West Berkshire Council

West Berkshire Council
West Berkshire Council
Type
Type	Unitary authority
History
Founded	1 April 1974
Leadership
Chairman	Rick Jones, ; Conservative ; since 10 May 2022
Leader	Lynne Doherty, ; Conservative ; since 21 May 2019
Chief Executive	Nigel Lynn ; since 18 October 2021
Structure
Seats	43 councillors
Political groups	Liberal Democrats (29) Conservative (11) Green (2) Labour (1)
Committees	10 Overview and Scrutiny Management; Health Scrutiny; Resource Management Working Group; Licensing; District Planning; Eastern Area Planning; Western Area Planning; Governance and Audit; Personnel; Standards;
Length of term	4 years
Elections
Voting system	Plurality-at-large
Last election	4 May 2023
Next election	May 2027
Meeting place
	Council Offices, Market Street, Newbury, RG14 5LD
Website
	www.westberks.gov.uk

West Berkshire Council is the local authority of West Berkshire in Berkshire, England. It is a unitary authority, having the powers of a non-metropolitan county and district council combined. West Berkshire is divided into 24 wards, electing 43 councillors.^[2] The council was created by the Local Government Act 1972 as the Newbury District Council and replaced five local authorities: Bradfield Rural District Council, Hungerford Rural District Council, Newbury Borough Council, Newbury Rural District Council and Wantage Rural District Council. On 1 April 1998 it was renamed West Berkshire Council and since then has been a unitary authority, assuming the powers and functions of the abolished Berkshire County Council within the district. In the 2023 election the Liberal Democrats won 29 out of 43 seats.^[3]

History

The council was formed by the Local Government Act 1972 as the Newbury District Council. It replaced Bradfield Rural District Council, Hungerford Rural District Council, Newbury Borough Council, Newbury Rural District Council and Wantage Rural District Council. The first election to the Newbury District Council was held in 1973, initially acting as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the district formally came into being on 1 April 1974.^[4]

From 1974 until 1998 Newbury District Council was a lower-tier district authority, with Berkshire County Council being the upper-tier authority for the area. In 1998 Berkshire County Council was abolished and the county's six districts became unitary authorities, taking over the functions of the county council within their respective areas.^[5] During the transition period the council decided to change the district's name from Newbury to West Berkshire with effect from 1 April 1998, being the same day the council became a unitary authority.^[6]

Politics

West Berkshire Council is elected every four years, with, currently, 43 councillors being elected at each election. From the first election to the unitary authority in 1997 to the 2003 election the Liberal Democrats had a majority and they then kept control with the chairman's casting vote until 2005.

In 2005 the Conservative party gained a majority, which they held until 2023.

In the 2023 United Kingdom local elections, the Liberal Democrats gained a majority following the Conservative Party losing over half their councillors.

Composition

The council composition is:

Political group		Councillors
Political group		2011	2015	2019	2023	Current
	Liberal Democrats	13	4	16	29	29
	Conservative	39	48	24	11	11
	Green	0	0	3	2	2
	Labour	0	0	0	1	1
Total		52	52	43	43	43

Premises

The council's headquarters are the Council Offices on Market Street in Newbury. The building was purpose-built for Newbury District Council at a cost of £3.5 million and was completed in 1982.^[7]

References

^ West Berkshire Council – Your Councillors. Westberks.gov.uk. Retrieved on 2013-07-17.
^ "Your Councillors". decisionmaking.westberks.gov.uk. 5 May 2023. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
^ "West Berkshire result - Local Elections 2023". BBC News. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
^ "Local Government Act 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1972 c. 70, retrieved 23 February 2023
^ "The Berkshire (Structural Change) Order 1996", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1996/1879, retrieved 23 February 2023
^ "Historical information from 1973 onwards". Boundary-Line support. Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
^ "Builders hand over new HQ to council". Reading Evening Post. 17 March 1982. p. 7. Retrieved 23 February 2023.

[1] West Berkshire Council – Your Councillors. Westberks.gov.uk. Retrieved on 2013-07-17.

[2] "Your Councillors". decisionmaking.westberks.gov.uk. 5 May 2023. Retrieved 5 May 2023.

[3] "West Berkshire result - Local Elections 2023". BBC News. Retrieved 5 May 2023.

[4] "Local Government Act 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1972 c. 70, retrieved 23 February 2023

[5] "The Berkshire (Structural Change) Order 1996", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1996/1879, retrieved 23 February 2023

[6] "Historical information from 1973 onwards". Boundary-Line support. Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 17 February 2023.

[7] "Builders hand over new HQ to council". Reading Evening Post. 17 March 1982. p. 7. Retrieved 23 February 2023.

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