Summary
Redditch Borough Council is the local authority for Redditch, a non-metropolitan district with borough status in Worcestershire, England.
Redditch Borough Council | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leadership | |
Chief Executive (interim) | Sue Hanley since 2023[3] |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 29 seats |
Political groups |
|
| Elections | |
Last election | 4 May 2023 |
Next election | 2 May 2024 |
| Motto | |
| REDDITE DEO (Render to God/Redditch for God) | |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| Redditch Town Hall, Walter Stranz Square, Redditch, B98 8AH | |
| Website | |
| www | |
History edit
The town of Redditch was made a local government district in 1858, governed by a local board. Such districts were renamed urban districts in 1894.[4] The urban district council in turn was abolished in 1974 and replaced by a non-metropolitan district council covering the same area as the former urban district, but with different powers and responsibilities.[5]
Redditch district was awarded borough status on 15 May 1980, changing the council's name to Redditch Borough Council and allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor.[6]
Governance edit
Redditch Borough Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Worcestershire County Council.[7] Feckenham is a civil parish, which forms a third tier of local government for that part of the borough; the rest of the borough is an unparished area.[8]
Since 2008 the council has developed shared working arrangements with neighbouring Bromsgrove District Council, with the two organisations sharing a chief executive, management team and other staff.[9]
Political control edit
The council has been under Conservative majority control since 2018.
Political control of the council since the 1974 reforms has been as follows:[10]
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour | 1974–1976 | |
| Conservative | 1976–1983 | |
| Labour | 1983–2002 | |
| No overall control | 2002–2004 | |
| Labour | 2004–2006 | |
| No overall control | 2006–2008 | |
| Conservative | 2008–2012 | |
| Labour | 2012–2018 | |
| Conservative | 2018–present | |
Leadership edit
The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Redditch. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 2008 have been:[11]
| Councillor | Party | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carol Gandy | Conservative | pre-2008 | 21 May 2012 | |
| Bill Hartnett | Labour | 21 May 2012 | 21 May 2018 | |
| Matthew Dormer | Conservative | 21 May 2018 | ||
Composition edit
Following the 2023 election and a subsequent change of allegiance in January 2024 the composition of the council was:[12][13]
| Party | Councillors | |
|---|---|---|
| Conservative | 16 | |
| Labour | 12 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 1 | |
| Total | 29 | |
The next election is due in 2024.
Premises edit
The council is based at Redditch Town Hall on Walter Stranz Square.[14] The foundation stone was laid in 1981.[15] It cost £7.5 million to build and it was opened in 1982.[16]
Elections edit
Since the last boundary changes in 2004, the council has comprised 29 councillors representing 12 wards, with each ward electing two or three councillors. Elections are held three years out of every four, with roughly a third of the council elected each time for a four-year term of office. Worcestershire County Council elections are held in the fourth year of the cycle when there are no borough council elections.[17] New ward boundaries have been drawn up to come into effect for the 2024 election, which will comprise of 27 councillors representing 9 wards.[18]
Councillors edit
| Redditch Borough Councillors 2023[19] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Ward | Councillor | |||
| Labour | Abbey | Sid Khan | |||
| Labour | Abbey | Monica Stringfellow | |||
| Conservative | Astwood Bank & Feckenham | Brandon Clayton | |||
| Conservative | Astwood Bank & Feckenham | Craig Warhurst | |||
| Labour | Batchley & Brockhill | Joe Baker | |||
| Conservative | Batchley & Brockhill | Lucy Harrison | |||
| Liberal Democrats | Batchley & Brockhill | Kerrie Miles | |||
| Conservative | Central | Imran Altaf | |||
| Labour | Central | Sharon Harvey | |||
| Conservative | Church Hill | Karen Ashley (Deputy Mayor) | |||
| Labour | Church Hill | James Fardoe | |||
| Labour | Church Hill | Bill Hartnett | |||
| Conservative | Crabbs Cross | Salman Akbar (Mayor) | |||
| Conservative | Crabbs Cross | Chris Holz | |||
| Labour | Greenlands | Juma Begum | |||
| Labour | Greenlands | Joanna Kane | |||
| Conservative | Greenlands | Emma Marshall | |||
| Labour | Headless Cross & Oakenshaw | Juliet Barker Smith | |||
| Conservative | Headless Cross & Oakenshaw | Joanne Beecham | |||
| Labour | Headless Cross & Oakenshaw | Ian Woodall | |||
| Labour | Lodge Park | Andrew Fry | |||
| Conservative | Lodge Park | Tim Pearman | |||
| Conservative | Matchborough | Alex Fogg | |||
| Labour | Matchborough | Jane Spilsbury | |||
| Conservative | West | Matt Dormer (Leader) | |||
| Conservative | West | Gemma Monaco (Deputy Leader) | |||
| Conservative | Winyates | Luke Court | |||
| Conservative | Winyates | Peter Fleming | |||
| Conservative | Winyates | Anthony Lovell | |||
References edit
- ^ "Council minutes, 22 May 2023". Redditch Borough Council. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
- ^ "Council minutes, 21 May 2018" (PDF). Redditch Borough Council. Retrieved 21 September 2022.
- ^ "Council minutes, 19 July 2023". Bromsgrove District Council. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
- ^ Kelly's Directory of Worcestershire. London. 1912. p. 223. Retrieved 21 September 2022.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1972/2039, retrieved 21 September 2022
- ^ Bulletins of Change of Local Authority Status, Names and Areas, 1980–1982 (PDF). London: Department for the Environment. 1982. p. 17. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
- ^ "Local Government Act 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1972 c. 70, retrieved 31 May 2023
- ^ "Election Maps". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
- ^ Corporate Peer Challenge: Bromsgrove DC and Redditch BC (PDF). Local Government Association. 2018. p. 1. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
- ^ "Compositions calculator". The Elections Centre. 4 March 2016. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
- ^ "Council minutes". Redditch Borough Council. Retrieved 21 September 2022.
- ^ "Local elections 2023: live council results for England". The Guardian.
- ^ "Redditch Labour councillor defects to Lib Dems ahead of May election". Redditch Standard. 29 January 2024. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
- ^ "Main council details". Redditch Borough Council. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
- ^ "Facts and history of Redditch" (PDF). Retrieved 8 February 2021.
- ^ "New Town Development Events". Retrieved 8 February 2021.
- ^ "The Borough of Redditch (Electoral Changes) Order 2002", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2002/2986, retrieved 11 February 2024
- ^ "The Redditch (Electoral Changes) Order 2023", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2023/654, retrieved 11 February 2024
- ^ "Your Councillors". Redditch Borough Council. Retrieved 27 May 2023.