Herefordshire Council
Herefordshire Council is the local government authority for the county of Herefordshire in England. It is a unitary authority, combining the powers of a non-metropolitan county and district.
Herefordshire Council | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| Leadership | |
Chair of the Council | Cllr Sebastian Bowen, Herefordshire Independents |
Leader of the Council | Cllr David Hitchiner, Herefordshire Independents since May 2019 |
Chief Executive | Alistair Neill since December 2012 |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 53 councillors |
 | |
Political groups |
|
| Elections | |
| First past the post | |
Last election | 2 May 2019 |
Next election | May 2023 |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| Shirehall, Hereford | |
| Website | |
| www | |
History
The Council was formed on 1 April 1998 following the split of Hereford and Worcester back into two separate counties. The Council initially had its headquarters at Brockington House, 35 Hafod Road, Hereford[1] but moved to Plough Lane in Hereford in 2009.[2][3] Formal meetings of the council are held at the Shirehall in Hereford.[4]
Elections
It has adopted the Leader and Cabinet constitutional model.[5] It was run by the Conservatives until 2019.[6]
Immediately following 2019 local elections
The 2019 election resulted in the Conservative Party losing its majority on the council for the first time since 2007, winning 13 seats. Independents made gains and became the largest group on the council after winning 18 seats, 15 of which formed the Herefordshire Independents Group. The Liberal Democrats and Greens also made gains at the expense of the Conservatives. It's Our County lost four seats, down to 8.
Following negotiations, a three-way coalition between 'Herefordshire Independents', 'It's Our County' and the Green Party was formed. Herefordshire Independents took four cabinet positions, and the Leader of the Council, the Greens took two cabinet positions and Deputy Leader of the Council and It's Our County took the remaining two cabinet positions.[7]
| Date | Herefordshire Independents | Conservative | It's Our County | Greens | Lib Dems | Independent | Vacant | Coalition Majority | ||||||||
| 3 May 2019 | 15 | 13 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 1 | +7 | ||||||||
The Ross North poll was postponed after the death of a UKIP candidate, leading to one unfilled vacancy at this point.
Defections and resignations
Following disagreements about a new by-pass road in the Herefordshire Independents group, five councillors left to form a new group, 'True Independents'.[8]
Separately, Councillor Sue Boulter resigned shortly after being elected for It's Our County, in Whitecross, creating a second vacancy and temporarily reducing the number of It's Our County councillors.[9]
| Date | Herefordshire Independents | Conservative | It's Our County | Greens | Lib Dems | True Independents | Independent | Vacant | Coalition Majority | |||||||||
| 5 June 2019 | 10 | 13 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 2 | -3 | |||||||||
Two by-elections
The Liberal Democrats won the by-election in Ross North the day after the five True Independents defected from the Herefordshire Independents.[10]
| Date | Herefordshire Independents | Conservative | It's Our County | Greens | Lib Dems | True Independents | Independent | Vacant | Coalition Majority | |||||||||
| 6 June 2019 | 10 | 13 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 1 | -4 | |||||||||
Following Sue Boulter's resignation upon her election, her husband won the resulting by-election.[11]
| Date | Herefordshire Independents | Conservative | It's Our County | Greens | Lib Dems | True Independents | Independent | Vacant | Coalition Majority | |||||||||
| 11 July 2019 | 10 | 13 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 0 | -3 | |||||||||
Unaligned Independents join the Herefordshire Independents
By the end of the summer, former Hereford mayor Jim Kenyon had temporarily joined the Herefordshire Independents to bolster their numbers, and since left again to sit as the last remaining standalone independent, as the other two previously unaligned independents have since joined the ruling coalition of Herefordshire Independents, taking Herefordshire Independents to 12 seats.[12]
| Date | Herefordshire Independents | Conservative | It's Our County | Greens | Lib Dems | True Independents | Independent | Coalition Majority | ||||||||
| 14 Sept 2019 | 12 | 13 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 1 | +1 | ||||||||
Outsourced services
Herefordshire Council has outsourced the following services:
- Human Resources & Finance – outsourced to a limited company named "Hoople", which is wholly owned by the Council and Wye Valley NHS Trust
- Leisure – Halo Leisure (A not-for-profit trust which operates all leisure services)
- Social Housing – Herefordshire Housing (A not-for-profit trust which operates all housing and accommodation services)
- Commercial Services – Amey Wye Valley Services (A commercial venture which maintains roads, grounds, street lighting, etc.)
- Waste Management – Severn Waste Management (Responsible for bin collection, sorting and recycling)
Elections
References
- "New £12m Hereford care community opens to the public". Healthcare Business. 29 April 2019. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
- Council, Herefordshire. "Contact us". www.herefordshire.gov.uk.
- "Herefordshire Council scales back HQ plan". Hereford Times. 2 October 2011. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
- "Agenda and minutes Council". Herefordshire Council. 12 July 2019. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
- "Committee details - Cabinet". councillors.herefordshire.gov.uk. 16 March 2019.
- "Your Councillors". councillors.herefordshire.gov.uk. 16 March 2019.
- "Independent councillor set to lead Herefordshire Council". Hereford Times. 22 May 2019.
- Garcia, Carmelo (2019-06-05). "Eastern bypass spat splits ruling group". Hereford Times. Retrieved 2019-06-08.
- "Independent councillor set to lead Herefordshire Council". Hereford Times. 22 May 2019.
- "Ross North Ward - Declaration of result of poll" (PDF). Herefordshire Council. 6 June 2019.
- "Whitecross Ward - Declaration of result of poll" (PDF). Herefordshire Council. 11 July 2019.
- "Former mayor leaves council group". Evesham Journal. 14 September 2019.
External links
