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Northumberland County Council

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Northumberland County Council is the local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Northumberland in North East England. Since 2009 it has been a unitary authority, having also taken over district-level functions when the county's districts were abolished.

Northumberland County Council
Arms of Northumberland County Council
Logo
Type
Type
History
Founded1 April 1889[a]
Leadership
John Beynon,
Conservative
since 1 May 2024[1]
Glen Sanderson,
Conservative
since 23 September 2020[2]
Helen Paterson
since February 2023[3]
Structure
Seats67 councillors (69 from 2025)
Political groups
Administration (33)
  Conservative (33)
Other parties (34)
  Labour (19)
  Independent (9)
  Liberal Democrats (4)
  Green (2)
Joint committees
North East Combined Authority
Elections
First past the post
Last election
6 May 2021
Next election
1 May 2025
Meeting place
County Hall, Morpeth, NE61 2EF
Website
www.northumberland.gov.uk

The council has been under no overall control since 2021, being led by a Conservative minority administration. It is based at County Hall, Morpeth. Since 2024 the council has been a member of the North East Mayoral Combined Authority.

History

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Elected county councils were established in 1889 under the Local Government Act 1888, taking over administrative functions previously carried out by unelected magistrates at the quarter sessions. The city of Newcastle upon Tyne had been a county corporate since 1400 with its own quarter sessions, and Newcastle's independence from the county was maintained by making it a county borough. The county council was elected by and provided services to the remainder of the county, which area was termed the administrative county. Berwick-upon-Tweed was also a county corporate, but was not considered large enough to provide its own county-level services. It was therefore included in the administrative county of Northumberland.[4] Tynemouth subsequently also became a county borough in 1904, removing it from the administrative county.[5]

 
Moot Hall, Newcastle upon Tyne: Council's meeting place 1889–1981

The first elections were held in January 1889. The council formally came into being on 1 April 1889, on which day it held its first official meeting at the Moot Hall, Newcastle upon Tyne, the courthouse (built 1811) which had served as the meeting place of the quarter sessions which preceded the county council.[6] The first chairman of the council was Matthew White Ridley, who was also the Conservative MP for Blackpool (in Lancashire).[7]

The county was reformed in 1974, becoming a non-metropolitan county and ceding further territory around the Newcastle conurbation to the new metropolitan county of Tyne and Wear. Until 1974 the lower tier of local government comprised numerous boroughs, urban districts and rural districts. In 1974 the lower tier was reorganised and Northumberland was left with six districts: Alnwick, Berwick-upon-Tweed, Blyth Valley, Castle Morpeth, Tynedale and Wansbeck.[8]

Until 1981 the county council had its meeting place at the Moot Hall, which formed an exclave of the administrative county in central Newcastle.[9] The main administrative offices were at the adjoining County Hall. The exclave became part of the city in 1974 and therefore outside the county council's territory.[10] The council moved to Morpeth in 1981.

As part of the 2009 structural changes to local government in England, Northumberland's six districts were abolished and their functions were taken over by the county council.[11][12] As part of the 2009 changes the council was given the option of changing its name to "Northumberland Council".[13] After consultation with the public the council decided to keep the name "Northumberland County Council".[14]

 
The area administered by the council: the non-metropolitan county of Northumberland

In 2024 a combined authority was established covering Northumberland, County Durham, Gateshead, Newcastle upon Tyne, North Tyneside, South Tyneside and Sunderland, called the North East Mayoral Combined Authority. It is chaired by the directly elected Mayor of the North East and oversees the delivery of certain strategic functions across the area.[15]

Governance

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Since 2009, Northumberland County Council has provided both county-level and district-level services. The whole county is also covered by civil parishes, which form an additional tier of local government.[16]

Political control

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The council has been under no overall control since 2021, being led by a minority Conservative administration. Following the 2021 election the Conservatives won a majority of the seats, but lost their majority later that year following a Liberal Democrat gain in a December 2021 by-election.[17][18]

Political control of the council since the 1974 reforms has been as follows:[19][20][21]

Two-tier non-metropolitan county

Party in control Years
No overall control 1974–1981
Labour 1981–1985
No overall control 1985–1989
Labour 1989–2008
No overall control 2008–2009

Unitary authority

Party in control Years
No overall control 2009–2021
Conservative 2021–2021
No overall control 2021–present

Leadership

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The leaders of the council since 1998 have been:[22]

Councillor Party From To
Michael Davey[23][24] Labour 1998 May 2005
Bill Brooks[25][26] Labour May 2005 2007
Peter Hillman Labour 2007 2008
Jeff Reid[27][28] Liberal Democrats 21 May 2008 22 May 2013
Grant Davey[29][30] Labour 22 May 2013 24 May 2017
Peter Jackson Conservative 24 May 2017 2 Sep 2020
Glen Sanderson Conservative 23 Sep 2020

Composition

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Following the 2021 election and subsequent by-elections and changes of allegiance up to March 2024, the composition of the council was:

Party Councillors
Conservative 33
Labour 19
Independent 9
Liberal Democrats 4
Green 2
Total: 67

Eight of the independent councillors sit together as a group. The other is not aligned to any group.[31] The next election is due in 2025.

Elections

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See also: Northumberland County Council elections

Since the last full review of boundaries in 2013 the council has comprised 67 councillors representing 66 electoral divisions, each of which elects one councillor except Alnwick which elects two. Elections are held every four years.[32] New division boundaries have been drawn up to come into effect for the 2025 elections, increasing the number of councillors to 69.[33]

Premises

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County Hall, Newcastle upon Tyne: Council's main offices 1910–1981

The council is based at County Hall on the southern outskirts of Morpeth, which was purpose-built for the council and opened in 1981.[34] Proposals to move the council's headquarters to Ashington were considered between 2014 and 2017, with building work starting on the new site in Ashington. In 2017 work on the new site was aborted after the proposed sale of the Morpeth site fell through. The council subsequently decided to stay in Morpeth and renovate County Hall instead.[35]

Prior to 1981 the council was based in Newcastle. Meetings were held at the Moot Hall. A large office building called County Hall was built opposite the Moot Hall in 1910 to serve as the council's main offices.[36]

References

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  1. ^ Became unitary authority 1 April 2009.
  1. ^ "Council meeting, 1 May 2024". Northumberland County Council. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
  2. ^ "Council minutes, 23 September 2020" (PDF). Northumberland County Council. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
  3. ^ Robinson, James (10 February 2023). "New boss in charge at Northumberland County Council". Chronicle Live. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  4. ^ "Local Government Act 1888", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1888 c. 41, retrieved 27 August 2023
  5. ^ "Tynemouth Municipal Borough / County Borough". A Vision of Britain through Time. GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
  6. ^ Historic England. "Moot Hall, Castle Garth (Grade I) (1116297)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  7. ^ "Meeting of Northumberland County Council". Morpeth Herald. 6 April 1889. p. 2. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  8. ^ "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1972/2039, retrieved 31 May 2023
  9. ^ "Administrative Area Series, 1947". National Library of Scotland. Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
  10. ^ "Local Government Act 1972: Schedule 1", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1972 c. 70 (sch. 1), retrieved 25 March 2024
  11. ^ "The Northumberland (Structural Change) Order 2008", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2008/494, retrieved 25 March 2024
  12. ^ "Northumberland County Council". Archived from the original on 20 December 2008. Retrieved 3 January 2009.
  13. ^ "The Local Government (Structural Changes) (Miscellaneous Amendment and Other Provision) Order 2009: Article 4", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2009/837 (art. 4), retrieved 25 March 2024
  14. ^ "Northumberland County Council". Archived from the original on 20 December 2008. Retrieved 3 January 2009.
  15. ^ "The North East Mayoral Combined County Authority (Establishment and Functions) Order 2024", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2024/402, retrieved 6 May 2024
  16. ^ "Election Maps". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  17. ^ "County Council election results". Northumberland County Council. 7 May 2021.
  18. ^ "Northumberland County Council". BBC News. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  19. ^ "Compositions calculator". The Elections Centre. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
  20. ^ "Local election results: Northumberland". Election 2005. BBC News Online. 6 May 2005. Retrieved 30 January 2012.
  21. ^ "Northumberland". Elections 2008. BBC News Online. 6 May 2008. Retrieved 30 January 2012.
  22. ^ "Council minutes". Northumberland County Council. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
  23. ^ "Profile of Cllr. M. Davey". Northumberland County Council. Archived from the original on 10 March 2005. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  24. ^ "Councillors facing standards probe". Chronicle Live. 24 October 2005. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  25. ^ "Shamed councillor gets top position". Chronicle Live. 12 May 2005. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  26. ^ "Council leader to give up role". Chronicle Live. 26 April 2007. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  27. ^ "Council minutes, 21 May 2008". Northumberland County Council. Archived from the original on 28 February 2009. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  28. ^ Robinson, James (17 March 2023). "Former county council leader slams £4.8bn North East devolution deal". Northumberland Gazette. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  29. ^ "Council minutes, 22 May 2013". Northumberland County Council. Archived from the original on 1 April 2014. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  30. ^ O'Connell, Ben (30 January 2019). "Leader and deputy leader of Labour opposition on Northumberland County Council to stand down". Chronicle Live. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
  31. ^ "Your Councillors". Northumberland County Council. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  32. ^ "The Northumberland (Electoral Changes) Order 2011", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2011/2, retrieved 26 March 2024
  33. ^ "The Northumberland (Electoral Changes) Order 2024", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2024/124, retrieved 26 March 2024
  34. ^ "Northumberland County Council to spend £17m on HQ revamp". Hexham Courant. 25 January 2018. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  35. ^ "Multi-million pound plans to move Northumberland County Council headquarters quashed". ITV News. 18 May 2017. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  36. ^ Historic England. "County Hall, Castle Garth (Grade II) (1024938)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
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55°09′13″N 1°41′03″W / 55.15361°N 1.68417°W / 55.15361; -1.68417


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