Waltham Forest London Borough Council

Waltham Forest London Borough Council is the local authority for the London Borough of Waltham Forest in London, England which has existed since the London Government Act 1963 was commenced in 1965, replacing three local authorities: Chingford Borough Council, Leyton Borough Council and Walthamstow Borough Council. It is one of London's 32 borough councils, divided into 20 wards and elects 60 councillors.

Waltham Forest London Borough Council
Coat of arms
Council logo
Type
Type
History
Founded01 April 1965
Preceded byChingford Borough Council
Leyton Borough Council
Walthamstow Borough Council
Leadership
Mayor of Waltham Forest
Cllr Chris Robbins, Labour
since 30th May 2019
Leader of the Council
Cllr Clare Coghill, Labour
since 25th May 2017
Chief executive
Martin Esom
since October 2010
Structure
Seats60 councillors
Political groups
Administration (46)
  •   Labour (46)

Opposition (14)

Elections
First past the post
First election
7 May 1964
Last election
3 May 2018[1]
Next election
5 May 2022
Motto
"Fellowship is Life" [2]
Meeting place
Waltham Forest Town Hall, Forest Road, Walthamstow, London E17 4SU
Website
www.walthamforest.gov.uk
Constitution
Constitution

History
A map showing the wards of Waltham Forest since 2002

There have previously been a number of local authorities responsible for the area. The current local authority was first elected in 1964, a year before formally coming into its powers and prior to the creation of the London Borough of Waltham Forest on 1 April 1965. Waltham Forest replaced Chingford Borough Council, Leyton Borough Council and Walthamstow Borough Council.[3]

It was envisaged, in accordance with the London Government Act 1963, that Waltham Forest as a London local authority would share power with 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 local authorities responsible for "personal" services such as social care, libraries, cemeteries and refuse collection. As an outer London borough council it has been an education authority since 1965. This arrangement lasted until 1986 when Waltham Forest London Borough Council gained responsibility for some services that had been provided by the Greater London Council, such as waste disposal. 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.[4]

Powers and functions

The local authority derives its powers and functions from the London Government Act 1963 and subsequent legislation. Waltham Forest has the powers and functions of a London borough council. It is a billing authority collecting Council Tax and business rates, it processes local planning applications, and it is responsible for housing, waste collection and environmental health. It is a local education authority, responsible for social services, libraries and waste disposal. The council shares responsibility with the Greater London Authority for strategic policies including housing, planning and the environment.[5]

Finances

Waltham Forest London Borough Council is the billing authority for Council Tax, and collects precepts on behalf of the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime, the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority the Greater London Authority and Transport for London.[6]

Political control

Since the first election to the council in 1964 political control of the council has been held by the following parties:

Party in controlYears
Labour1964 - 1968
Conservative1968 - 1971
Labour1971 - 1994
No overall control1994 - 1998
Labour1998 - 2002
No overall control2002 - 2010
Labour2010–present

Summary results of elections
Main article: Waltham Forest local elections

Summary of the council composition after each council election, click on the year for full details of each election.

Year Labour Conservative Liberal Democrats Independent Notes
1964 33 3 0 9
1968 4 44 0 0
1971 39 9 0 0
1974 36 12 0 0
1978 36 21 0 0 Boundary changes increased the number of seats by 11.[7]
1982 26 25 6 0
1986 31 16 10 0
1990 30 16 11 0
1994 27 16 14 0 Boundary changes took place but the number of seats remained the same.[n 1][n 2]
1998 30 15 12 0 Boundary changes took place but the number of seats remained the same.[n 3]
2002 29 18 13 0 Boundary changes increased the number of seats by 3.[8]
2006 26 15 19 0
2010 36 18 6 0
2014 44 16 0 0
2018 46 14 0 0

By-elections occur when seats become vacant between council elections. Below is a summary of recent by-elections.

By-electionDateIncumbent partyWinning party
Leytonstone 15 October 1992 Labour Labour
Wood Street 1 May 1997 Liberal Democrats Labour
Leytonstone 1 October 1998 Labour Labour
Forest 15 May 2003 Labour Liberal Democrats
William Morris 4 September 2003 Labour Liberal Democrats
Valley 28 October 2004 Conservative Conservative
Hoe Street 18 November 2004 Labour Labour
Leytonstone 14 July 2005 Labour Labour
Chingford Green 26 April 2007 Conservative Conservative
Leyton 14 February 2008 Labour Liberal Democrats
Forest 5 June 2008 Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats
Valley 6 November 2008 Conservative Conservative
Hale End & Highams Park 4 December 2008 Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats
Larkswood 19 March 2009 Conservative Conservative
Larkswood 12 July 2012 Conservative Conservative
William Morris 29 June 2017 Labour Labour

Notes
  1. The Essex and Greater London (County and London Borough Boundaries) Order 1993
  2. The East London Boroughs (London Borough Boundaries) (No. 2) Order 1993
  3. The Redbridge and Waltham Forest (London Borough Boundaries) Order 1993

References
  1. "Election Results". Waltham Forest London Borough Council.
  2. "Civic Heraldry Of England And Wales - Greater London Region". Civicheraldry.co.uk. Retrieved 2020-04-12.
  3. Youngs, Frederic (1979). Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England. I: Southern England. London: Royal Historical Society. ISBN 0-901050-67-9.
  4. Leach, Steve (1998). Local Government Reorganisation: The Review and its Aftermath. Routledge. p. 107. ISBN 978-0714648590.
  5. "Local Plan Responses – within and outside London". Mayor of London. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  6. "Council Tax and Business Rates Billing Authorities". Council Tax Rates. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  7. "London Borough Council Elections 4 May 1978" (PDF). London Datastore. Greater London Council. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  8. "London Borough Council Elections 2 May 2002" (PDF). London Datastore. Greater London Authority. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
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