Seats 57 Seat 57 | Voting system First past the post | |
 | ||
Type Non-metropolitan county council of Northamptonshire Leader Heather Smith, Conservative
Since 2016 Deputy Leader Andre Gonzalez de Savage, Conservative
Since 2016 Political groups Conservative Party (36)
Labour Party (11)
Liberal Democrats (6)
UK Independence Party (3)
Independent (1) | ||
Northamptonshire County Council is the county council that governs the non-metropolitan county of Northamptonshire in England. It was originally formed in 1889 by the Local Government Act 1888. The county is divided into 57 electoral divisions, which return a total of 57 councillors. The council has been controlled by the Conservative Party since 2005. The leader of the county council is currently Heather Smith, who was elected to the post in May 2016. The headquarters of the council is County Hall in Northampton.
Contents
- Killing fields of northamptonshire county council
- History
- Governance
- Cabinet
- Districts and Boroughs
- Political control
- References
As a non-metropolitan county council, the council is responsible for education, social services, libraries, main roads, public transport policy and fire services, trading standards, waste disposal and strategic planning.
Killing fields of northamptonshire county council
History
Northamptonshire County Council was first formed in 1889 as a result of the Local Government Act 1888, covering the whole of Northamptonshire. This arrangement changed a little in 1974 when, following the Local Government Act 1972, a newly constituted Northamptonshire County Council was formed for the non-metropolitan county of Northamptonshire. The first elections to the new authority were in April 1973, and the council took office on 1 April 1974.
From its recreation in 1974, the county council has administered the entire county of Northamptonshire. During 1990s local government reform, Northampton tried to obtain unitary authority status, but failed. Northamptonshire now has three tiers of local government: the county council, 4 borough councils (Corby, Kettering, Northampton, Wellingborough), 3 district councils (Daventry, East Northamptonshire, South Northamptonshire) and over 250 parish councils.
Governance
Northamptonshire County Council has operated executive arrangements in the form of a Leader and Cabinet system since 2001. In December 2008 the council chose to adopt the revised Executive Leader and Cabinet arrangement.
The Council is currently composed of 57 councillors each representing a single-member division. Elections are held every four years and the next election will take place in 2017.
Cabinet
Northamptonshire County Council's cabinet is composed of seven Conservative councilors and the Conservative Leader of the council. Cabinet members work closely with the directors and professional officers of the council to ensure the successful implementation of the decisions they make.
Districts and Boroughs
Northamptonshire has three tiers of local government: the county council, 4 borough councils, 3 district councils, and over 200 parish councils. In urban areas the work of the parish council is likely to be undertaken by the county or district council. The seven district councils in Northamptonshire are:
These district councils are responsible for local planning and building control, local roads, council housing, environmental health, markets and fairs, refuse collection and recycling, cemeteries and crematoria, leisure services, parks, and tourism.
Political control
Political control of the non-metropolitan county has been held by the following groups:
The council comprises 57 councillors who represent the county. Each councillor typically serves for a four-year term, representing an electoral ward. Each ward elects one councillor by the first past the post system of election. The current composition of the county council, following the 2013 election, is 36 Conservative councillors, 13 Labour councillors, 6 Liberal Democrat councillors, 3 UKIP councillors and 1 independent councillor. The next election will take place in May 2017.