conservative4119-
2014Conservative4416-
2010Conservative4812-
2006Conservative4812-
2002Conservative4812-
1998Conservative4713-
1994Conservative4515-
1990Conservative4515-
1986Conservative32271
1982Conservative43161
1978Conservative39192
1974Conservative3723-
1971Conservative3723-
1968Conservative555-
1964Conservative4119-

Leaders

YearNameNotes
1965Sir Charles Norton2nd term. First Lord Mayor.
1966Anthony L. Burton
1966Arthur C. Barrett
1967Christopher Anthony Prendergast
1968Leonard Pearl
1970Brian Fitzgerald-Moore2nd term
1971John Wells
1972John E. Guest
1973David Neville Cobbold2nd term
1974Group Captain Gordon Pirie2nd term
1975Councillor Roger M. Dawe
1976Jack Gillett
1977Hugh Cubitt
1978Wing Commander William Henry Kearney
1979Reginald Forrester
1980Donald du Parc Braham
1981G. I. Harley
1982Thomas Whipham
1983Phoebette Sitwell
1984John Bull
1985Roger Bramble
1986Mrs Terence Mallinson
1987Kevin Gardner
1988Elizabeth Flach
1989Simon Mabey
1990Dr David Avery
1991Dame Shirley Porter
1992Dr Cyril Nemeth
1993Jenny Bianco
1994Angela Hooper
1995Alan Bradley
1996Robert Davis
1997Ronald Raymond-Cox
1998David Harvey
1999Alex Segal
2000Michael Brahams
2001Harvey Marshall
2002Frances Blois
2003Jan Prendergast
2004Catherine Longworth
2005Tim Joiner
2006Alexander Nicoll
2007Carolyn Keen
2008Louise Hyams
2009Duncan Sandys
2010Judith Warner
2011Susie Burbridge
2012Angela Harvey
2013Sarah Richardson
2014Audrey Lewis
2015Lady Flight
2016Steve Summers
2017Ian Adams
2018Lindsey Hall
2019Ruth Bush