| Newham London Borough Council | |
|---|---|
| Type | |
| Type | London borough council of London Borough of Newham |
| Leadership | |
| Executive mayor | Robin Wales |
| Members | 60 councillors |
| Labour |
60 / 60
|
| Elections | |
| Voting system | First past the post |
| Last election | 6 May 2010 |
| Meeting place | |
| Newham Town Hall | |
| Website | |
| newham.gov.uk | |
Newham London Borough Council is the local authority for the London Borough of Newham in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in the United Kingdom capital of London. The council is unusual in that its executive function is controlled by a directly elected mayor of Newham, currently Robin Wales.[1] Newham is divided into 20 wards, each electing three councillors. Following the May 2010 election, Newham London Borough Council comprises 60 Labour Party councillors.[2] The council was created by the London Government Act 1963 and replaced three local authorities: East Ham Borough Council, West Ham Borough Council and Woolwich Metropolitan Borough Council.
There have previously been a number of local authorities responsible for the Newham 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 Newham on 1 April 1965. Newham replaced East Ham Borough Council, West Ham Borough Council and Woolwich Metropolitan Borough Council (for North Woolwich). West Ham was a county borough (which meant that its council had the functions of both a county and a borough) from 1889 and East Ham gained that status in 1915. It was previously a non-county borough and between 1894 and 1904 it was governed by East Ham Urban District Council. Before 1900 North Woolwich was governed by the Vestry of the Parish of Woolwich.
It was envisaged through the London Government Act 1963 that Newham 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 borough council it has been an education authority since 1965. This arrangement lasted until 1986 when Newham London Borough Council gained responsibility for some services that had been provided by the Greater London Council, such as waste disposal. 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.
The council has been controlled by the Labour Party since it was first elected in 1964.
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