Leicestershire County Council | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Council logo | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| History | |
| Founded | 1 April 1889 |
| Leadership | |
John Sinnott since 1994[2] | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 55 councillors |
 | |
Political groups |
|
Length of term | 4 years |
| Elections | |
| First-past-the-post | |
Last election | 1 May 2025 |
Next election | 3 May 2029 |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| County Hall, Leicester Road,Glenfield, Leicester, LE3 8RA | |
| Website | |
| www | |
Leicestershire County Council is the upper-tierlocal authority for thenon-metropolitan county ofLeicestershire, England. The non-metropolitan county is smaller than theceremonial county, which additionally includesLeicester. The county council was originally formed in 1889 by theLocal Government Act 1888. The county is divided into 53electoral divisions, which return a total of 55 councillors. The council is based atCounty Hall atGlenfield, just outside the city ofLeicester inBlaby district. The county council has been underno overall control since the2025 election, being run by aReform UK minority administration.
Elected county councils were created in 1889 under theLocal Government Act 1888, taking over administrative functions which had previously been performed by unelectedmagistrates at thequarter sessions. Theborough of Leicester was considered large enough for its existing borough council to provide county-level services, and so it was made acounty borough, independent from the county council. The 1888 Act also directed thaturban sanitary districts which straddled county boundaries were to be placed entirely in one county, which saw Leicestershire gain part ofMarket Harborough fromNorthamptonshire and part ofHinckley fromWarwickshire. Leicestershire County Council was elected by and provided services to the parts of the county (as thus adjusted) outside the county borough of Leicester. The county council's area was termed theadministrative county.[3]
The first elections were held in January 1889, and the council formally came into being on 1 April 1889, on which day it held its first official meeting atLeicester Town Hall.Henry St John Halford was appointed the first chairman of the council.[4]
In 1974, theLocal Government Act 1972 reconstituted Leicestershire as anon-metropolitan county, adding the former county borough of Leicester, and the small county ofRutland to the area.[5] The lower tier of local government was reorganised as part of the same reforms. Previously it had comprised numerous boroughs,urban districts andrural districts; they were reorganised into ninenon-metropolitan districts, including Leicester and Rutland.[6] In 1997 Leicester and Rutland were removed from the county council's area again, to becomeunitary authorities.[7]
Leicestershire County Council providescounty-level services.District-level services are provided by the area's seven district councils.[8] Much of the county is also covered bycivil parishes, which form a third tier of local government.[9][10] The seven district councils are:[11]
The council has been underno overall control since the2025 elections.Reform UK won most seats at that election, although were three seats short of having an overall majority.[12] They subsequently formed a minority administration, taking all the seats on the council's cabinet.[13]Political control of the council since the 1974 reforms has been as follows:[14][15]
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| No overall control | 1974–1977 | |
| Conservative | 1977–1981 | |
| No overall control | 1981–2001 | |
| Conservative | 2001–2025 | |
| No overall control | 2025-present | |
Theleaders of the council since 1999 have been:
| Councillor | Party | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harry Barber[16][17] | Conservative | 1999 | 21 May 2003 | |
| David Parsons[17][18] | Conservative | 21 May 2003 | 3 Jul 2012 | |
| Nick Rushton[19][20][a] | Conservative | 26 Sep 2012 | May 2025 | |
| Dan Harrison[1][23] | Reform | 14 May 2025 | ||
Following the2025 election, the composition of the council was as follows:[24]
| Party | Councillors | |
|---|---|---|
| Reform | 25 | |
| Conservative | 15 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 11 | |
| Labour | 2 | |
| Green | 1 | |
| Independent | 1 | |
| Total | 55 | |
The next election is due in 2029.[25]
Since the last boundary changes in 2019 the council has comprised 55councillors representing 53electoral divisions. Most divisions elect one councillor, but two divisions elect two councillors. Elections are held every four years.[26]
The council is based atCounty Hall in Glenfield, on the outskirts of Leicester but just outside the city boundary in the Blaby district.[27]
Having held its first meeting in 1889 at Leicester Town Hall, later that year the council moved its meetings to theCounty Rooms on Hotel Street in the centre of Leicester, which had been built in 1800.[28][29] It continued to meet there until County Hall at Glenfield was completed in 1967.[30]
The Cabinet meets monthly and is responsible for the most important decisions affecting the council. It also makes recommendations to the council regarding the annual budget and major plans.
The Leader acts as the Chairman of the Cabinet and chooses up to nine other members.
Each Cabinet member is given specific roles or responsibilities.
There are six departments:
In the five years to 2015, the council's roles and responsibilities changed significantly, due to austerity savings, the transfer of public health from the NHS to the council and many schools becoming academies, independent of the council.
However, that still left a number of key responsibilities. As of December 2015, these are: social care for adults and children; support for schools; highways and transport; public health; waste disposal; economic development; libraries and museums; strategic planning; trading standards; country parks; registration of births, marriages and deaths; and community leadership.
The council claims to be the lowest-funded county council,[31] yet one of the top three best performers, across a wide range of indicators.[32]
From 2010–2015, the council has had to save £100 million – two-thirds as efficiency savings and the remainder from services. The council has predicted it will have to save more from services as austerity continues, with a further £100 million-plus of savings required over the next four years.
As of 2015/16, the council's annual budget was £348 million and it had just over 5,000 full-time equivalent staff.
| Electoral division | Councillors |
|---|---|
| Ashby de la Zouch | 1 |
| Belvoir | 1 |
| Birstall | 1 |
| Blaby andGlen Parva | 1 |
| Bradgate | 1 |
| Braunstone | 1 |
| Broughton Astley | 1 |
| Bruntingthorpe | 1 |
| Burbage | 1 |
| Castle Donington andKegworth | 1 |
| Coalville North | 1 |
| Coalville South | 1 |
| Crosby andCountesthorpe | 1 |
| De Montfort (Hinckley) | 1 |
| Earl Shilton | 1 |
| EastWigston | 1 |
| Enderby and Lubbesthorpe | 1 |
| Forest andMeasham | 1 |
| Gartree | 1 |
| Glenfields,Kirby Muxloe andLeicester Forests | 2 |
| Groby andRatby | 1 |
| Hollycroft (Hinckley) | 1 |
| Ibstock andAppleby | 1 |
| Launde | 1 |
| Gartree | 1 |
| Loughborough East | 1 |
| Loughborough North | 1 |
| Loughborough North West | 1 |
| Loughborough South | 1 |
| Loughborough South West | 1 |
| Lutterworth | 1 |
| Mallory | 1 |
| Market Harborough East | 1 |
| Market Harborough West andFoxton | 1 |
| MarkfieldDesford andThornton | 1 |
| Melton East | 1 |
| Melton West | 1 |
| Melton Wolds | 1 |
| Narborough andWhetstone | 1 |
| North Wigston | 1 |
| Oadby | 2 |
| Quorn and Barrow | 1 |
| Rothley andMountsorrel | 1 |
| Shepshed | 1 |
| Sileby and The Wolds | 1 |
| South and West Wigston | 1 |
| St Marys (Hinckley) | 1 |
| Stoney Stanton andCroft | 1 |
| Syston Fosse | 1 |
| Syston Ridgeway | 1 |
| Thurmaston Ridgemere | 1 |
| Valley | 1 |
