Hackney London Borough Council is the local government authority for the London Borough of Hackney,

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, England, one of 32 London borough councils. The council is unusual in the United Kingdom local government system in that its executive function is controlled by a directly elected mayor of Hackney, currently Philip Glanville of the Labour Party. Hackney comprises 19 wards, each electing three

councillor A councillor is an elected representative for a local government council in some countries. Canada Due to the control that the provinces have over their municipal governments, terms that councillors serve vary from province to province. Unl ...

s. Following the May 2018 election, Hackney London Borough Council consists of 52 Labour Party councillors and 5

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

councillors. The council was created by the London Government Act 1963 whereby it replaced three local authorities:

Hackney Metropolitan Borough Council The Metropolitan Borough of Hackney was a Metropolitan borough of the County of London from 1900 to 1965. Its area became part of the London Borough of Hackney. Formation and boundaries The borough was one of twenty-eight metropolitan boroughs c ...

, Shoreditch Metropolitan Borough Council and Stoke Newington Metropolitan Borough Council.

History

There have previously been a number of local authorities responsible for the Hackney 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 Hackney on 1 April 1965. Hackney London Borough Council replaced

, Shoreditch Metropolitan Borough Council and Stoke Newington Metropolitan Borough Council. All three had been created in 1900; the ancient parishes of Hackney and Stoke Newington were previously governed by vestries, but together were united as the Hackney District of the Metropolis from 1855 to 1894.

Shoreditch Shoreditch is a district in the East End of London in England, and forms the southern part of the London Borough of Hackney. Neighbouring parts of Tower Hamlets are also perceived as part of the area. In the 16th century, Shoreditch was an imp ...

was also an ancient parish and was governed by a vestry until becoming a metropolitan borough in 1900. It was envisaged that through the London Government Act 1963 Hackney as a London local authority would share power with the

Greater London Council The Greater London Council (GLC) was the top-tier local government administrative body for Greater London from 1965 to 1986. It replaced the earlier London County Council (LCC) which had covered a much smaller area. The GLC was dissolved in 198 ...

. 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. This arrangement lasted until 1986 when Hackney London Borough Council gained responsibility for some services that had been provided by the Greater London Council, such as waste disposal. Hackney became an

education authority The Education Authority ( ga, Údarás Oideachais) is a non-departmental body sponsored by the Department of Education in Northern Ireland. It was established under the Education Act (Northern Ireland) 2014 (c. 12) which was passed by the Northe ...

in 1990. Since 2000 the

Greater London Authority The Greater London Authority (GLA), colloquially known by the metonym "City Hall", is the devolved regional governance body of Greater London. It consists of two political branches: the executive Mayoralty (currently led by Sadiq Khan) and t ...

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

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 Local education authorities (LEAs) were local councils in England that are responsible for education within their jurisdiction. The term was used to identify which council (district or county) is locally responsible for education in a system wit ...

and is also responsible for

council housing Public housing in the United Kingdom, also known as council estates, council housing, or social housing, provided the majority of rented accommodation until 2011 when the number of households in private rental housing surpassed the number in so ...

, social services, libraries, waste collection and disposal, traffic, and most roads and environmental health.

Elections

Electoral arrangements

Wards were established for Hackney when it came into existence on 1 April 1965. The first elections of ward councillors took place in 1964.London Borough Council Elections (1964)
These boundaries were also used for the 1968, 1971 and 1974 elections. For the 1978 elections the ward boundaries were revised.London Borough Council Elections (1978)
These boundaries were then also used at the 1982, 1986 and 1990 elections. For the May 1994 elections there were minor adjustments to London borough boundaries, which affected the area and population of some Hackney wards.Alteration of Status of Local Authorities 1993-1994
London Borough Council Elections (1994)
These boundaries were also used at the 1998 elections. The current ward boundaries came into effect at the May 2002 elections.London Borough Council Elections (2002)
They were also used at the 2006 and 2010 elections. The ward boundaries were redrawn for the 2014 election.

Summary results of elections

References

{{Authority control Local authorities in London London borough councils Politics of the London Borough of Hackney Mayor and cabinet executives Local education authorities in England Billing authorities in England