Islington London Borough Council

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Islington Council
Coat of arms
Islington Council logo
Type
Type
Leadership
Gary Heather,
Labour
since 11 May 2023[1]
Kaya Comer-Schwartz,
Labour
since 20 May 2021
Victoria Lawson
since 8 January 2024[2]
Structure
Seats51 councillors
Political groups
Administration (45)
  Labour (45)
Other parties (5)
  Green (3)
  Independent (2)
Vacant (1)
  Vacant (1)
Length of term
4 years
Elections
First past the post
Last election
5 May 2022
Next election
7 May 2026
Meeting place
Town Hall, Upper Street, London, N1 2UD
Website
www.islington.gov.uk

Islington London Borough Council, also known as Islington Council, is the local authority for the London Borough of Islington 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 meets at Islington Town Hall.

History[edit]

The area of the modern borough had historically been part of the county of Middlesex. From 1856 the area was governed by the Metropolitan Board of Works, which was established to provide services across the metropolis of London.[3] 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. In 1900 the lower tier was reorganised into metropolitan boroughs, two of which were called Islington and Finsbury, the latter replacing the Vestry of the Parish of St Luke, the Vestry of the Parish of Clerkenwell and the Holborn District Board of Works (for Glasshouse Yard and St Sepulchre).[4][5]

The modern borough was created in 1965 under the London Government Act 1963. It was a merger of the old Islington and Finsbury metropolitan boroughs.[6] The council's full legal name is the "Mayor and Burgesses of the London Borough of Islington".[7]

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 Islington) 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] Islington 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]

Governance[edit]

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.[11] 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.[12]

Political control[edit]

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:[13][14][15]

Party in control Years
Labour 1965–1968
Conservative 1968–1971
Labour 1971–1981
SDP 1981–1982
Labour 1982–1998
No overall control 1998–1999
Liberal Democrats 1999–2006
No overall control 2006–2010
Labour 2010–present

Leadership[edit]

The role of Mayor of Islington is largely ceremonial. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 1965 have been:[16][17]

Councillor Party From To
David Gwyn Jones Labour 1965 1968
Donald Bromfield[18] Conservative 1968 1969
Michael Morris Conservative 1969 1971
David Gwyn Jones Labour 1971 1972
Gerry Southgate Labour 1972 May 1981
Donald Hoodless Labour May 1981 Dec 1981
Jim Evans SDP Dec 1981 May 1982
Margaret Hodge Labour May 1982 May 1992
Derek Sawyer Labour May 1992 May 1994
Alan Clinton Labour May 1994 May 1997
Derek Sawyer Labour May 1997 May 2002
Steve Hitchins[19] Liberal Democrats 2002 7 May 2006
James Kempton Liberal Democrats 16 May 2006 14 May 2009
Terry Stacy Liberal Democrats 14 May 2009 18 May 2010
Catherine West Labour 18 May 2010 10 Oct 2013
Richard Watts Labour 10 Oct 2013 20 May 2021
Kaya Comer-Schwartz[20] Labour 20 May 2021

Composition[edit]

Following the 2022 election and changes of allegiance up to April 2024, the composition of the council was as follows:[21]

Party Councillors
Labour 45
Green 3
Independent 2
Vacant 1
Total 51

A by-election to fill the vacancy is due in May 2024, otherwise the next election is due in May 2026.

Premises[edit]

The council meets and has some of its offices at Islington Town Hall on Upper Street, which was built in phases between 1922 and 1925 for the old Islington Borough Council.[22] The council's other offices are in a separate building nearby at 222 Upper Street, which was purpose-built for the council in 1983.[23][24]

Elections[edit]

See also: Islington London Borough Council elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2022 the council has comprised 51 councillors representing 17 wards, with each ward electing three councillors. Elections are held every four years.[25]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Council minutes, 11 May 2023". Islington Council. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  2. ^ "Chief Executive". Islington Council. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  3. ^ Metropolis Management Act 1855 (18 & 19 Vict. c. 120)
  4. ^ "Finsbury CP through time: Census tables with data for the Parish-level Unit, A Vision of Britain through Time". GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
  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. ^ "Deed of Variation" (PDF). Islington Council. Retrieved 19 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. ^ "Council Tax and Business Rates Billing Authorities". Council Tax Rates. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  12. ^ "Local Plan Responses – within and outside London". Mayor of London. 12 November 2015. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  13. ^ "Compositions calculator". The Elections Centre. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  14. ^ "Islington". BBC News Online. 19 April 2009. Retrieved 4 August 2011.
  15. ^ "LibDems take control of Islington". The Herald. 17 December 1999. Archived from the original on 7 November 2012. Retrieved 4 August 2011.
  16. ^ "Council minutes". Islington Council. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
  17. ^ "London Boroughs Political Almanac". London Councils. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
  18. ^ "All-Labour council goes under new management". The Times. London. 10 May 1968. p. 1.
  19. ^ Cumiskey, Lucas (25 September 2019). "Steve Hitchins obituary: Former Lib Dem Islington Council leader and Whittington Health Trust chair dies". Islington Gazette. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
  20. ^ Batholomew, Emma (20 May 2021). "Cllr Kaya Comer-Schwartz takes over as leader of Islington Council". Islington Gazette.
  21. ^ "Your Councillors". Islington Council. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  22. ^ Historic England. "Islington Town Hall (Grade II) (1297950)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  23. ^ "The Civic Plunge Revisited" (PDF). Twentieth Century Society. 24 March 2012. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
  24. ^ "Petitions". Islington Council. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  25. ^ "The London Borough of Islington (Electoral Changes) Order 2020", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2020/969, retrieved 19 April 2024

External links[edit]

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