Southend-on-Sea Borough Council

Southend-on-Sea Borough Council is the local authority of Southend-on-Sea in Essex, England. It is a unitary authority, having the powers of a non-metropolitan county and district council combined. It is a member of the East of England Local Government Association.

Politics

Seventeen wards each return three councillors, a total of 51. Councillors serve four years and one third of the council is elected each year, followed by one year without election. The composition of the council is (following the results of the 2016 Local Elections):^[1]

Affiliation		Councillors
	Conservative	24
	Labour	10
	Independent Group	9
	Southend Independence Group	3
	Liberal Democrat	2
	UKIP	2
	Unaligned independent	1

The council was controlled by the Conservative Party since gaining control in the 2000 election, they maintained a minority administration for a short while after the 2012 local elections, although a subsequent defection from the Independent Group gave them control again in May 2013. The Conservatives lost control of the council in the 2014 election, with the council run by a rainbow coalition of Independent Group, Labour and Liberal Democrat councillors.^[2]

The 2015 election saw the Conservatives make some gains, resulting in a breakaway UKIP faction (who formed the Southend Independence Group) joining forces with the existing rainbow coalition to continue to run the council.^[3] As a result of the 2016 election the Conservatives were able to form a minority administration, having signed a supply and confidence agreement with UKIP. ^[4]

Performance

Southend Borough Council was criticised as one of the worst financially managed local authorities in England by the Audit Commission report for 2006/7, one of three to gain only one of four stars, the others being Liverpool and the Isles of Scilly. Areas of criticism were the use of consultants and the spending of £3.5 million on taxis during the 2006/7 financial year.^[5]

In March 2012, Southend Borough Council was awarded the title of 'Council of the Year 2012' by the Local Government Chronicle.^[6]

References

↑ http://www.southend.gov.uk/info/200399/committees_working_parties_and_the_constitution/303/the_political_make-up_of_the_council
↑ "Who will be running Southend Council? Take a look at your new cabinet members". Southend: Echo. 6 June 2014. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
↑ "UKIP rebels could be key to new coalition". Southend: Echo. 13 May 2015. Retrieved 21 June 2015.
↑ "New Tory council accused of breaking manifesto pledge". Southend: Echo. 20 May 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
↑ Laura Smith (January 30, 2008). "Echo News - Official: Council is wasting our cash". Retrieved 2008-07-21.
↑ Uncited (March 14, 2012). "Southend Council wins council of the year at Local Government Chronicle awards". Retrieved 2013-04-08.

External links

Official website

Awards and achievements
Preceded by Blackburn with Darwen	LGC Council of the Year 2012	Succeeded by Greenwich

Unitary authorities of England

Districts	Bath and North East Somerset Bedford Blackburn with Darwen Blackpool Bournemouth Bracknell Forest Brighton and Hove Bristol Central Bedfordshire Cheshire East Cheshire West and Chester Cornwall County Durham Darlington Derby East Riding of Yorkshire Halton Hartlepool Herefordshire Isles of Scilly Isle of Wight Kingston upon Hull Leicester Luton Medway Middlesbrough Milton Keynes North East Lincolnshire North Lincolnshire North Somerset Northumberland Nottingham Peterborough Plymouth Poole Portsmouth Reading Redcar and Cleveland Rutland Shropshire Slough Southampton Southend-on-Sea South Gloucestershire Stockton-on-Tees Stoke-on-Trent Swindon Telford and Wrekin Thurrock Torbay Warrington West Berkshire Wiltshire Windsor and Maidenhead Wokingham York

Councils	Bath and North East Somerset Bedford Blackburn with Darwen Blackpool Bournemouth Bracknell Forest Brighton and Hove Bristol Central Bedfordshire Cheshire East Cheshire West and Chester Cornwall Derby Durham Darlington East Riding of Yorkshire Halton Hartlepool Herefordshire Isles of Scilly Isle of Wight Kingston upon Hull Leicester Luton Medway Middlesbrough Milton Keynes North East Lincolnshire North Lincolnshire North Somerset Northumberland Nottingham Peterborough Plymouth Poole Portsmouth Reading Redcar and Cleveland Rutland Shropshire Slough Southampton Southend-on-Sea South Gloucestershire Stockton-on-Tees Stoke-on-Trent Swindon Telford and Wrekin Thurrock Torbay Warrington West Berkshire Wiltshire Windsor and Maidenhead Wokingham York

Local elections	Bath and North East Somerset Bedford Blackburn with Darwen Blackpool Bournemouth Bracknell Forest Brighton and Hove Bristol Central Bedfordshire Cheshire East Cheshire West and Chester Cornwall County Durham Darlington Derby East Riding of Yorkshire Halton Hartlepool Herefordshire Isle of Wight Kingston upon Hull Leicester Luton Medway Middlesbrough Milton Keynes North East Lincolnshire North Lincolnshire North Somerset Northumberland Nottingham Peterborough Plymouth Poole Portsmouth Reading Redcar and Cleveland Rutland Shropshire Slough Southampton Southend-on-Sea South Gloucestershire Stockton-on-Tees Stoke-on-Trent Swindon Telford and Wrekin Thurrock Torbay Warrington West Berkshire Wiltshire Windsor and Maidenhead Wokingham York

Local authorities in Essex

County council and unitary	Essex Southend-on-Sea Thurrock

District councils	Basildon Braintree Brentwood Castle Point Chelmsford Colchester Epping Forest Harlow Maldon Rochford Tendring Uttlesford

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