Lancashire County Council
Lancashire County Council is the upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Lancashire, England. It consists of 84 councillors. After the 2017 Lancashire County Council election, the council is under Conservative control, having been under no overall control from 2013–17 and under Conservative control from 2009-13.
Lancashire County Council | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| Leadership | |
Chair of the Council | Cllr Paul Rigby, Conservative |
Leader of the Council | Geoff Driver CBE, Conservative since May 2017 |
Chief executive | Angie Ridgwell |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 84 councillors |
 | |
Political groups |
|
Length of term | 4 years |
| Elections | |
| First Past the Post | |
Last election | 4 May 2017 |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| County Hall, Preston, England | |
| Website | |
| www | |
Prior to the 2009 Lancashire County Council election, the county had been under Labour control since 1985.
The Council leader, County Councillor Geoff Driver, chairs a cabinet of eight councillors - the others being A Atkinson (Deputy Leader), P Buckley, S Charles, G Gooch, M Green, K Iddon and S Turner. The eight cabinet members each have responsibility for particular functions of the council. The Interim Chief Executive and Director of Resources is Angie Ridgwell who was appointed in January 2018
History
The council was established in 1889 under the Local Government Act 1888, covering the administrative county. It was reconstituted under the Local Government Act 1972 to cover a different territory. In the 1990s, Blackburn with Darwen and Blackpool left the area covered by the council.
One Connect
In May 2011 the council's Conservative administration established a partnership with BT Group called One Connect Limited. 40% was owned by the council and 60% by BT. 800 council staff were seconded to it. It was to run various back office functions and it was claimed it would save £400 million over ten years. In 2014 the partnership was dissolved, though some services were still run by BT.[1] A police investigation followed allegations of corrupt practices and fraud. In May 2017 Conservative councillor Geoff Driver, Phil Halsall, the council's former Chief Executive, David McElhinney, former chief executive of One Connect and its sister organisation Liverpool Connect – and Ged Fitzgerald the current Liverpool City Council chief executive and former Lancashire County Council chief executive were arrested “on suspicion of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice and witness intimidation.” As of September 2019 no one has been charged with any offences and it is estimated the Police cost is over £2m. [2]
Composition
Elections are held every four years.
| Election | Number of councillors elected by each political party | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Labour | Liberal Democrats | Independent | Green Party | BNP | UKIP | Idle Toad | |
| 2017 | 46 | 30 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1[3] | 0 |
| 2013 | 35 | 39 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2009 | 51 | 16 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2005 | 31 | 44 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2001 | 27 | 44 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Political control
| Election | Party in control | |
|---|---|---|
| 2017[4] | Conservative | |
| 2013 | No overall control | |
| 2009[5] | Conservative | |
| 2005 | Labour | |
| 2001 | Labour | |
| 1997 | Labour | |
| 1993 | Labour | |
| 1989 | Labour | |
| 1985 | Labour | |
| 1981 | No overall control | |
| 1977 | Conservative | |
| 1973 | Conservative | |
County Library
Lancashire adopted the Public Libraries Act, 1919, in 1924. Library services were slow to develop as the average ratable value of the area outside the county boroughs and the other local authorities which had already adopted the act was relatively low. In 1938/39 the average expenditure on urban libraries per head was 1s. 9d., but that on county libraries was only 8 1/4d. (about two fifths of the former amount). Another disadvantage was that government of libraries was by a libraries sub-committee of the education committee of the council (the librarian having to report to the education officer who might not have been sympathetic to libraries). The central administration of the county library is at Preston where there are special services, special collections and staff to maintain a union catalogue.[6]
References
- "Lancashire County Council to scrap One Connect Limited". Lancashire Post. 24 January 2014. Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- "Four leading council figures arrested". Lancashire Post. 22 May 2017. Retrieved 22 May 2017.
- "Lancashire County Council: Elections". www3.lancashire.gov.uk.
- "Lancashire election result 2017". BBC. 4 May 2017. Retrieved 4 May 2017.
- "Lancashire election result 2009". BBC. 5 June 2009. Retrieved 16 September 2009.
- Cotton, G. B. (1971) "Public libraries in the North West"; North Western Newsletter; Manchester: Library Association (North Western Branch), no. 116: Libraries in the North West, pp. 5-24 (p. 8)