Nottinghamshire County Council

Nottinghamshire County Council
Type
Type
Structure
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Elections
First past the post
Last election
 2 May 2013
Next election
 May 2017
Website
www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk

Nottinghamshire County Council is the county council that governs the non-metropolitan county of Nottinghamshire in England.

The History of Nottinghamshire County Council

Sapienter Proficiens – progress with wisdom

Nottinghamshire County Council's coat of arms was granted in July, 1937. The elements in the arms reflect the Council's connections with:

The Council's motto 'Sapienter Proficiens' means "Progress with Wisdom".

Quick facts

First Meeting

In 1889 the County Council was responsible for weights and measurements. In the first quarter 379 weights and measurements were examined.

At the time the County Council was established, the Administrative County of Nottingham comprised:

New Organisation

In 1998 the County Council became a new organisation following the local government re-organisation.

History of County Hall

The Shire Hall building

The first County Council meeting was at the Shire Hall building in High Pavement in Nottingham on April 1, 1889. It was the first time that Councillors elected by the County of Nottinghamshire had sat with the authority to decide on their own affairs. The meeting marked the end of the Quarter Sessions system of administration by magistrates. The Shire Hall building was erected in 1770.

Recognising the need for additional office and meeting room space as early as 1928, the County Council approved the purchase of the existing County Hall site in May 1936 – at a cost of 5s and 6d a square yard for the 10.75 acre site. The site was originally occupied by the YMCA, Nottinghamshire Amateur Cricket Club, Trent Bridge Police Station and a cottage.

Architect E Vincent Harris designed the building incorporating a tall, elegant clock tower facing the River Trent. Building costs were set at £188,907. Harris also designed Surrey County Hall, Glamorgan County Hall and Leeds Civic Hall. The building was originally designed to provide accommodation for 365 staff.

Construction of County Hall

Construction work on County Hall began on the 19th April 1938 – building estimates had already risen to £292,000.

The laying of the foundation stone of the building was performed on November 21, 1938 by the Lord Lieutenant of Nottinghamshire, Lord Portland. This site was originally due to be the main entrance to the building with a grand Golden Falcon on the porch roof. The Falcon is three feet six inches high and is painted in gold leaf.

County Hall consists of a reinforced concrete frame, facings of Portland Stone and 6.5" random length hand made Dutch bricks. The order for these bricks was placed before the war and delivery completed in 1941 – at the time Holland was under German occupation.

In July 1941, building work ceased and a temporary roof was fitted to cover the site. The building was used for storage throughout the war.

Building restarted in 1947 and costs were noted to have risen again to £310,000.

The first departments moved in during March 1949 – surrounded by ongoing building work.

Final Design

In May 1954, a scheme first put forward just after the war was revived to extend the H shape design by adding a T shape extension to the building and clock tower. The tower was to have 17 floors available for storing library books. By February 1956, government restrictions on spending meant the clock tower and T block extension were withdrawn and the work to ground floor level was demolished.

The first Council meetings were held in what is now Committee D, which at the time was slightly larger in size, but was recognised as a great improvement over the old Shire Hall building.

In November 1957, the Salaries and Establishments Committee gave the go-ahead for the internal completion of County Hall.

As the site is 5 feet below flood level, the building stands on a reinforced concrete watertight raft or tray to prevent flooding from the River Trent.

The changing role of local government and an increase in responsibilities meant the overall space requirements increased. To help address this need, during the late 1950s plans were made for the CLASP block. Work on the block was completed in the mid-1970s.

The impressive Portland Stone statues situated at either side of the entrances to County Hall reflect Nottinghamshire’s diversity. They represent ‘Agricultural’ and ‘Artistic’ work, ‘Industry’ and ‘Culture’.

The first female Member of the Council was Mrs Kathleen Kayser, who was returned unopposed in a by-election at Tuxford on May 26, 1930.

The Shire Hall building was sold in 1989 and now houses the Galleries of Justice museum.

The Council Chamber

The Council Chamber, Assembly Hall and public spaces were completed in 1973.

The Chamber is the place for debate and decision making on behalf of the residents of Nottinghamshire. The Chamber is the democratic heart of the Council. Every six weeks County Council meets, and the 67 Elected County Councillors debate and determine policies and decisions that affect everyday life in the County.

Facts and Figures about Nottinghamshire

Geography

The County Council area, excluding the City of Nottingham, is 2,085 km2 or 805 square miles.

Nottinghamshire's population is 1,091,500, of these:

Local government

Nottinghamshire County Council governs the county area and works closely with other local councils - including district borough, town and parish councils - to deliver public services in the most cost effective way.

Local councils include:

Nottingham City Council is a unitary Authority which means it is responsible for all local government services within the city area.

Other public sector bodies

There are several other public sector bodies which serve Nottinghamshire including:

Working together

Nottinghamshire County Council works closely with other local councils and public sector bodies to deliver public services in the most cost effective way.

Examples of joint working include:

Work

Nottinghamshire’s working population is 529,100. 376,200 are in the County Council area.

Learning

Sport

The sporting county, home to:

Tourism

Sherwood Forest, once a Royal Hunting Forest, is visited by more than a million people every year and hosts the annual Robin Hood Festival – the biggest outdoor event celebrating the county’s world renowned outlaw.

History

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Saturday, December 05, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.