West Midlands County Council | |
|---|---|
 Coat of arms | |
 Logo | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| History | |
| Established | 1 April 1974 |
| Disbanded | 31 March 1986 |
| Succeeded by | Various agencies |
| Seats | 104 |
| Elections | |
Last election | 1981 |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| Council House, Victoria Square,Birmingham | |
West Midlands County Council (WMCC) was, from 1974 to 1986, the upper-tier administrative body for theWest Midlands county, ametropolitan county in England.
The WMCC existed for a total of twelve years. It was established on 1 April 1974, by theLocal Government Act 1972 and was abolished on 31 March 1986. It was abolished along with five othermetropolitan county councils and theGreater London Council by the government ofMargaret Thatcher under theLocal Government Act 1985.[1]
The WMCC was a strategic authority running regional services such as transport, emergency services, and strategic planning. Elections were held to the council in1973,1977 and1981. Elections were due to be held in 1985 but were cancelled due to the council's impending abolition. TheLabour Party controlled the council from 1974 to 1977, with theConservatives controlling it 1977–81. It reverted to Labour control for the last term 1981–86.[2]
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The first meeting of the shadow authority was held on 30 April 1973 atCouncil House, Birmingham.[3] Meetings were held at Council House throughout the county council's existence.[4] The county council established its main administrative offices atCounty Hall, 1 Lancaster Circus, in centralBirmingham. After the county council's abolition in 1986, County Hall was occupied, but not as its headquarters, byBirmingham City Council,[5] until it was sold in 2022 to private investors.[6]
The first election to the council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority before coming into its powers on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council from 1974 until its abolition in 1986 was as follows:[7]
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour | 1974–1977 | |
| Conservative | 1977–1981 | |
| Labour | 1981–1986 | |
Theleaders of the council were:
| Councillor | Party | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stan Yapp[3][8] | Labour | 1 Apr 1974 | May 1977 | |
| John Taylor[9][10] | Conservative | May 1977 | Jul 1979 | |
| Gilbert Richards[11][12] | Conservative | Jul 1979 | 27 Jun 1980 | |
| Alan Hope[13][14] | Conservative | Jul 1980 | May 1981 | |
| Gordon Morgan[15][16][17] | Labour | May 1981 | 31 Mar 1986 | |
Elections were held to the West Midlands County Council three times, in 1973, 1977, and 1981.[7]
| Year | Conservative | Labour | Liberal | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 27 | 73 | 4 | 0 |
| 1977 | 82 | 18 | 3 | 1 |
| 1981 | 25 | 74 | 5 | 0 |
Elections were due to be held in 1985 but these were cancelled due to the council's impending abolition. Those councillors elected in 1981 had their terms of office extended until the council's abolition on 31 March 1986.[18]
...the annual meeting of the West Midlands County Council at Birmingham Council House.
 Council elections in theWest Midlands | |
|---|---|
| Birmingham | |
| Coventry | |
| Dudley | |
| Sandwell | |
| Solihull | |
| Walsall | |
| Wolverhampton | |
| West Midlands County Council | |
| Mayor | |
| |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
