Dorset County Council
Dorset County | |
|---|---|
| File:Coat of arms of Dorset County Council.jpg Coat of arms | |
| File:Dorset county council logo.png Council logo | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| Leadership | |
Leader | Robert Gould, Conservative Party |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 45 |
26 / 45 | |
13 / 45 | |
4 / 55 | |
1 / 45 | |
1 / 45 | |
| Elections | |
| First past the post | |
Last election | 2013 |
Next election | 2017 |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| County Hall, Dorchester | |
| Website | |
| www.dorsetforyou.com | |
Dorset County Council (DCC) is the county council of Dorset in England. It provides the upper tier of local government, below which are district councils, and town and parish councils. The county council has 45 elected councillors and is based at County Hall in Dorchester.[1]
Political composition
When councillors are elected they represent one of England's major political parties or are "independent". The Conservative Party currently have the highest number of councillors in the chamber. As such, the leader of the cabinet (effective head of the chamber) also represents the Conservative Party and can choose the cabinet members from the Conservative Party as well. The Liberal Democrats have the second highest number of councillors and the final councillor is an independent.
Following the 2013 Local Elections, the Conservatives hold 27 seats, Liberal Democrats 12, Labour 4, and the Green Party 1.[2]
Responsibilities for services
Dorset County Council's responsibilities include schools, social care for the elderly and vulnerable, road maintenance, libraries and trading standards.
The county council's area is also administered by six smaller authorities that have their own district or borough councils. The responsibilities of these councils include local planning, council housing, refuse collection, sports and leisure facilities, and street cleaning. The district areas are further divided into civil parishes, which have "parish councils" or "town councils"; the latter of which often use a town hall. Typical activities undertaken by a parish council include maintaining allotments, footpaths, playing fields and the local community or village hall. On some matters, the county council share responsibilities with the district and parish councils. These include economic development and regeneration, emergency planning, tourism promotion and coastal protection.
| No. | District | Type of council | Population (mid-2008 est.) | Extent of area (hectares)[3] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Weymouth and Portland | Borough council | 65,000 | 4,175 |
| 2 | West Dorset | District council | 97,200 | 108,148 |
| 3 | North Dorset | District council | 67,900 | 60,992 |
| 4 | Purbeck | District council | 46,000 | 40,440 |
| 5 | East Dorset | District council | 85,900 | 35,437 |
| 6 | Christchurch | Borough council | 45,800 | 5,040 |
See also
- Dorset County Council
- List of articles about local government in the United Kingdom
- United Kingdom local elections, 2009
References
- ^ "County Hall". Dorset County Council.
- ^ "Your Councillors". 22 March 2016. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
- ^ "Standard Area Measurements (extent of the realm)" (ZIP). Office for National Statistics. 31 December 2007. Retrieved 9 December 2009.