Richmond upon Thames London Borough Council is the
local authority
Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-loca ...
for the
London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in
Greater London, England. It is a
London borough
The London boroughs are the 32 local authority districts that together with the City of London make up the administrative area of Greater London; each is governed by a London borough council. The present London boroughs were all created at ...
council, one of 32 in London, the United Kingdom capital. Richmond upon Thames is divided into 18
wards and elections for all Council seats in the borough are held every four years.
The most recent election was in 2022 when the Liberal Democrats, led by Gareth Roberts, retained overall majority control of the council for a second consecutive term.
History
There have previously been a number of local authorities responsible for the Richmond upon Thames area. The current local authority was first elected in 1964, a year before formally coming into its powers and prior to the creation of the
London Borough of Richmond upon Thames on 1 April 1965. Richmond upon Thames replaced the
Municipal Borough of Twickenham
Twickenham was a local government district in Middlesex, England from 1868 to 1965.
History
Twickenham Local Government District was formed in 1868, when the civil parish of Twickenham adopted the Local Government Act 1858. The district was gov ...
in
Middlesex
Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a historic county in southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the ceremonial county of Greater London, with small sections in neighbour ...
, the
Municipal Borough of Richmond and the
Municipal Borough of Barnes
Barnes was a local government district in north west Surrey from 1894 to 1965, when its former area was absorbed into the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames.
History
Barnes was formed as an urban district in 1894 and became a municipal bor ...
, both then in
Surrey.
It was envisaged that through the
London Government Act 1963
The London Government Act 1963 (c. 33) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which created Greater London and a new local government structure within it. The Act significantly reduced the number of local government districts in the ...
Richmond upon Thames as a London local authority would share power with the
Greater London Council. The split of powers and functions meant that the Greater London Council was responsible for "wide area" services such as fire, ambulance, flood prevention, and refuse disposal; with the local authorities responsible for "personal" services such as social care, libraries, cemeteries and refuse collection. As an
outer London
Outer London is the name for the group of London boroughs that form a ring around Inner London. Together, the inner and outer boroughs form London, the capital city of the United Kingdom.
These were areas that were not part of the County of Londo ...
borough council it has been an
education authority since 1965. This arrangement lasted until 1986 when Richmond upon Thames London Borough Council gained responsibility for some services that had been provided by the Greater London Council, such as
waste disposal
Waste management or waste disposal includes the processes and actions required to manage waste from its inception to its final disposal.
This includes the collection, transport, treatment and disposal of waste, together with monitorin ...
. Since 2000 the
Greater London Authority has taken some responsibility for highways and planning control from the council, but within the
English local government system the council remains a "most purpose" authority in terms of the available range of powers and functions.
Powers and functions
The local authority derives its powers and functions from the London Government Act 1963 and subsequent legislation, and has the powers and functions of a London borough council. It sets council tax and as a
billing authority also collects precepts for
Greater London Authority functions and business rates. It sets planning policies which complement Greater London Authority and national policies, and decides on almost all planning applications accordingly. It is a
local education authority and is also responsible for
council housing, social services, libraries, waste collection and disposal, traffic, and most roads and environmental health.
Political composition
The borough council was controlled by the
Conservatives
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
from its inception to 1983 when the
Liberals and the
SDP won control in a
by-election
A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...
. The Council was then led by
David Williams until he stood down in favour of
Serge Lourie in 2001. Between 2002 and 2006 the council was controlled by the Conservatives under
Greater London Assembly member
Tony Arbour
Anthony Francis Arbour JP (born 30 August 1945), commonly known as Tony Arbour, is a British Conservative Party politician. From 2000 until his retirement in 2021, he was a member of the London Assembly representing South West London and is ...
. Between 2006 and 2010 the council reverted to the
Liberal Democrats under the leadership of
Serge Lourie. From 2010 to 2018 it was run by the Conservative Party, initially under
Lord True and then (from 2017) led by Paul Hodgins. The Liberal Democrats, led by Gareth Roberts, won control of the council at the 2018 election and retained control in the 2022 election.
Notable former councillors
*
Tony Arbour
Anthony Francis Arbour JP (born 30 August 1945), commonly known as Tony Arbour, is a British Conservative Party politician. From 2000 until his retirement in 2021, he was a member of the London Assembly representing South West London and is ...
, councillor for
Hampton Wick ward
Ward may refer to:
Division or unit
* Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward
* Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...
1968–1986 and 1994–2018, and Leader of the Council 2002–2006
*
David Blomfield
David Guy Blomfield (11 July 1934 – 12 July 2016) was leader of the Liberal Party group on Richmond upon Thames Council, a writer, a book editor and a local historian.
Early life and education
David Blomfield was born in Camberley, Sur ...
, councillor for
Kew
Kew () is a district in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Its population at the 2011 census was 11,436. Kew is the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens ("Kew Gardens"), now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace. Kew is a ...
ward 1971–1978 and 1979–1986.
As leader of the
Liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
group he was Leader of the Opposition on the Council in 1978.
*
Ian Dalziel, councillor for
Barnes ward 1978–1979
*
Dee Doocey, councillor for
Hampton
Hampton may refer to:
Places Australia
*Hampton bioregion, an IBRA biogeographic region in Western Australia
*Hampton, New South Wales
*Hampton, Queensland, a town in the Toowoomba Region
* Hampton, Victoria
Canada
* Hampton, New Brunswick
*Ha ...
ward
1986–1994 and chair of the council's Housing Committee
*
Sally Hamwee, councillor for Palewell ward 1978–1998
*
Stephen Knight, councillor for
Teddington
Teddington is a suburb in south-west London in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. In 2021, Teddington was named as the best place to live in London by ''The Sunday Times''. Historically in Middlesex, Teddington is situated on a long me ...
ward 2006–2018 and Leader of the Opposition on the Council 2010–2015
*
Serge Lourie, councillor for Kew ward 1982–2010; Leader of the Council 2001–2002 and 2006–2010
*
Tania Mathias
Tania Wyn Mathias (born 21 June 1964) is a British ophthalmologist and Conservative Party politician. She served as the Member of Parliament for Twickenham from May 2015 to June 2017.
Early life and career
Mathias was born in Kensington, London ...
, councillor for
Hampton Wick ward 2010–2015
*
Bill Newton Dunn, councillor for South Richmond Ward 2018–2022 and previously a Member of the European Parliament
*
Geoff Pope, councillor for South Twickenham ward, mayor 1989–1990 and chair of the Council's Social Services Committee
*
Tim Razzall
Edward Timothy Razzall, Lord Razzall, (born 12 June 1943) is a British Liberal Democrat politician and parliamentarian.
Early life
He was the son of Humphrey Razzall, a Liberal Party member who stood as Liberal Parliamentary Candidate for S ...
, councillor for
Mortlake
Mortlake is a suburban district of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames on the south bank of the River Thames between Kew and Barnes. Historically it was part of Surrey and until 1965 was in the Municipal Borough of Barnes. For many cen ...
ward 1974–1998. During that time he served as chair of the Council's Policy and Resources Committee for 13 years and as deputy leader 1983–1996. He was succeeded in both roles by Serge Lourie.
*
Jenny Tonge, councillor for Kew ward 1981–1990 and chair of the Council's Social Services Committee
*
Nicholas True, councillor for
East Sheen
East Sheen, also known as Sheen, is a suburb in south-west London in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames.
Its long high street has shops, offices, restaurants, cafés, pubs and suburban supermarkets and is also the economic hub for Mortl ...
ward 1986–2017 and Leader of the Council 2010–2017
* Sir
David Williams, councillor for Ham, Petersham and Richmond Riverside ward 1974–2014
and Leader of the Council 1983–2001
See also
*
Richmond upon Thames London Borough Council elections
Notes
References
External links
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Richmond upon Thames Borough Council
1965 establishments in England
Billing authorities in England
History of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames
Leader and cabinet executives
Local authorities in London
Local education authorities in England
London borough councils
Politics of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames