55-532: Plymouth Council could refer to: Plymouth City Council , England Plymouth Council for New England , North America Plymouth Council (Boy Scouts of America) , a defunct local council of the Boy Scouts of America Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Plymouth Council . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change
110-494: A border with Greater London . Also, Hereford and Worcester was abolished and replaced by the unitary authority of Herefordshire and the shire county of Worcestershire . Berkshire was split into six unitary authorities, but not formally abolished. The local government reform did not affect police areas , or fire and rescue service areas, but resulted in the setting of many more joint boards for such authorities: previously county councils were represented on these bodies, and
165-519: A group. The next election is due 7 May 2026 where one third of the council's seats will be contested. The council meets at the Council House on Armada Way in the city centre, being the southern wing of the former Civic Centre, built in 1962, which was made a listed building in 2007. The council's main offices are at Ballard House on West Hoe Road adjoining the docks in the Millbay area of
220-600: A junior local government minister during the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, was appointed as Secretary of State for the Environment (and thus responsible for local government) in John Major 's first cabinet of 1990. Heseltine was an enthusiast for unitary local government, and was also an early proponent of the idea of directly elected mayors , to be taken up by Tony Blair 's government in
275-468: A pattern followed also in County Durham ( Darlington ), Devon ( Plymouth and Torbay ), East Sussex ( Brighton & Hove ), Essex ( Southend-on-Sea ), Nottinghamshire ( Nottingham ), Staffordshire ( Stoke-on-Trent ) and Wiltshire ( Thamesdown ). The Commission recommended the abolition of two county councils – Berkshire (which was to have five unitary authorities) and Dorset (which
330-491: A review of all the non-metropolitan counties of England from 1993 to 1994, making various recommendations on their future. After much political debate and several legal challenges, the Commission's proposals resulted in the abolition of Berkshire county council and the counties of Avon , Cleveland , Hereford and Worcester and Humberside (created in 1974). Combined with a second wave of reviews in 1995, under
385-462: A third of the council elected each time for a four-year term of office. The wards and current councillors (as at May 2024) are as follows: Plymouth has had a mayor in some form since 1439, and this tradition continued until 1934, when the king granted Plymouth the honour of having a Lord Mayor. The role of the Lord Mayor is largely ceremonial, and has evolved into a figurehead position which
440-571: A unitary authority. The proposal for an entirely unitary structure had been strongly supported by the County Council earlier, though with time and a change in political composition of the Council, it changed its mind and took this decision to court, seeking to have the entire Order declared invalid. The High Court ruled in their favour, but the Court of Appeal quashed this decision. This led to
495-422: A unitary authority. This therefore had the effect of restoring the city council to the powers it had held when Plymouth had been a county borough prior to 1974. The city remains part of the ceremonial county of Devon for the purposes of lieutenancy . As a unitary authority, Plymouth City Council has the responsibilities of both a district council and county council combined. There are no civil parishes in
550-456: A wish for most of the country to become unitary authorities, Howard issued revised guidance on the basis that the "two-tier structure may be appropriate in some areas", and that the costs of reorganisation might be too much for the recession-hit UK economy to take. The Commission, chaired by John Banham (named to the post in November 1991, before the legislation had been passed to create
605-500: Is a blue naval crown with a red anchor held in a lion's paw. The crown and anchor were part of the crest of the former County Borough of Devonport and represent the importance of the Royal Navy in the life of the city. The Latin motto , Turris Fortissima est Nomen Jehova , means "The name of Jehovah is the strongest tower". Local Government Commission for England (1992) The Local Government Commission for England
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#1732764805018660-451: Is the local authority for the city of Plymouth , in the ceremonial county of Devon , England. Plymouth has had a council since 1439, which has been reformed on numerous occasions. 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 Devon County Council . The council has been under Labour majority control since 2023. It meets at
715-615: Is the public, non-political image of Plymouth City Council. The Lord Mayor chairs council meetings in the Council Chamber. The position usually rotates between the Conservatives and Labour, and is chosen on the third Friday of May. The Lord Mayor chooses the Deputy Lord Mayor. The Lord Mayor's official residence is 3 Elliot Terrace, on Hoe . Once a home of Waldorf and Nancy Astor , it was given by Lady Astor to
770-507: The 2023 election . Political control of the council since the 1974 reforms has been as follows: Lower tier non-metropolitan district Unitary authority The role of Lord Mayor is largely ceremonial in Plymouth. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council . The leaders since 1974 have been: Following the 2024 election the composition of the council was: The six independent councillors sit together as
825-526: The Commons that the government would not fully accept the Commission's proposals and certain districts would be referred to the Commission for a further review. He also announced John Banham's resignation in protest at this. For Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire and Dorset the government did not accept the Commission's recommendations for an entirely unitary structure, and decided to only make Luton , Milton Keynes , Bournemouth and Poole unitary, with
880-476: The Council House in the city centre and has its main offices at Ballard House in the Millbay area of the city. Plymouth was an ancient borough , having been incorporated in 1439. It was reformed to become a municipal borough in 1836, governed by a corporate body officially called the "mayor, aldermen and burgesses of the borough of Plymouth", but generally known as the corporation or town council. When elected county councils were established in 1889, Plymouth
935-750: The Isle of Wight , Humberside , Lincolnshire , North Yorkshire and Somerset was nearly done by the end of 1993. Banham had said that the Commission was expecting "early wins" in Cleveland, Humberside and Avon. The first recommendation, published in 1993, was the quite uncontroversial one to make Isle of Wight a unitary authority. The island had been split between South Wight and Medina boroughs, with an Isle of Wight County Council, since 1974. Three more final reports, for Cleveland, Derbyshire and Durham, were published in November 1993. In both Derbyshire and Durham, unitary authorities would be created covering
990-485: The 2000s. A wide range of political opinion had always favoured in principle the establishment of unitary authorities. The Labour Party had planned to implement the Redcliffe-Maud Report in the 1970s, and the party's 1982 statement of policy "Labour's Programme 1982" said "There is an irrational split of functions between the two tiers compounded by a confusing overlap of responsibilities ... We favour
1045-464: The City of Plymouth as an official residence for future Lord Mayors and is also used today for civic hospitality, as lodgings for visiting dignitaries and High Court judges, and is available to hire for private events. The coat of arms of the City of Plymouth show the four towers of the old Plymouth Castle , with the saltire of Saint Andrew , who is the patron of Plymouth's oldest church. The crest
1100-506: The Commission for consideration under the new guidance. Gummer accepted the Commission's proposal to abolish Cleveland, but asked the Commission to consider Durham and Derbyshire again under the new guidance. The Labour Party, while remaining broadly in favour of unitary authorities, attacked the Commission for inconsistency. The leader of the Labour-controlled Derbyshire County Council questioned
1155-521: The Commission on Gloucestershire, and announced its intention to refer the county back. These changes were implemented in 1996. Reviews continued throughout 1994, with draft proposals published for consultation, outlining the Commission's preferred option and other options. The Commission made extensive usage of MORI polling in each of the local areas affected to determine which options were more popular locally. For example, in Cambridgeshire,
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#17327648050181210-957: The Commission outlined three options for a split of the county into unitary authorities, the preferred option being a three-way split between the "City & County of Cambridge" (consisting of Cambridge , South Cambridgeshire , East Cambridgeshire ), Huntingdonshire and Peterborough & Fenland . In final reports delivered in October 1994, the Commission recommended Buckinghamshire and Bedfordshire county councils be abolished and replaced with four and three unitary authorities respectively. In other counties, it backed down from more radical draft proposals, and it recommended no change in Cambridgeshire , Cheshire , Cumbria , Lancashire , Kent and Oxfordshire . In Hampshire it recommended that Southampton , Portsmouth and New Forest become unitary authorities. A further batch of reports
1265-569: The Commission was based strongly on local opinion, noting that although a fully unitary solution for much of the country would commend all-party support in the House of Commons, he thought it would cause "mayhem" when implemented. He also advocated the creation of more parish councils in unparished areas . In a letter to The Times in March 1994, he noted he had the attitude that "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". On 2 March 1995, Gummer announced to
1320-638: The Commission was concerned about the lack of "internal coherence of the area" and its size. While finding against a Basildon unitary authority, the Commission recommended the removal of Billericay and Wickford from Basildon district and their addition to Brentwood and Rochford districts, leaving Basildon district focused on the Basildon New Town. The boundary alterations proposed between Basildon, Rochford and Brentwood were never implemented. The Commission also recommended boundary revisions between Peterborough and Huntingdonshire to incorporate
1375-575: The Commission), started the reviews in July 1992. The process was originally supposed to take some years, with the shire counties being considered in five waves, or "tranches", and it was hoped that the reforms would come into effect from 1994 to 1998. The process took longer than expected, with the Commission unable to recruit enough staff until November 1992. The first tranche, covering Avon , Cleveland , Derbyshire , County Durham , Gloucestershire ,
1430-602: The Wrekin were. Spelthorne was added at the request of the local MP, David Wilshire . The new commission was under the chairmanship of Sir David Cooksey , previously the chairman of the Audit Commission . The commission published draft proposals on the districts referred back to it in September 1995. It recommended unitary status for Blackpool, Blackburn, Halton, Northampton, Peterborough, Thurrock, Warrington and
1485-497: The Wrekin, and also that Rochester upon Medway and Gillingham should form a Medway Towns unitary authority. The final recommendations deleted Northampton from this list, deciding that "as with Exeter and Gloucester, the separation of Northampton from its county would have a significant and detrimental effect". The government announced its acceptance of these recommendations in March 1996, and these changes were implemented in 1998. The Commission decided against unitary status for
1540-553: The chairmanship of David Cooksey , the Commission's proposals led to the creation of unitary authorities covering many urban areas of England, including cities like Bristol , Kingston upon Hull , Leicester , Derby , Nottingham , Stoke-on-Trent and Plymouth . Reforms in the rest of Great Britain followed a different course. Following the structural review, the Commission then reviewed electoral arrangements in English local authorities, re-warding based on population changes. It
1595-481: The city of Plymouth", also known as the city council. The position of mayor was raised to a lord mayor in 1935. In 1974 Plymouth became a lower-tier non-metropolitan district under the Local Government Act 1972 , with Devon County Council providing county-level services to the city for the first time. Plymouth's city status was re-conferred on the reformed district, allowing the council to take
1650-538: The city, having moved there from the tower block wing of the Civic Centre in 2014. The tower block wing of the Civic Centre was sold to developers Urban Splash in 2015 and later re-purchased to be redeveloped into a City College Plymouth campus in 2024. Since the last boundary changes in 2003 the council has comprised 57 councillors representing 20 wards , with each ward electing two or three councillors. Elections are held three years out of every four, with
1705-516: The city. Some functions are carried out in partnership with neighbouring authorities, notably with the city council appointing four members to the Devon and Somerset Combined Fire Authority . The council is also responsible for arranging elections both for its own councillors and for three Parliamentary constituencies: Plymouth Moor View ; Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport ; and South West Devon . The council has been under Labour majority control since
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1760-613: The creation in England and Wales of unitary authorities". Heseltine announced in 1991 that the government would be looking at the creation of unitary authorities in the non-metropolitan counties as part of a more general review of local government, including the abolition of the Community Charge , or poll tax. Heseltine was replaced by Michael Howard in April 1992 after the 1992 general election . Whilst Heseltine had expressed
1815-487: The creation of new unitary authorities meant that the apportionment of representatives was adjusted. In addition to having their county councils abolished, Avon, Humberside and Cleveland were abolished as non-metropolitan counties. This, and the fact that many of the new unitary authorities were in themselves non-metropolitan counties, led to the concept of ceremonial counties for the Lieutenancy , which would include
1870-421: The districts of Basildon , Blackburn , Blackpool , Broxtowe , Dartford , Exeter , Gedling , Gillingham , Gloucester , Gravesham , Halton , Huntingdonshire , Northampton , Peterborough , Rochester upon Medway , Rushcliffe , Thurrock , Warrington . Shadow Environment Secretary Frank Dobson suggested that Cambridge , Ipswich , Norwich , Oxford and The Wrekin be added to this list: Norwich and
1925-559: The electorate. This work was taken over by the Boundary Committee for England in 2002, and completed in 2004. † since the government rejected the Commission's proposal for a West Riding of Yorkshire authority to include parts of North Yorkshire and the Goole area of Humberside, Goole became part of the new East Riding of Yorkshire instead. Two small areas were ceded from Surrey and Buckinghamshire to Berkshire , giving it
1980-522: The entire southern township of Peterborough in the city, and also boundary changes between Spelthorne and Runnymede as a result of changes in the path of the River Thames . The Peterborough changes were implemented as part of the Order for Peterborough, coming into force in 1998, and the alterations to the boundary between Runnymede and Spelthorne were implemented on 1 April 1997. The Commission
2035-595: The historic North Riding of Yorkshire ). It recommended no change in Lincolnshire and Gloucestershire . The County Councils of Avon, Cleveland and Somerset sought judicial review to stop these proposals going forward, but the High Court found them within the law. The government accepted most of these recommendations, but also kept the status quo in Somerset ("after taking account of the number and strength of
2090-498: The implementation of unitary authorities of Berkshire to be delayed from 1997 to 1998. In Hampshire, the Commission had proposed unitary authorities for the cities of Portsmouth and Southampton , which were accepted by the government, and the larger and more rural New Forest district, which the government did not accept. In many counties that were to remain unchanged, the government had reservations about specific districts. Gummer identified as candidates on his 2 March statement
2145-404: The inclusion of Derbyshire in the first tranche, which otherwise consisted mainly of counties newly created in 1974 and their neighbours. The revised guidance included wording as follows: In some areas the commission may wish to recommend a continuation of the existing two-tier structure. But the government expects that to be the exception, and that the result will be a substantial increase in
2200-729: The large urban areas, but the rest of the county would remain two-tier in structure. A new Secretary of State, John Gummer , had taken over in May, and he did not like these proposals, or the long time it took to produce them. Gummer sped-up the work plan and directed that all remaining reviews should start in December and be complete by the end of 1994. Gummer also issued new guidance, making it clear that wholly unitary solutions should be preferred, particularly ones smaller than existing counties but larger than existing districts. He further announced that Derbyshire and Durham would be referred back to
2255-401: The link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Plymouth_Council&oldid=585596413 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Plymouth City Council Plymouth City Council
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2310-532: The name Plymouth City Council. Plymouth regained its independence from the county council on 1 April 1998 when it was made a unitary authority following the recommendations of the Banham Commission . The way this change was implemented was to create a new non-metropolitan county of Plymouth 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
2365-657: The number of unitary authorities in both urban and rural areas. Lancashire and Derbyshire County Councils, fearing their abolition under the new guidance, took a case to the High Court , seeking a judicial review that it was illegal. On 28 January, the High Court ruled in their favour, deleting the sentence in dispute, implying that the Commission should consider retaining the status quo, either in part or wholly, as an option as well. The commission recommended that Avon and Humberside should be abolished and broken up into four unitary authorities each. It also recommended that
2420-481: The representations which I received opposing the recommendations"), and in North Yorkshire retained a rump two-tier North Yorkshire without York ("in the light of the strong representations which I have received opposing the Commission's recommendations for North and West Riding") – both reportedly the subject of strong lobbying by local Conservative MPs. The government did not accept the recommendations of
2475-486: The rest of the country having administrative county councils and many smaller district councils, with different competences. The 1972 Act abolished county boroughs, making them districts in two-tier counties. This, and the consequent loss of education, social services and libraries to county control, was strongly regretted by the larger towns outside the new metropolitan counties , such as Bristol, Plymouth, Stoke, Leicester and Nottingham. Michael Heseltine , who had been
2530-472: The rest of those counties remaining two-tier. The proposal to abolish Berkshire County Council was accepted by the government. The Commission had recommended five unitary authorities in Berkshire, based on the districts of Newbury , Reading , Wokingham , Slough , with Bracknell Forest and Windsor and Maidenhead districts merging to form a "Royal East Berkshire". Gummer decided to make each district
2585-438: The rump Somerset be broken up into three unitary authorities (West, South and Mid). It suggested that North Yorkshire be split into three unitary authorities – one for York , and two others to be called "West Riding of Yorkshire" and "North Riding of Yorkshire" (the proposed West Riding would have taken in only a small part of the historic West Riding of Yorkshire , while the proposed North Riding would have included most of
2640-412: The three districts around Nottingham: Gedling, Broxtowe and Rushcliffe. Of the three, only Rushcliffe Borough Council supported a change. It considered but came down against unifying Dartford and Gravesham as a unitary authority (supported by Dartford but rejected by Gravesham). Exeter was considered too small. The Commission noted that Gloucester 's proximity to Cheltenham would cause issues and that
2695-563: The two towns should be governed together. The Commission rejected the case of Huntingdonshire (a historic county , and the constituency of the Prime Minister, John Major ), noting that there was "no exceptional county allegiance" and doubting the capacity of Huntingdonshire and the viability of the remaining Cambridgeshire. The Commission noted that tight boundaries for Norwich would cause a problem for unitary government, but that an extension would likely be strongly opposed. In Spelthorne
2750-412: Was considered large enough for its existing corporation to provide county-level services and so it was made a county borough , independent from Devon County Council . In 1914 Plymouth absorbed the neighbouring towns of Devonport and East Stonehouse . The enlarged Plymouth was awarded city status on 18 October 1928, after which the corporation's formal title was the "mayor, aldermen and citizens of
2805-434: Was delivered in December, recommending that Norfolk , Northamptonshire , Northumberland , Suffolk , Surrey , Warwickshire , West Sussex should remained unchanged. In Hereford and Worcester , Worcestershire would become a two-tier county whilst Herefordshire become a unitary authority. In Leicestershire , Leicester and Rutland would become unitary authorities, with the rest of the county remaining two-tier –
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#17327648050182860-662: Was directed in 1996 to review local government in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside , as a result of local demand for Southport to be removed from that borough. The final report recommended no change in the existing structure of local government in Sefton. In 1996, the Commission began a periodic electoral review of every local authority in England, reviewing the existing wards and electoral divisions and altering them to take into account changes in
2915-419: Was replaced by the Boundary Committee for England in 2002, which finished this review cycle in 2004. Local government was at the time organised under the Local Government Act 1972 , which had been passed during Edward Heath 's Conservative administration. Before this, local government in England had been a mixed system, with large urban areas being covered by unitary authorities called county boroughs , and
2970-639: Was the body responsible for reviewing the structure of local government in England from 1992 to 2002. It was established under the Local Government Act 1992 , replacing the Local Government Boundary Commission for England . The Commission could be ordered by the Secretary of State to undertake "structural reviews" in specified areas and recommend the creation of unitary authorities in the two-tier shire counties of England. The Commission, chaired by John Banham , conducted
3025-464: Was to have four). The final batch of recommendations was published in January 1995, slightly missing the deadline, and recommended no change for Cornwall, Gloucestershire, Hertfordshire and Shropshire. In Derbyshire it recommended the creation of a unitary city of Derby with the remainder of the county remaining two-tier. In a January 1995 interview, Banham explained the decision-making process of
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