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Southend-on-Sea City Council

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Southend-on-Sea City Council
Type
Type
Leadership
Ron Woodley,
Independent
since 9 May 2024
Daniel Cowan,
Labour
since 20 May 2024
Colin Ansell
since 5 February 2024
Structure
Seats51 councillors
Southend Council 2024
Political groups
Administration (28)
  Labour (19)
  "Independent Group" (5)
  Liberal Democrats (4)
Other parties (23)
  Conservative (16)
  Reform UK (2)
  Green (2)
  Non-Aligned Independent (3)
Elections
First-past-the-post
Last election
2 May 2024
Next election
7 May 2026
Meeting place
Civic Centre, Victoria Avenue, Southend-on-Sea, SS2 6ER
Website
www.southend.gov.uk

Southend-on-Sea City Council is the local authority of the city of Southend-on-Sea, in the ceremonial county of Essex, England. Southend has had an elected local authority since 1866, which has been reformed several times. Since 1998 the council has been a unitary authority, being a district council which also performs the functions of a county council; it is independent from Essex County Council

The council has been under no overall control since 2019. Since 2024 it has been led by a coalition of Labour, the Liberal Democrats and some of the independent councillors. It is based at Southend Civic Centre.

Since 2024, the government has planned to abolish the council and merge it with other parts of Essex as part of its planned reorganisation of local government in Essex in 2025.[1]

History

[edit]

Southend's first elected council was a local board, which held its first meeting on 29 August 1866.[2] Prior to that the town was administered by the vestry for the wider parish of Prittlewell. The local board district was enlarged in 1877 to cover the whole parish of Prittlewell.[3]

In 1892 the town was made a municipal borough, governed by a body formally called the 'mayor, aldermen and burgesses of the borough of Southend-on-Sea', generally known as the corporation, town council or borough council. The borough boundaries were enlarged on several occasions, notably absorbing Southchurch in 1897, Leigh-on-Sea in 1913, and Shoeburyness and North Shoebury in 1933. By 1914 the borough was considered large enough to provide its own county-level functions, and so it was made a county borough, independent from Essex County Council.[4]

The powers of the council were substantially reformed in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972. Southend's boundaries remained the same, but it was redesignated as a non-metropolitan district, with Essex County Council once more providing county-level services. Southend retained its borough status, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor, continuing Southend's series of mayors dating back to 1892.[5]

Southend regained its independence from Essex County Council on 1 April 1998 when it was made a unitary authority. The way this change was implemented was to create a new non-metropolitan county called Southend-on-Sea covering the same area as the district, but with no separate county council. Instead, the existing borough council assumed the functions that legislation assigns to county councils, making it a unitary authority. This therefore had the effect of restoring the borough council to the powers it had held when Southend was a county borough prior to 1974.[6] Southend-on-Sea remains part of the ceremonial county of Essex for the purposes of lieutenancy.[7]

On 26 January 2022 letters patent were issued granting city status to the borough, allowing the council to change its name to Southend-on-Sea City Council.[8]

Governance

[edit]

Southend-on-Sea City Council provides both district-level and county-level functions. There is one civil parish within the city at Leigh-on-Sea, which forms an additional tier of local government for that area; the rest of the city is unparished.[9]

Political control

[edit]

The council has been under no overall control since 2019. Following the 2024 election a coalition of Labour, the Liberal Democrats and some of the independent councillors was formed to run the council, led by Labour councillor Daniel Cowan.[10][11]

Political control of the council since the 1974 reforms has been as follows:[12][13]

Lower-tier non-metropolitan district

Party in control Years
No overall control 1974–1976
Conservative 1976–1987
No overall control 1987–1990
Conservative 1990–1994
No overall control 1994–1998

Unitary authority

Party in control Years
No overall control 1998–2000
Conservative 2000–2012
No overall control 2012–2013
Conservative 2013–2014
No overall control 2014–2017
Conservative 2017–2019
No overall control 2019–present

Leadership

[edit]

The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Southend-on-Sea, usually being held by a different councillor each year. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 2003 have been:[14]

Councillor Party From To
Howard Briggs Conservative 20 Feb 2003 12 May 2005
Anna Waite Conservative 12 May 2005 7 May 2006
Murray Foster Conservative 18 May 2006 6 May 2007
Nigel Holdcroft Conservative 17 May 2007 25 May 2014
Ron Woodley Independent 5 Jun 2014 19 May 2016
John Lamb Conservative 19 May 2016 9 May 2019
Tony Cox Conservative 9 May 2019 3 Jun 2019
Ian Gilbert Labour 3 Jun 2019 May 2022
Stephen George Labour 19 May 2022 18 May 2023
Tony Cox Conservative 18 May 2023 20 May 2024
Daniel Cowan Labour 20 May 2024

Composition

[edit]

Following the 2024 election, a subsequent by-election in July 2024, and two independent councillors joining Reform UK in August 2024, the composition of the council was:[15][16]

Party Councillors
Labour 19
Conservative 16
"Independent Group" 5
Liberal Democrats 4
Green 2
Reform UK 2
Non-Aligned 3
Total 51

Five of the independent councillors sit together as the "Independent Group", which forms the council's administration with Labour and the Liberal Democrats.[17] The remaining 3 independent councillors sit as 'non-aligned' councillors (i.e. individually). The next election is due in 2026.[18]

Elections

[edit]
See also: Southend-on-Sea City Council elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2001, the council has comprised 51 councillors representing 17 wards, with each ward electing three councillors. Elections are held three years out of every four, with a third of the council (one councillor for each ward) elected each time for a four-year term of office.[19] The next election in 2026 will be held under new boundaries. [20]

Premises

[edit]

The council is based at Southend Civic Centre on Victoria Avenue.[21] The building was designed by borough architect, Patrick Burridge, and officially opened by Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother on 31 October 1967.[22]

Performance

[edit]

In 2007, Southend Borough Council was criticised as one of the worst financially managed local authorities in England by the Audit Commission report for 2006/7, one of three to gain only one of four stars, the others being Liverpool and the Isles of Scilly.[23]

In March 2012, Southend Borough Council was awarded the title of 'Council of the Year 2012' by the Local Government Chronicle.[24]

Arms

[edit]
Coat of arms of Southend-on-Sea City Council
Notes
Originally granted to Southend-on-Sea County Borough Council on 1 & 2 January 1915. Transferred to Southend-on-Sea Borough Council on 21 May 1974.[25]
Crest
Issuant out of a mural crown Gules the mast of a ship proper flying therefrom a flag Argent charged with a cross throughout Gules.
Escutcheon
Azure on a pile Argent between on the dexter an anchor erect on the sinister a grid-iron and in base a trefoil slipped Or a flower vase issuing therefrom a spray of lilies Proper.
Supporters
On the dexter side a mediaeval fisherman holding a net with his exterior hand all Proper and on the sinister side a Cluniac monk Proper holding in the dexter hand a book Gules and in the exterior hand a staff also Proper.
Motto
Per Mare Per Ecclesiam (Through The Sea Through The Church)

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Kendix, Max (20 December 2024). "Taxpayers could be liable for £43bn of debts in council mergers". The Times. Retrieved 21 December 2024.
  2. ^ "Southend". Chelmsford Chronicle. 31 August 1866. p. 5. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
  3. ^ Yearsley, Ian (2016). Southend in 50 buildings. Stroud: Amberley Publishing. ISBN 9781445651897. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
  4. ^ "Southend on Sea Municipal Borough / County Borough". A Vision of Britain through Time. GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
  5. ^ "District Councils and Boroughs". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 28 March 1974. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
  6. ^ "The Essex (Boroughs of Colchester, Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock and District of Tendring) (Structural, Boundary and Electoral Changes) Order 1996", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1996/1875, retrieved 26 May 2023
  7. ^ "Lieutenancies Act 1997: Schedule 1", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1997 c. 23 (sch. 1), retrieved 29 May 2024
  8. ^ "Southend: Prince Charles presents city status document to Essex resort". BBC News. 1 March 2022. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
  9. ^ "Election Maps". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  10. ^ "Joint administration agreement between the Labour, Independent and Liberal Democrat groups of Southend-on-City City Council". Southend-on-Sea City Council. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  11. ^ Knight, Matt (21 May 2024). "Labour take control to lead coalition in Southend". BBC News. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  12. ^ "Compositions calculator". The Elections Centre. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  13. ^ "Southend-On-Sea". BBC News Online. 19 April 2008. Retrieved 31 March 2010.
  14. ^ "Council minutes". Southend-on-Sea Borough Council. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
  15. ^ "Election results 2023 – Election results – Southend-on-Sea City Counc…". 5 May 2023. Archived from the original on 5 May 2023.
  16. ^ Sexton, Christine (17 May 2023). "Southend Labour councillor now sitting as non-aligned". Southend Echo. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
  17. ^ "Your councillors by party". Southend-on-Sea City Council. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  18. ^ "Southend-on-Sea". Local Councils. Thorncliffe. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  19. ^ "The Borough of Southend-on-Sea (Electoral Changes) Order 2000", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2000/1487, retrieved 20 July 2024
  20. ^ https://yoursay.southend.gov.uk/election-cycle-survey-2023#:~:text=In%202024%2C%20the%20Local%20Government,to%20vote%20in%20each%20ward.
  21. ^ "Contact us". Southend-on-Sea City Council. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
  22. ^ "Southend Civic Centre". Modern Mooch. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  23. ^ Laura Smith (30 January 2008). "Echo News - Official: Council is wasting our cash". Retrieved 21 July 2008.
  24. ^ Uncited (14 March 2012). "Southend Council wins council of the year at Local Government Chronicle awards". Retrieved 8 April 2013.
  25. ^ "East of England Region". Civic Heraldry of England. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
[edit]
Awards and achievements
Preceded by LGC Council of the Year
2012 		Succeeded by
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