Kensington and Chelsea London Borough Council
Kensington and Chelsea London Borough Council | |
|---|---|
| Whole council elected every four years | |
| Coat of arms or logo Coat of arms | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| Houses | Unicameral |
Term limits | None |
| History | |
| Founded | 1 April 1965 |
| Preceded by | Chelsea Borough Council Kensington Borough Council |
New session started | 22 May 2013 (Municipal year 2013/2014) |
| Leadership | |
Nick Paget-Brown, Conservative since 6 May 2013 | |
Mayor | Maighread Condon-Simmonds since May 2014 |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 50 councillors |
 | |
Political groups | Executive (40)
Opposition (10)
|
| Elections | |
| Plurality-at-large | |
Last election | 22 May 2014 |
Next election | 2018 |
| Meeting place | |
 Town Hall, Hornton Street | |
| Website | |
| www | |
Kensington and Chelsea London Borough Council is the local authority for the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in the United Kingdom capital of London. Kensington and Chelsea is divided into 18 wards, each electing three councillors.[1] The council was created by the London Government Act 1963 and replaced two local authorities: Kensington Metropolitan Borough Council and Chelsea Metropolitan Borough Council. The borough council provides some shared services with Hammersmith and Fulham, and Westminster.
History
There have previously been a number of local authorities responsible for the Kensington and Chelsea area. The current local authority was first elected in 1964, a year before formally coming into its powers and prior to the creation of the London Borough of Kensington and Chelsea on 1 April 1965. Kensington and Chelsea London Borough Council replaced Kensington Metropolitan Borough Council and Chelsea Metropolitan Borough Council. Both were created in 1900 and replaced the Vestry of the Parish of Kensington and the Vestry of the Parish of Chelsea.
It was envisaged through the London Government Act 1963 that Kensington and Chelsea as a London local authority would share power with the Greater 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, and refuse disposal; with the local authorities responsible for "personal" services such as social care, libraries, cemeteries and refuse collection. This arrangement lasted until 1986 when Kensington and Chelsea London Borough Council gained responsibility for some services that had been provided by the Greater London Council, such as waste disposal. Kensington and Chelsea became an education authority in 1990. Since 2000 the Greater London Authority has taken some responsibility for highways and planning control from the council, but within the English local government system the council remains a "most purpose" authority in terms of the available range of powers and functions.
Summary results of elections
The council has been controlled by the Conservative Party since it was first elected in 1964.
After new boundaries were set by the Boundary Commission, the Conservatives lost the Earl's Court Ward By-election in September 2010 to the Liberal Democrats and narrowly won the Cremorne Ward By-election by only 19 votes.[2] Many commentors blamed the Tory Councillors led by Merrick Cockell for these poor results, stating that the Council did not take adequately into account residents' views on projects such as the proposed Thames Tideway Tunnel and the Earl's Court building works.[3][4] The Conservatives in the Cremorne Ward ran on the promise to Save Cremorne Gardens yet these gardens are still under threat.[5]
Grenfell Tower fire
On 14 June 2017 a major fire destroyed the council-owned, 24-storey Grenfell Tower providing public housing in a mainly working-class area of North Kensington, causing at least 79 deaths.[6] The tower block was home to a diverse population of many nationalities, ethnicities and faiths,[7] and was managed on behalf of the council by Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation (KCTMO), the largest tenant management organisation (TMO) in England, which is responsible for the management of nearly 10,000 properties in the borough.[8]
On 18 June, the government relieved Kensington and Chelsea London Borough Council of responsibility for supporting the survivors, after a perceived inadequate response. Responsibility was handed over to a Grenfell fire-response team led by a group of chief executives from councils across London. Resources available to them included central government, the British Red Cross, the Metropolitan Police, the London Fire Brigade and local government across London. Neighbouring councils sent in staff to improve the rehousing response.[9][10]
On 21 June, the Council chief executive Nicholas Holgate resigned amid criticism over the borough's response to the fire.[11] The Prime Minister Theresa May commented that the council "couldn't cope" in the response to the fire, and that it "was right" that the chief executive had resigned.[12]
References
- ^ "Our councillors". Rbkc.gov.uk. 2009-09-17. Retrieved 2012-05-22.
- ^ "Cremorne Ward By-election Sep 2010". Rbkc.gov.uk. 2009-09-17. Retrieved 2012-05-22.
- ^ 17 September 2010 in By-election results (2010-09-17). "Council byelection results from yesterday | Local Government". Conservativehome.blogs.com. Retrieved 2012-05-22.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Dan Hodges. "By-election results in - Kensington & Chelsea Chronicle". Kensington.londoninformer.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-05-22.
- ^ Cremorne Gardens, London
- ^ Davies, Caroline (2017-06-19). "Grenfell Tower fire: police raise death toll to 79". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2017-06-19.
- ^ Horton, Helena (14 June 2017). "Grenfell Tower fire: Muslims Awake for Ramadan Among Heroes Who Helped Save Lives". The Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 17 June 2017. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation – The Board". kctmo.org.uk. Archived from the original on 17 June 2017. Retrieved 14 June 2017.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Macaskill, Ewen (18 June 2017). "Council sidelined in Grenfell Tower response as leader refuses to quit". The Observer. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
- ^ Chloe Cornish, Andrew Jack (18 June 2017). "Kensington council sidelined after faltering Grenfell relief effort". Financial Times. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
- ^ "London fire: Kensington council boss quits over Grenfell tragedy". BBC News. 22 June 2017. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
- ^ "High rise cladding 'combustible' says PM". BBC News. 22 June 2017. Retrieved 22 June 2017.