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Portsmouth City Council

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Portsmouth City Council
Portsmouth City Council logo
Type
Type
Leadership
Jason Fazackarley,
Liberal Democrat
since 14 May 2024[1]
Steve Pitt,
Liberal Democrat
since 16 May 2023
Natalie Brahma-Pearl
since 2023
Structure
Seats42 councillors
Political groups
Administration(19)
  Liberal Democrats (19)
Opposition (23)
  PIP (9)
  Labour (8)
  Conservative (4)
  Independent (2)
Length of term
4 years
Elections
First-past-the-post
Last election
2 May 2024
Next election
7 May 2026
Motto
Heaven's Light Our Guide
Meeting place
Guildhall, Guildhall Square, Portsmouth, PO1 2AJ
Website
www.portsmouth.gov.uk

Portsmouth City Council is the local authority of the city of Portsmouth, in the ceremonial county of Hampshire, England. Portsmouth has had a council since medieval times, which has been reformed on numerous occasions. Since 1997 the council has been a unitary authority, being a district council which also performs the functions of a county council; it is independent from Hampshire County Council.

The council has been under no overall control since 2014, being run by a minority Liberal Democrat administration since 2018. The council meets at the Guildhall and has its main offices in the adjoining Civic Offices.

History[edit]

Portsmouth was an ancient borough. Its earliest known charter was issued in 1194, although some sources suggest that replaced an earlier charter of 1106 which has since been lost.[2][3] It was reformed in 1836 to become a municipal borough under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835, which standardised how most boroughs operated across the country. It was then governed by a body formally called the 'mayor, aldermen and burgesses of the borough of Portsmouth', generally known as the corporation, town council or borough council.[4]

When elected county councils were established in 1889, Portsmouth was considered large enough for the existing borough council to also take on county council functions. It was therefore made a county borough, independent from the new Hampshire County Council. The borough boundaries were enlarged on several occasions.[5]

Portsmouth was granted city status on 21 April 1926, after which the corporation was also known as the city council.[6] In 1928 the city was given the right to appoint a lord mayor.[7]

Portsmouth was reconstituted as a non-metropolitan district in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972. It kept the same boundaries, which had last been expanded in 1932,[8] but the council became a lower-tier district council, with Hampshire County Council providing county-level services in the city for the first time.[9] Portsmouth's borough and city statuses and its lord mayoralty were transferred to the reformed district and its council.[10]

Portsmouth regained its independence from Hampshire County Council on 1 April 1997. The way this change was implemented was to create a new non-metropolitan county of Portsmouth covering the same area as the existing district, but with no separate county council; instead the existing city council took on county council functions, making it a unitary authority. This therefore had the effect of restoring the city council to the powers it had held when Portsmouth had been a county borough prior to 1974.[11] The city remains part of the ceremonial county of Hampshire for the purposes of lieutenancy.[12]

Powers and functions[edit]

The local authority derives its powers and functions from the Local Government Act 1972 and subsequent legislation. For the purposes of local government, Portsmouth is within a non-metropolitan area of England. As a unitary authority, Portsmouth City Council has the powers and functions of both a non-metropolitan county and a district council combined. In its capacity as a district council, it is a billing authority, collecting council tax and business rates; processing local planning applications; and it is responsible for housing, waste collection, Trading Standards, and environmental health. It functions as a Port Health Authority for its surrounding waters.[13] In its capacity as a county council, it is a local education authority, responsible for social services, libraries, and waste disposal.

The council adopted a pledge in 2022, which it called the "Portsmouth Pledge", whereby it set out a number of commitments to look after children in its care.[14]

Political control[edit]

The council has been under no overall control since 2014. Following the 2018 election a minority Liberal Democrat administration formed to run the council, which remains in office following the 2024 election.[15]

Political control of the council since the 1974 reforms has been as follows:[16][17]

Lower tier non-metropolitan district

Party in control Years
Conservative 1974–1991
No overall control 1991–1996
Labour 1996–1997

Unitary authority

Party in control Years
Labour 1997–2000
No overall control 2000–2009
Liberal Democrats[18] 2009–2014
No overall control 2014–present

Leadership[edit]

The role of Lord Mayor of Portsmouth is largely ceremonial. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 1994 have been:[19]

Councillor Party From To
Leo Madden Labour 1994 2000
Ian Gibson Conservative 2000 2001
Leo Madden Labour 2001 2002
Frank Worley Conservative 2002 2003
Phil Shaddock Liberal Democrats 2003 22 Jun 2004
Gerald Vernon-Jackson Liberal Democrats 22 Jun 2004 3 Jun 2014
Donna Jones Conservative 3 Jun 2014 15 May 2018
Gerald Vernon-Jackson Liberal Democrats 15 May 2018 16 May 2023
Steve Pitt Liberal Democrats 16 May 2023

Composition[edit]

Following the 2024 election the composition of the council was:[20][21]

Party Councillors
Liberal Democrats 19
Portsmouth Independent Party 9
Labour 8
Conservative 4
Independent 2
Total 42

The next election is due in May 2026.[22]

Elections[edit]

See also: Portsmouth City Council elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2002, the council has comprised 42 councillors representing 14 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.[23]

Premises[edit]

Civic Offices, Guildhall Square, Portsmouth, PO1 2AL: Council's main offices

The council meets at Portsmouth Guildhall, in Guildhall Square.[24] The building was completed in 1890 for the old borough council.[25] The council's main offices are the Civic Offices, which were erected to the east of the guildhall and completed in 1976.[26][27]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "The current Lord Mayor of Portsmouth". Portsmouth City Council. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  2. ^ "Portsmouth". Heritage Gateway. Historic England. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  3. ^ Report of the Commissioners appointed to inquire into the Municipal Corporations of England and Wales: Appendix 2. 1835. p. 801. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  4. ^ Municipal Corporations Act. 1835. p. 458. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  5. ^ "Portsmouth Municipal Borough / County Borough". 24 May 2023. GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  6. ^ "No. 33154". The London Gazette. 23 April 1926. p. 2776.
  7. ^ "No. 33405". The London Gazette. 20 July 1928. p. 4898.
  8. ^ "Portsmouth Ancient Parish / Civil Parish". A Vision of Britain through Time. GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  9. ^ "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1972/2039, retrieved 16 July 2024
  10. ^ "No. 46255". The London Gazette. 4 April 1974. p. 4400.
  11. ^ "The Hampshire (Cities of Portsmouth and Southampton)(Structural Change) Order 1995", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1995/1775, retrieved 24 May 2023
  12. ^ "Lieutenancies Act 1997", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1997 c. 23, retrieved 11 August 2023
  13. ^ "Port Health Authority".
  14. ^ Shaping Portsmouth, Portsmouth Pledge to care for young people, published 6 June 2022, accessed 21 April 2024
  15. ^ "Gerald Vernon-Jackson replaces Donna Jones as Portsmouth City Council leader". The News. Portsmouth. 15 May 2018.
  16. ^ "Compositions calculator". The Elections Centre. 4 March 2016. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  17. ^ "Portsmouth City Council Election Results 1973–1995" (PDF). The Elections Centre, Plymouth University. June 2015.
  18. ^ "Lib Dems claim fourth defection". BBC News Online. 27 January 2009. Retrieved 31 August 2009.
  19. ^ "Council minutes". Portsmouth City Council. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  20. ^ "Election results for Charles Dickens, 2 May 2024". democracy.portsmouth.gov.uk. 2 May 2024.
  21. ^ "Portsmouth result - Local Elections 2024" – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  22. ^ "Portsmouth". Local Councils. Thorncliffe. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  23. ^ "The City of Portsmouth (Electoral Changes) Order 2001", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2001/1027, retrieved 16 July 2024
  24. ^ "Calendar". Portsmouth City Council. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  25. ^ "Guildhall History". Portsmouth History. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
  26. ^ "Guildhall and Victoria Park: Conservation Area No 18" (PDF). Portsmouth City Council. p. 4. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
  27. ^ "Civic Offices". Portsmouth City Council. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
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