Kensington and Chelsea London Borough Council
Kensington and Chelsea London Borough Council | |
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London borough council of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea | |
History | |
Founded | 1 April 1965 |
Preceded by | Chelsea Borough Council Kensington Borough Council |
Leadership | |
Mayor of Kensington & Chelsea | Gerard Hargreaves since 20 May 2020 |
Leader of the Council | Elizabeth Campbell, Conservative since 19 July 2017 |
Chief executive | Barry Quirk since 22 August 2018 |
Structure | |
Seats | 50 councillors |
Political groups |
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Length of term | Whole council elected every four years |
Elections | |
Plurality-at-large | |
Last election | 5 May 2022 |
Next election | 7 May 2026 |
Meeting place | |
Town Hall, Hornton Street | |
Website | |
www |
Kensington and Chelsea London Borough Council is the local authority for the
History
There have previously been a number of local authorities responsible for the Kensington and Chelsea 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
It was envisaged that through the London Government Act 1963, Kensington and Chelsea as a London local authority would share power with the
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
Summary results of elections
The council has been controlled by the Conservative Party since it was first elected in 1964.
After new boundaries were set by the Boundary Commission, the Conservatives lost the Earl's Court Ward by-election in September 2010 to the Liberal Democrats and narrowly won the Cremorne Ward by-election by only 19 votes.[6] Many commentators blamed the Conservative councillors led by Merrick Cockell for these poor results, stating that the council did not adequately take into account residents' views on projects such as the proposed Thames Tideway Tunnel and the Earl's Court building works.[7][8]
As of May 2022, the council composition was: Conservative 35 (-1), Labour 13 (–) and Lib Dem 2 (+1).[9]
Demolition of the Old Town Hall
In 1982 the leader of the council,
Grenfell Tower fire
Grenfell Tower, the fire, and its aftermath |
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Category |
On 14 June 2017, a major fire destroyed the council-owned, 24-storey Grenfell Tower, a provision of public housing in the mainly working-class area of North Kensington, causing 72 deaths.[13] The tower block was managed on behalf of (but independently of) the council by Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation (KCTMO), the largest tenant management organisation (TMO) in England, which is responsible for the management of nearly 10,000 properties in the borough.[14]
On 15 June, Kensington and Chelsea invoked the help of the other London boroughs in supporting the survivors. Responsibility was handed over to a Grenfell fire-response team led by a group of chief executives from councils across London. Resources available to them included central government, the British Red Cross, the Metropolitan Police, the London Fire Brigade and local government across London. Neighbouring councils sent in staff to improve the rehousing response.[15][16]
On 21 June, the council chief executive Nicholas Holgate resigned amid criticism over the borough's response to the fire.
References
- ^ "Our councillors". Rbkc.gov.uk. 17 September 2009. Archived from the original on 3 November 2010. Retrieved 22 May 2012.
- ISBN 0-901050-67-9.
- ISBN 978-0714648590.
- ^ "Council Tax and Business Rates Billing Authorities". Council Tax Rates. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
- ^ "Local Plan Responses – within and outside London". Mayor of London. 12 November 2015. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
- ^ "Cremorne Ward By-election Sep 2010". Rbkc.gov.uk. 17 September 2009. Archived from the original on 3 July 2011. Retrieved 22 May 2012.
- ^ "Council byelection results from yesterday | Local Government". Conservativehome.blogs.com. 17 September 2010. Retrieved 22 May 2012.
- ^ Hodges, Dan. "By-election results in". Kensington & Chelsea Chronicle. Retrieved 22 May 2012.
- ^ "Local Elections 2022 – Thursday, 5th May, 2022". Kensington and Chelsea London Borough Council. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
- ^ "Carnival clearing, not backing Boris, and Korean comparisons: politics in Kensington". New Statesman. 27 August 2014. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
- ^ "Annual Report 1982" (PDF). Kensington Society. p. 6. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
- ^ "Bulldozers outpace the Heritage bureaucrats". 9 February 2007. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ Grenfell Tower: Inquiry opens with tribute to stillborn baby. BBC.
- ^ "Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation – The Board". kctmo.org.uk. Archived from the original on 17 June 2017. Retrieved 14 June 2017.
- ^ a b Macaskill, Ewen (18 June 2017). "Council sidelined in Grenfell Tower response as leader refuses to quit". The Observer. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
- ^ Cornish, Chloe; Jack, Andrew (18 June 2017). "Kensington council sidelined after faltering Grenfell relief effort". Financial Times. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
- ^ "London fire: Kensington council boss quits over Grenfell tragedy". BBC News. 22 June 2017. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
- ^ "High rise cladding 'combustible' says PM". BBC News. 22 June 2017. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
- ^ Walker, Peter (30 June 2017). "Kensington and Chelsea council leader quits in wake of Grenfell disaster". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
- ^ "Grenfell Tower fire: New council leader heckled by public". BBC News. 19 July 2017. Retrieved 19 July 2017.
- ^ Anthony Barej (11 September 2017) "Lewisham chief to join RBKC permanently following Grenfell", Public Finance magazine. Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy. Retrieved 24 June 2018.