Torbay Council

Torbay Council
Executive mayor serving until 2019
Whole council elected every four years
Arms of Torbay Council
Coat of arms
Torbay Council logo
Council logo
Type
Type
History
Founded 1 April 1974
Preceded by Torbay Borough Council (of the County Borough of Torbay)
Leadership
Chairman of the Council
Cllr Anne Brooks
Since 9 May 2017
Gordon Oliver, Conservative
Since 5 May 2011
Structure
Seats 1 executive mayor
36 councillors
Torbay Council composition
Council political groups
     Conservative (20)
     Liberal Democrats (8)
     Mayor’s Non-Political Executive Group (5)
     Independent (3)
Council committees
Joint committees
 Devon and Cornwall Police and Crime Panel
Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Authority
Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership
Length of term
 4 years
Elections
Plurality-at-large
Supplementary vote
Council last election
 7 May 2015
Council next election
 2 May 2019
Motto
SALUS ET FELICITAS (Health and Happiness)
Meeting place
Town Hall at Torquay
Town Hall, Castle Circus, Torquay
Website
www.torbay.gov.uk
Constitution
Constitution, 30 July 2013

Torbay Council is the local authority of Torbay in Devon, England. It is a unitary authority, having the powers of a non-metropolitan county and district council combined. It provides a full range of local government services including Council Tax billing, libraries, social services, processing planning applications, waste collection and disposal, and it is a local education authority. The council appoints members to Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Authority and the Devon and Cornwall Police and Crime Panel. Torbay is divided into 15 wards, electing 36 councillors. The whole council is elected every four years with the last election taking place on 7 May 2015 and the next election scheduled for 2019. The council was created by the Local Government Act 1972 and replaced the Torbay Borough Council of the County Borough of Torbay. Since 1974 Torbay has held borough status which entitles the council to be known as Torbay Borough Council, although it has not used this name since becoming a unitary authority. The council is unusual in that its executive function is controlled by a directly elected mayor of Torbay, currently Gordon Oliver.

Expenditure for the year 2018/19 is budgeted to be £112 million. Torbay is halting all non urgent expenditure due to a projected overspend of £2.8 million in 2018.[2]

History

The council was formed by the Local Government Act 1972 as the Torbay District Council. It replaced the existing Torbay Borough Council that was the local authority of the County Borough of Torbay and had been created in 1968.[3] This earlier authority was the result of the amalgamation of Brixham Urban District Council, Paignton Urban District Council and Torquay Borough Council.

The current local authority was first elected in 1973, a year before formally coming into its powers and prior to the creation of the District of Torbay on 1 April 1974. The council gained borough status, entitling it to be known as Torbay Borough Council and to annually appoint a Mayor of Torbay.

It was envisaged through the Local Government Act 1972 that Torbay as a non-metropolitan district council would share power with the Devon County Council. This arrangement lasted until 1998 when the district council gained responsibility for services that had been provided within Torbay by the county council. Since gaining county council functions the council has gone by the name Torbay Council.[3]

On 14 July 2005 Torbay held a referendum to decide on the executive arrangements of the borough. The result was in favour of the mayor and cabinet model,[4] which is unusual in the English local government system. The first directly elected mayor of Torbay was elected on 20 October 2005.[5] The previously existing civic Mayor of Torbay role was renamed 'Chairman of the Council'.[6]

Powers and functions

The local authority derives its powers and functions from the Local Government Act 1972 and subsequent legislation. For the purposes of local government, Torbay is within a non-metropolitan area of England. As a unitary authority, Torbay Council has the powers and functions of both a non-metropolitan county and district council combined. In its capacity as a district council it is a billing authority collecting Council Tax and business rates, it processes local planning applications, it is responsible for housing, waste collection and environmental health. In its capacity as a county council it is a local education authority, responsible for social services, libraries and waste disposal.

Committees

The Torbay Health and Wellbeing Board is made up of representatives from Torbay Council and other local healthcare organisations.[7]

Joint committees

The police and fire services and the local enterprise partnership cover a wide area, with a number of constituent councils. Torbay Council appoints two members to the Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Authority[8] and appoints one member to the Devon and Cornwall Police and Crime Panel.[9] The mayor represents the council on the Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership.

Policies

In February 2001 the council transferred its council housing stock of approximately 3,000 homes to Sanctuary Housing.[10]

Finances

Expenditure for the year 2018/2019 is budgeted to be £112 million, down from £127 million in 2013/14. 59% is funded by Council Tax (from 41% in 2013/14), 1% from grants (35% in 2013/14), 41% from business rates (22% in 2013/14 and nil from previous surplus (2% in 2013/14).[11][12][13]

Torbay Council is the billing authority for Council Tax, and collects a precepts on behalf of Brixham Town Council, the Devon and Cornwall Police and Crime Commissioner and the Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Authority.[14]

Political control

Councillors

Councillors are elected from 15 wards. There are six 3-member wards and nine 2-member wards, giving at total of 36 councillors.[15]

The councillor allocations are Berry Head-with-Furzeham (3 councillors), Blatchcombe (3 councillors), Churston Ferrers-with-Galmpton (2 councillors), Clifton-with-Maidenway (2 councillors), Cockington-with-Chelston (3 councillors), Ellacombe (2 councillors), Goodrington-with-Roselands (2 councillors), Preston (3 councillors), Roundham-with-Hyde (2 councillors), St Marychurch (3 councillors), St. Mary's-with-Summercombe (2 councillors), Shiphay-with-The Willows (2 councillors), Tormohun (3 councillors), Watcombe (2 councillors) and Wellswood (2 councillors).

Following the 2015 election and subsequent defections [16], the composition of the council is as follows:

Party[17] Seats
Conservative 20
Liberal Democrat 9
Independent 7
UKIP 1

Political control of the council has been held by the following parties:[18]

Party in controlYears
Liberal Democrats1997–2000
Conservative2000–2003
Liberal Democrats2003–2007
Conservative2007 – present

Elected mayor

From October 2005 to May 2015 the executive mayor was elected separately. The post was abolished in a referendum held in May 2016, meaning that no future elections to the post will be held. The incumbent is Gordon Oliver of the Conservative Party, who will serve until the role is replaced by a leader and cabinet system in May 2019.[19]

References

  1. ↑ "Committee structure". Torbay Council. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
  2. ↑ Northamptonshire proposes replacing councils with two unitary authorities The Guardian
  3. 1 2 http://www.torbay.gov.uk/index/yourcouncil/structure/councilhistory.htm
  4. ↑ "Elected Mayor System of Governance" (PDF). Torbay Council. 21 July 2005. Retrieved 20 January 2013.
  5. ↑ "Result". Torbay Council. 21 October 2005. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 20 January 2013.
  6. ↑ A Review Of Members’ Allowances For Torbay Council (2005), Independent Remuneration Panel
  7. ↑ http://www.torquayheraldexpress.co.uk/Torbay-Health-Wellbeing-Board-created/story-19015468-detail/story.html
  8. ↑ "Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Authority".
  9. ↑ http://www.torbay.gov.uk/DemocraticServices/mgOutsideBodyDetails.aspx?ID=520
  10. ↑ https://www.torbay.gov.uk/housing
  11. ↑ "Budget Proposals 2018/19" (PDF). Torbay Council. January 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-05-16. Retrieved 2018-05-16.
  12. ↑ "Minutes of the Adjourned Council - 8 February 2018" (PDF). Torbay Council. 2018-02-08. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-05-16. Retrieved 2018-05-16.
  13. ↑ "Financing of Expenditure - Summary 2013/14" (PDF). Torbay Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-10. Retrieved 2018-05-16.
  14. ↑ http://www.torbay.gov.uk/council-tax-booklet.pdf
  15. ↑ http://www.torbay.gov.uk/DemocraticServices/mgMemberIndex.aspx?FN=PARTY&VW=LIST&PIC=0
  16. ↑ https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/senior-torbay-councillor-joins-liberal-1523194
  17. ↑ "England council elections". BBC News.
  18. ↑ "Torbay". BBC News Online. Retrieved 11 September 2009.
  19. ↑ https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2016-36241115
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