Bournemouth Borough Council Bournemouth Borough Council was the local authority of Bournemouth in Dorset, England and ceased to exist on 1 April 2019. It was a unitary authority, although between 1974 and 1997 it was an administrative district council with Dorset. Previou ...

was the local authority for Bournemouth in

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset. Covering an area of , ...

, England between 1974 and 2019. Prior to 1974 Bournemouth had been a

county borough County borough is a term introduced in 1889 in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, to refer to a borough or a city independent of county council control, similar to the unitary authorities created since the 1990s. An equivalent te ...

within

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English cities on its south coast, Southampton and Portsmouth, Hampshire ...

(being a county borough meant it was self-governing, being independent of Hampshire County Council). Under the Local Government Act 1972 Bournemouth became a

non-metropolitan district Non-metropolitan districts, or colloquially "shire districts", are a type of Districts of England, local government district in England. As created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties (colloquially ''shi ...

within Dorset on 1 April 1974, with the same boundaries as the former county borough. On 1 April 1997 it became a

unitary authority A unitary authority is a local authority responsible for all local government functions within its area or performing additional functions that elsewhere are usually performed by a higher level of sub-national government or the national governmen ...

, taking over the functions previously provided for the area by Dorset County Council. In 2019 the council was abolished, merging with

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon Rive ...

and Poole to form

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) is a Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Dorset, England. It was created on 1 April 2019 by the merger of the areas that wer ...

Political control

The first elections to the reformed council were held in 1973, initially to act as a shadow authority prior to the new arrangements coming into force the following year. From 1973 until the council's abolition in 2019 political control of the council was held by the following parties: Non-metropolitan district Unitary authority

Leadership

The role of mayor was largely ceremonial at Bournemouth Borough Council. Political leadership was instead provided by the

leader of the council In England, local authorities are required to adopt one of three types of executive arrangements, having either an "elected mayor and cabinet", a "leader and cabinet", or a "committee system". The type of arrangement used determines how decisions ...

. The leaders from 2007 until the council's abolition in 2019 were:

Council elections

Non-metropolitan district elections

* 1973 Bournemouth Borough Council election * 1976 Bournemouth Borough Council election * 1979 Bournemouth Borough Council election (New ward boundaries) * 1983 Bournemouth Borough Council election * 1987 Bournemouth Borough Council election * 1991 Bournemouth Borough Council election

Unitary authority elections

* 1996 Bournemouth Borough Council election * 1999 Bournemouth Borough Council election *

2003 Bournemouth Borough Council election Elections to Bournemouth Borough Council on the south coast of England were held on 1 May 2003. The whole council (a unitary authority A unitary authority is a local authority responsible for all local government functions within its area or ...

(New ward boundaries)legislation.gov.uk
The Borough of Bournemouth (Electoral Changes) Order 2002
Retrieved on 4 October 2015. *

2007 Bournemouth Borough Council election Elections to Bournemouth Borough Council on the south coast of England were held on 3 May 2007. The whole council (a unitary authority A unitary authority is a local authority responsible for all local government functions within its area or p ...

* 2011 Bournemouth Borough Council election * 2015 Bournemouth Borough Council election

Council composition

Borough result maps

File:Bournemouth UK local election 2003 map.svg, 2003 results map File:Bournemouth UK local election 2007 map.svg, 2007 results map File:Bournemouth Borough Council election 2011 map.svg, 2011 results map File:Bournemouth UK local election 2015 map.svg, 2015 results map

By-election results

1999–2003

2003–2007

2007–2011

2011–2015

2015–2019

References

External links

Bournemouth Borough Council
{{Former unitary authorities of England Council elections in Dorset Local government in Bournemouth Politics of Bournemouth Unitary authority elections in England