Southend-on-Sea City Council | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| Leadership | |
Colin Ansell since 5 February 2024 | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 51 councillors |
 | |
Political groups |
|
| Elections | |
| First-past-the-post | |
Last election | 2 May 2024 |
Next election | 7 May 2026 |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| Civic Centre, Victoria Avenue, Southend-on-Sea, SS2 6ER | |
| Website | |
| www | |
Southend-on-Sea City Council is thelocal authority of the city ofSouthend-on-Sea, in theceremonial county ofEssex, England. Southend has had an elected local authority since 1866, which has been reformed several times. Since 1998 the council has been aunitary authority, being adistrict council which also performs the functions of acounty council; it is independent fromEssex County Council
The council has been underno overall control since 2019. Since 2024 it has been led by a coalition ofLabour, theLiberal Democrats and some of theindependent councillors. It is based atSouthend Civic Centre.
Since 2024, the government has planned to abolish the council and merge it with other parts of Essex as part of its plannedreorganisation of local government in Essex in 2025.[3]
Southend's first elected council was alocal board, which held its first meeting on 29 August 1866.[4] Prior to that the town was administered by thevestry for the wider parish ofPrittlewell. The local board district was enlarged in 1877 to cover the whole parish of Prittlewell.[5]
In 1892 the town was made amunicipal borough, governed by a body formally called the 'mayor, aldermen and burgesses of the borough of Southend-on-Sea', generally known as the corporation, town council or borough council. The borough boundaries were enlarged on several occasions, notably absorbingSouthchurch in 1897,Leigh-on-Sea in 1913, andShoeburyness andNorth Shoebury in 1933. By 1914 the borough was considered large enough to provide its own county-level functions, and so it was made acounty borough, independent fromEssex County Council.[6]
The powers of the council were substantially reformed in 1974 under theLocal Government Act 1972. Southend's boundaries remained the same, but it was redesignated as anon-metropolitan district, with Essex County Council once more providing county-level services. Southend retained itsborough status, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor, continuing Southend's series of mayors dating back to 1892.[7]
Southend regained its independence from Essex County Council on 1 April 1998 when it was made aunitary authority. The way this change was implemented was to create a newnon-metropolitan county called Southend-on-Sea covering the same area as the district, but with no separate county council. Instead, the existing borough council assumed the functions that legislation assigns to county councils, making it a unitary authority. This therefore had the effect of restoring the borough council to the powers it had held when Southend was a county borough prior to 1974.[8] Southend-on-Sea remains part of theceremonial county of Essex for the purposes oflieutenancy.[9]
On 26 January 2022 letters patent were issued grantingcity status to the borough, allowing the council to change its name to Southend-on-Sea City Council.[10]
Southend-on-Sea City Council provides bothdistrict-level andcounty-level functions. There is onecivil parish within the city at Leigh-on-Sea, which forms an additional tier of local government for that area; the rest of the city isunparished.[11]
The council has been underno overall control since 2019. Following the2024 election a coalition of Labour, the Liberal Democrats and some of the independent councillors was formed to run the council, led by Labour councillor Daniel Cowan.[12][13]
Political control of the council since the 1974 reforms has been as follows:[14][15]
Lower-tier non-metropolitan district
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| No overall control | 1974–1976 | |
| Conservative | 1976–1987 | |
| No overall control | 1987–1990 | |
| Conservative | 1990–1994 | |
| No overall control | 1994–1998 | |
Unitary authority
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| No overall control | 1998–2000 | |
| Conservative | 2000–2012 | |
| No overall control | 2012–2013 | |
| Conservative | 2013–2014 | |
| No overall control | 2014–2017 | |
| Conservative | 2017–2019 | |
| No overall control | 2019–present | |
The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Southend-on-Sea, usually being held by a different councillor each year. Political leadership is instead provided by theleader of the council. The leaders since 2003 have been:
| Councillor | Party | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charles Latham[16] | Conservative | 20 Feb 2003 | ||
| Howard Briggs[16][17] | Conservative | 20 Feb 2003 | 12 May 2005 | |
| Anna Waite[17][18] | Conservative | 12 May 2005 | May 2006 | |
| Murray Foster[19][20] | Conservative | 18 May 2006 | May 2007 | |
| Nigel Holdcroft[21][22] | Conservative | 17 May 2007 | May 2014 | |
| Ron Woodley[23][24] | Independent | 5 Jun 2014 | May 2016 | |
| John Lamb[25][26] | Conservative | 19 May 2016 | 9 May 2019 | |
| Tony Cox[27][28] | Conservative | 9 May 2019 | 3 Jun 2019 | |
| Ian Gilbert[29][30] | Labour | 3 Jun 2019 | May 2022 | |
| Stephen George[31][32] | Labour | 19 May 2022 | 18 May 2023 | |
| Tony Cox[32][33] | Conservative | 18 May 2023 | 20 May 2024 | |
| Daniel Cowan[34] | Labour | 20 May 2024 | ||
Following the 2024 election, a subsequent by-election in July 2024, and two independent councillors joining Reform UK in August 2024, the composition of the council was:[35][36]
| Party | Councillors | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour | 19 | |
| Conservative | 16 | |
| Independent | 8 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 4 | |
| Green | 2 | |
| Reform UK | 2 | |
| Total | 51 | |
Five of the independent councillors sit together as the "Independent Group", which forms the council's administration with Labour and the Liberal Democrats.[37] The remaining 3 independent councillors sit as 'non-aligned' councillors (i.e. individually). The next election is due in 2026.[38]
Since the last boundary changes in 2001, the council has comprised 51councillors representing 17wards, with each ward electing three councillors. Elections are held three years out of every four, with a third of the council (one councillor for each ward) elected each time for a four-year term of office.[39] The next election in 2026 will be held under new boundaries.[40]
The council is based atSouthend Civic Centre on Victoria Avenue.[41] The building was designed by borough architect, Patrick Burridge, and officially opened byQueen Elizabeth The Queen Mother on 31 October 1967.[42]
In 2007, Southend Borough Council was criticised as one of the worst financially managed local authorities in England by theAudit Commission report for 2006/7, one of three to gain only one of four stars, the others beingLiverpool and theIsles of Scilly.[43]
In March 2012, Southend Borough Council was awarded the title of 'Council of the Year 2012' by theLocal Government Chronicle.[44]
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| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | LGC Council of the Year 2012 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
