Leeds City Council
Encyclopedia
Leeds City Council is the local authority for the City of Leeds
metropolitan district of West Yorkshire
, England.
, the area of the County Borough of Leeds
was combined with those of the Municipal Borough of Morley
, the Municipal Borough of Pudsey
, Aireborough Urban District, Horsforth Urban District, Otley Urban District, Garforth Urban District, Rothwell Urban District and parts of Tadcaster Rural District, Wetherby Rural District and Wharfedale Rural District from the West Riding. The new Leeds district was one of five metropolitan districts in West Yorkshire. It was granted a borough
and city status
to become the City of Leeds
.
Until 1986 the city council was a second-tier authority, with West Yorkshire County Council providing many key services. However, the metropolitan county councils were abolished under the Local Government Act 1985
and the council took responsibility for all former County Council functions except policing
, fire services
and public transport
which continue to be run on a joint basis by councillors from the former boroughs of West Yorkshire County Council.
between the Council and Capita. The senior councillors of the council's Executive Board voted in March 2010 to stop using Education Leeds to provide services from 31st March 2011, thereby effectively causing it to cease operation.
(ALMOs) since 2007. They are wholly owned by the council but operate as autonomous and self-governing organisations. The ALMOs, which are arranged on a regional basis are:
In addition to the ALMOs, management of more than 2000 homes in Belle Isle
is carried out by Belle Isle Tenant Management Organisation, the largest tenant management organisation in the UK outside London.
, Calderdale
, Kirklees
and Wakefield
) in the areas of archaeology, archives, ecology, materials testing, public analyst, and trading standards.
. The Executive Board of the Council currently consists of seven executive members with portfolio responsibilities and one non-voting advisory member from the ruling Labour group, and the leader of each of the other groups currently on the Council.
This is an incomplete list of Leaders of Leeds City Council.
. Three plans panels are responsible for determining planning applications
which have not been delegated to officers for decision, such as large or controversial applications or those in which a councillor or officer has a personal interest.
, in partnership with local communities. Committees also exert considerable influence over other areas of local interest such as street-cleansing and community policing.
The first Mayor of Leeds was Thomas Danby
in 1661, and the first Lord Mayor was James Kitson
in 1897.
between February 2002 and July 2003. The review receommended the retention of 99 councillors representing 33 wards, but with substantial alterations to ward boundaries to reduce the level of variance between different wards. Prior to the boundary review, based on the 2001 electorate the largest and smallest wards respectively were Morley South (22,167 electors) and Hunslet (10,955 electors), whereas following the review all wards had an electorate within 10% of the average for the city.
The new boundaries were adopted in time for the local elections held in May 2004, where all seats were up for election. Following the review, the district was divided into the following 33 wards:
. The council was run by a coalition of the Conservatives
and Liberal Democrats
until 2010, latterly with support from the Morley
Borough Independents. During this period the leaders of the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats took turns to hold the office of Leader for six months. From 2010 to 2011 the council was run by a minority Labour administration with support from two Green Party
councillors. It was under no overall control until 1976 when the Conservatives took control until 1979, when it returned to no overall control. From 1980 to 2004 it was under Labour control. Elections are usually by thirds: 2004 saw all seats up for election due to boundary changes.
City of Leeds
The City of Leeds is a local government district of West Yorkshire, England, governed by Leeds City Council, with the status of a city and metropolitan borough. The metropolitan district includes Leeds and the towns of Farsley, Garforth, Guiseley, Horsforth, Morley, Otley, Pudsey, Rothwell,...
metropolitan district of West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
, England.
History
The city council was established in 1974, with the first elections being held in advance in 1973. Under the Local Government Act 1972Local Government Act 1972
The Local Government Act 1972 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974....
, the area of the County Borough of Leeds
County Borough of Leeds
The County Borough of Leeds, and its predecessor, the Municipal Borough of Leeds, was a local government district in the West Riding of Yorkshire, England, from 1835 to 1974. Its origin was the ancient borough of Leeds, which was reformed by the Municipal Corporations Act 1835...
was combined with those of the Municipal Borough of Morley
Municipal Borough of Morley
Morley was a local government district in Yorkshire, West Riding.Apart from the town of Morley, it included Churwell , East Ardsley , West Ardsley, Drighlington and Gildersome .Morley was incorporated as a borough in 1885.It was abolished in 1974 and its former area became part of the...
, the Municipal Borough of Pudsey
Municipal Borough of Pudsey
Pudsey was a local government district in Yorkshire, West Riding from 1872 to 1974 around the town of Pudsey.A local board formed for the parish of Pudsey in 1872...
, Aireborough Urban District, Horsforth Urban District, Otley Urban District, Garforth Urban District, Rothwell Urban District and parts of Tadcaster Rural District, Wetherby Rural District and Wharfedale Rural District from the West Riding. The new Leeds district was one of five metropolitan districts in West Yorkshire. It was granted a borough
Borough status in the United Kingdom
Borough status in the United Kingdom is granted by royal charter to local government districts in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The status is purely honorary, and does not give any additional powers to the council or inhabitants of the district...
and city status
City status in the United Kingdom
City status in the United Kingdom is granted by the British monarch to a select group of communities. The holding of city status gives a settlement no special rights other than that of calling itself a "city". Nonetheless, this appellation carries its own prestige and, consequently, competitions...
to become the City of Leeds
City of Leeds
The City of Leeds is a local government district of West Yorkshire, England, governed by Leeds City Council, with the status of a city and metropolitan borough. The metropolitan district includes Leeds and the towns of Farsley, Garforth, Guiseley, Horsforth, Morley, Otley, Pudsey, Rothwell,...
.
Until 1986 the city council was a second-tier authority, with West Yorkshire County Council providing many key services. However, the metropolitan county councils were abolished under the Local Government Act 1985
Local Government Act 1985
The Local Government Act 1985 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom. Its main effect was to abolish the county councils of the metropolitan counties that had been set up in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972, along with the Greater London Council that had been established in 1965.The...
and the council took responsibility for all former County Council functions except policing
West Yorkshire Police
West Yorkshire Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing West Yorkshire in England. It is the fourth largest force in England and Wales by number of officers, with 5671 officers....
, fire services
West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service
The West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service is the county-wide, statutory emergency fire and rescue service for the metropolitan county of West Yorkshire, England...
and public transport
West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive
The West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive is the Passenger Transport Executive for the county of West Yorkshire, England. It is the executive arm of the West Yorkshire Integrated Transport Authority and was originally formed on 1 April 1974 as the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport...
which continue to be run on a joint basis by councillors from the former boroughs of West Yorkshire County Council.
Council Services
Leeds City Council is responsible for providing all statutory local authority services in Leeds, except for those it provides jointly in conjunction with other West Yorkshire Authorities. This includes education, housing, planning, transport and highways, social services, libraries, leisure and recreation, waste collection, waste disposal, environmental health and revenue collection. The council is one of the largest employers in West Yorkshire, with around 33,000 employees.Education Leeds
Education Leeds was set up in 2001 as a non-profit making company wholly owned by Leeds City Council to provide education support services for the council. For its first five years it operated as a public-private partnershipPublic-private partnership
Public–private partnership describes a government service or private business venture which is funded and operated through a partnership of government and one or more private sector companies...
between the Council and Capita. The senior councillors of the council's Executive Board voted in March 2010 to stop using Education Leeds to provide services from 31st March 2011, thereby effectively causing it to cease operation.
Housing
Leeds City Council's housing stock has been managed and operated by three Arms Length Management OrganisationsArms Length Management Organisation
Arms Length Management Organisations or arm's length management organisations are UK not-for-profit companies set up by a local authorities primarily to manage and improve all or part of their housing stock. Ownership of the housing stock itself normally stays with the local authority...
(ALMOs) since 2007. They are wholly owned by the council but operate as autonomous and self-governing organisations. The ALMOs, which are arranged on a regional basis are:
- East North East Homes
- West North West Homes
- Aire Valley Homes
In addition to the ALMOs, management of more than 2000 homes in Belle Isle
Belle Isle, Leeds
Belle Isle is a large suburb south of Leeds city centre, West Yorkshire, England. It is bounded to the north and east by the M621 motorway.The district lies in the LS10 Leeds postcode area...
is carried out by Belle Isle Tenant Management Organisation, the largest tenant management organisation in the UK outside London.
West Yorkshire Joint Services
West Yorkshire Joint Services provides services for the five district local authorities in West Yorkshire (Leeds, BradfordCity of Bradford
The City of Bradford is a local government district of West Yorkshire, England with the status of a city and metropolitan borough. It is named after its largest settlement, Bradford, but covers a far larger area which includes the towns of Keighley, Shipley, Bingley, Ilkley, Haworth, Silsden and...
, Calderdale
Calderdale
The Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale is a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, England, through which the upper part of the River Calder flows, and from which it takes its name...
, Kirklees
Kirklees
The Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees is a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, England. It has a population of 401,000 and includes the settlements of Batley, Birstall, Cleckheaton, Denby Dale, Dewsbury, Heckmondwike, Holmfirth, Huddersfield, Kirkburton, Marsden, Meltham, Mirfield and Slaithwaite...
and Wakefield
City of Wakefield
The City of Wakefield is a local government district of West Yorkshire, England, with the status of a city and metropolitan borough. Wakefield is the district's administrative centre. The district includes the "Five Towns" of Normanton, Pontefract, Featherstone, Castleford and Knottingley. Other...
) in the areas of archaeology, archives, ecology, materials testing, public analyst, and trading standards.
Leadership
The council operates a Leader and Cabinet executive as defined under section 11 of the Local Government Act 2000Local Government Act 2000
The Local Government Act 2000 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales. Its principal purposes are:...
. The Executive Board of the Council currently consists of seven executive members with portfolio responsibilities and one non-voting advisory member from the ruling Labour group, and the leader of each of the other groups currently on the Council.
This is an incomplete list of Leaders of Leeds City Council.
- 2010 to date: Keith Wakefield (Labour)
- 2007 to 2010: Andrew Carter (Conservative) and Richard Brett (Liberal Democrat)
- 2004 to 2007: Andrew Carter (Conservative) and Mark Harris (Liberal Democrat)
- 2003 to 2004: Keith Wakefield (Labour)
- 1996 to 2003: Brian Walker (Labour)
- 1989 to 1996: Jon TrickettJon TrickettJon Hedley Trickett is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Hemsworth in West Yorkshire since a 1996 by-election...
(Labour) - 1980 to 1989: George MudieGeorge MudieGeorge Edward Mudie is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Leeds East since 1992.-Early life:...
(Labour) - to 1980: Peter Sparling (Conservative)
Overview and scrutiny
The executive and workings of the council are overseen by six scrutiny boards. These panels involve councillors from all parties and some independent members. Scrutiny boards are able to review decisions taken by the executive or by officers of the council and to refer them for further consideration.Regulatory
The licensing committee of the council is drawn from councillors from all parties and is responsible for entertainment, refreshment, personal and premises licenses established under the Licensing Act 2003Licensing Act 2003
The Licensing Act of 2003 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that applies only to England and Wales. The Act establishes a single integrated scheme for licensing premises which are used for the sale or supply of alcohol, to provide regulated entertainment, or to provide late night...
. Three plans panels are responsible for determining planning applications
Planning permission
Planning permission or planning consent is the permission required in the United Kingdom in order to be allowed to build on land, or change the use of land or buildings. Within the UK the occupier of any land or building will need title to that land or building , but will also need "planning...
which have not been delegated to officers for decision, such as large or controversial applications or those in which a councillor or officer has a personal interest.
Area committees
Ten area committees are responsible for managing certain area-specific budgets and responsibilities, such as community centres and CCTVClosed-circuit television
Closed-circuit television is the use of video cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place, on a limited set of monitors....
, in partnership with local communities. Committees also exert considerable influence over other areas of local interest such as street-cleansing and community policing.
Lord Mayor
The Lord Mayor of Leeds is a ceremonial position elected annually by and from the councillors. As well as acting as the chair of the council, the Lord Mayor represents the City of Leeds at events within and outside the city. During the mayoralty period, the Lords Mayor's Charity Appeal raises funds for one or more charities of the mayor's choice.The first Mayor of Leeds was Thomas Danby
Thomas Danby (mayor)
Thomas Danby of Farnley and Thorpe Perrow was the first Mayor of Leeds .He was born in 1631, the son of Sir Thomas Danby of Farnley Hall , and married Margaret Eure in 1659....
in 1661, and the first Lord Mayor was James Kitson
James Kitson, 1st Baron Airedale
James Kitson, 1st Baron Airedale PC, DSc , known as Sir James Kitson, Bt, between 1886 and 1907, was a British peer and Liberal Party politician....
in 1897.
Wards
The local election boundaries for Leeds City Council which had been in use since 1979 were reviewed by the Boundary Committee for EnglandBoundary Committee for England
The Boundary Committee for England was a statutory committee of the Electoral Commission, an independent body set up by the UK Parliament. The Committee’s aim was to conduct thorough, consultative and robust reviews of local government areas in England, and for its recommendations to be...
between February 2002 and July 2003. The review receommended the retention of 99 councillors representing 33 wards, but with substantial alterations to ward boundaries to reduce the level of variance between different wards. Prior to the boundary review, based on the 2001 electorate the largest and smallest wards respectively were Morley South (22,167 electors) and Hunslet (10,955 electors), whereas following the review all wards had an electorate within 10% of the average for the city.
The new boundaries were adopted in time for the local elections held in May 2004, where all seats were up for election. Following the review, the district was divided into the following 33 wards:
|
|
|
Political composition
The council is composed of 99 councillors, three for each of the city's wards. Following the 2011 Local Elections, the Council is run by a Labour administration. Between 2004 and 2011 elections in resulted in no overall controlNo overall control
Within the context of local councils of the United Kingdom, the term No Overall Control refers to a situation in which no single party achieves a majority of seats and is analogous to a hung parliament...
. The council was run by a coalition of the Conservatives
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
and Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
until 2010, latterly with support from the Morley
Morley, West Yorkshire
Morley is a market town and civil parish within the metropolitan borough of the City of Leeds, in West Yorkshire, England. It lies approximately south-west of Leeds city centre. Together with Drighlington, Gildersome, Churwell, Tingley and East/West Ardsley, the town had a population of 47,579 in...
Borough Independents. During this period the leaders of the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats took turns to hold the office of Leader for six months. From 2010 to 2011 the council was run by a minority Labour administration with support from two Green Party
Green Party of England and Wales
The Green Party of England and Wales is a political party in England and Wales which follows the traditions of Green politics and maintains a strong commitment to social progressivism. It is the largest Green party in the United Kingdom, containing within it various regional divisions including...
councillors. It was under no overall control until 1976 when the Conservatives took control until 1979, when it returned to no overall control. From 1980 to 2004 it was under Labour control. Elections are usually by thirds: 2004 saw all seats up for election due to boundary changes.
| Year | Labour Labour Party (UK) The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after... |
Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the... |
Conservative Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House... |
Others | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 Leeds Council election, 2011 The 2011 Leeds Council election took place on 5 May 2011 to elect members of City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough Council in West Yorkshire, England... |
55 | 16 | 21 | 7 | |||
| 2010 | 48 | 21 | 22 | 8 | |||
| 2009 | 42 | 23 | 23 | 10 | |||
| 2008 | 43 | 24 | 22 | 10 | |||
| 2007 | 43 | 24 | 22 | 10 | |||
| 2006 | 40 | 26 | 24 | 9 | |||
| 2004 | 40 | 26 | 24 | 9 | |||
| 2003 Leeds Council election, 2003 The 2003 Leeds Council election took place on 1 May 2003 to elect members of City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough Council in West Yorkshire, England... |
52 | 22 | 20 | 5 | |||
| 2002 Leeds Council election, 2002 The 2002 Leeds Council election took place on 2 May 2002 to elect members of City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough Council in West Yorkshire, England... |
57 | 20 | 18 | 4 | |||
| 2000 Leeds Council election, 2000 The 2000 Leeds Council election took place on 4 May 2000 to elect members of City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough Council in West Yorkshire, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Labour party stayed in overall control of the council... |
61 | 19 | 16 | 3 | |||
| 1999 Leeds Council election, 1999 The 1999 Leeds Council election took place on 6 May 1999 to elect members of City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough Council in West Yorkshire, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Labour party stayed in overall control of the council... |
71 | 14 | 12 | 2 | |||
| 1998 Leeds Council election, 1999 The 1999 Leeds Council election took place on 6 May 1999 to elect members of City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough Council in West Yorkshire, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Labour party stayed in overall control of the council... |
80 | 9 | 9 | 1 | |||