Hammersmith and Fulham London Borough Council | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Logo | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| Leadership | |
Sharon Lea since 24 February 2022[2] | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 50 councillors |
 | |
Political groups |
|
| Elections | |
| First past the post | |
Last election | 5 May 2022 |
Next election | 7 May 2026 |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| Town Hall, King Street,Hammersmith, London, W6 9JU | |
| Website | |
www | |
Hammersmith and Fulham London Borough Council, which styles itselfHammersmith and Fulham Council, is the local authority for theLondon Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham inGreater London, England. The council has been underLabour majority control since 2014. The council's usual meeting place is atHammersmith Town Hall.
The London Borough of Hammersmith (as it was originally named) and its council were created under theLondon Government Act 1963, with the first election heldin 1964. For its first year the council acted as a shadow authority alongside the area's two outgoing authorities, being themetropolitan borough councils ofFulham andHammersmith. The new council formally came into its powers on 1 April 1965, at which point the old districts and their councils were abolished.[3]
The council changed the borough's name from 'Hammersmith' to 'Hammersmith and Fulham' with effect from 1 April 1979.[4] Since then, the council's full legal name has been "The Mayor and Burgesses of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham", but it styles itself Hammersmith and Fulham Council.[5]
From 1965 until 1986 the council was a lower-tier authority, with upper-tier functions provided by theGreater 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, andrefuse disposal; with the boroughs (including Hammersmith and Fulham) responsible for "personal" services such as social care, libraries, cemeteries andrefuse collection. The Greater London Council was abolished in 1986 and its functions passed to the London Boroughs, with some services provided through joint committees.[6] Hammersmith and Fulham became alocal education authority in 1990 when theInner London Education Authority was dissolved.[7]
Since 2000 theGreater London Authority has taken some responsibility for highways and planning control from the council, but within theEnglish local government system the council remains a "most purpose" authority in terms of the available range of powers and functions.[8]
The council was involved in a landmarkEnglish administrative law case in 1991,Hazell v Hammersmith and Fulham LBC, which ruled that local authorities had no power to engage ininterest rate swap agreements because they were beyond the council's borrowing powers.[9]
In 2021 the council was said by theHousing Ombudsman to be the worst performing landlord in the country with regard to damp and mould in its properties.[10]
The local authority derives its powers and functions from the London Government Act 1963 and subsequent legislation, and has the powers and functions of a London borough council. It sets council tax and as abilling authority also collects precepts forGreater London Authority functions and business rates.[11] It sets planning policies which complement Greater London Authority and national policies, and decides on almost all planning applications accordingly. It is alocal education authority and is also responsible forcouncil housing, social services, libraries, waste collection and disposal, traffic, and most roads and environmental health.[12]
The council has been under Labour majority control since 2014.
The first election was held in 1964, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until it came into its powers on 1 April 1965. Political control of the council since 1965 has been as follows:[13]
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour | 1965–1968 | |
| Conservative | 1968–1971 | |
| Labour | 1971–1978 | |
| No overall control | 1978–1986 | |
| Labour | 1986–2006 | |
| Conservative | 2006–2014 | |
| Labour | 2014–present | |
The role of Mayor of Hammersmith and Fulham is largely ceremonial. Political leadership is instead provided by theleader of the council. The leaders since 1965 have been:[14]
| Councillor | Party | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Heaks | Labour | 1965 | 1966 | |
| Anthony Chapman | Labour | 1966 | 1968 | |
| William Smith | Conservative | 1968 | 1971 | |
| Alfred Little | Labour | 1971 | 1973 | |
| Barry Stead | Labour | 1973 | 1978 | |
| Stuart Leishman | Conservative | 1978 | 1979 | |
| Kim Howe | Conservative | 1979 | 1985 | |
| John Putnam | Conservative | 1985 | 1986 | |
| Gordon Prentice | Labour | 1986 | 1988 | |
| Mike Goodman | Labour | 1988 | 1991 | |
| Iain Coleman | Labour | 1991 | 1996 | |
| Andy Slaughter | Labour | 1996 | May 2005 | |
| Stephen Burke[15][16] | Labour | 25 May 2005 | May 2006 | |
| Stephen Greenhalgh[17][18] | Conservative | 24 May 2006 | 30 May 2012 | |
| Nick Botterill[18][19] | Conservative | 30 May 2012 | May 2014 | |
| Stephen Cowan[20] | Labour | 16 Jun 2014 | ||
Following the2022 election and subsequent changes of allegiance up to July 2025,[21] the composition of the council was as follows:
| Party | Councillors | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour | 37 | |
| Conservative | 10 | |
| Green | 2 | |
| Independent | 1 | |
| Total | 50 | |
The next election is due in May 2026.[22]
Thewards of Hammersmith and Fulham and the number of seats:[23]
Since the last boundary changes in 2022 the council has comprised 50councillors representing 21wards, with each ward electing two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years.[24]
The council's usual meeting place is at Hammersmith Town Hall on King Street, which was completed in 1939 for the old Hammersmith Borough Council.[25] The building has been closed since 2019 whilst being refurbished as part of the development of a new 'Civic Campus' around it, which has included the demolition of the council's former main offices which had been built in front of the Town Hall in 1974/5. The Town Hall is due to reopen in 2025.[26][27][28]
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | LGC Council of the Year 2010 | Succeeded by |
