Buckinghamshire County Council
| Buckinghamshire County Council | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | |
| Type |
Non-metropolitan council |
| Leadership | |
Chairman | |
Vice chairman | |
Leader of the County Council |
Cllr Martin Tett, Conservative |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 49 councillors |
 | |
Political groups |
|
Length of term | 4 years |
| Elections | |
| First-past-the-post | |
Last election | 4 May 2017 |
Next election | 6 May 2021 |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
|
County Hall Aylesbury Buckinghamshire United Kingdom | |
| Website | |
|
www | |
Buckinghamshire County Council is the upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Buckinghamshire, in England, the United Kingdom established in 1889 following the Local Government Act 1888. The county council's offices are in Aylesbury.
The borders of the ceremonial county and county council have changed several times and no longer align, with the last reorganisation in 1997 when the Borough of Milton Keynes became a unitary authority.
The council consists of 49 councillors, and is controlled by the Conservative Party, which has 41 councillors. It has been controlled by the Conservatives since the reorganisation of local government in 1973. For the 2013 elections, the number of seats was reduced from 57 to 49 following the 2012 changes in division boundaries.[1]
Composition
Elections are held every four years, interspersed by three years of elections to the four district councils in the county.
| Party | Councillors | Change (vs. 2013) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | 41 | +5 | |
| UKIP | 0 | -6 | |
| Liberal Democrat | 4 | -1 | |
| Independent | 3 | +2 | |
| Labour | 1 | - | |
| Source: Buckinghamshire County Council summary of election results May 2017 | |||
Conservative councillors represent most of the county, both in terms of number of seats and geographic area. Four seats in Aylesbury are held by the Liberal Democrats, and the sole Labour member was elected in Booker, Cressex & Castlefield, in the suburbs of High Wycombe. Independents hold the divisions of Ryemead & Micklefield, Totteridge & Bowerdean, and West Wycombe, also in the High Wycombe area.[2]
History
County architect Fred Pooley designed the Council's 12-storey tower block at Aylesbury built in 1966[3] which became known as "Fred's Fort"[4] and less flatteringly as "Pooley's Folly".
Notable members
- Frederick Verney (1846–1913), member from 1889 to 1907
- Tonman Mosley, 1st Baron Anslow (1850–1933), Chairman from 1904 to 1921
- Sir William Carlile, 1st Baronet (1862–1950)
- William Joseph Ashby (1885–1953)
- Sir Henry Aubrey-Fletcher, 6th Baronet (1887–1969)
- Sir Aubrey Ernest Ward (1899–1987), Chairman from 1963 to 1974
- Edward Curzon, 6th Earl Howe (1908–1984), Vice-Chairman 1974 to 1978
- John Darling Young (1910–1988)
- Sir Ralph Verney, 5th Baronet (1915–2001)
- Guthrie Moir (1917-1993), member from 1949 to 1975
- Brian White (1957–2016), later member of parliament for Milton Keynes
References
- ↑ "The Buckinghamshire (Electoral Changes) Order 2012". Legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
- ↑ Election results by electoral divisions County Council Election - Thursday 4th May 2017 at democracy.buckscc.gov.uk
- ↑ Aylesbury Town Council history
- ↑ The Guardian dated 24 March 1998, p. 14