Greenwich London Borough Council is the local authority for the
Royal Borough of Greenwich
The Royal Borough of Greenwich (, , or ) is a London borough in southeast Greater London. The London Borough of Greenwich was formed in 1965 by the London Government Act 1963. The new borough covered the former area of the Metropolitan Borough ...
in
Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in the United Kingdom capital of
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 ...
. Greenwich is divided into 23 wards, electing a total of 55 councillors. The council was created by the London Government Act 1963 and replaced two local authorities:
Greenwich Metropolitan Borough Council
The Metropolitan Borough of Greenwich was a metropolitan borough in the County of London between 1900 and 1965. It bordered the boroughs of Woolwich, Lewisham and Deptford and, across the River Thames, the borough of Poplar and the County Borou ...
and
Woolwich Metropolitan Borough Council. The council meets in
Woolwich Town Hall
Woolwich Town Hall is an early 20th-century town hall located in the historic Bathway Quarter in the centre of Woolwich, South East London. Until 1965 it was the seat of local government of the Metropolitan Borough of Woolwich, after which it ...
.
History
![Greenwich London UK labelled ward map 2002](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9e/Greenwich_London_UK_labelled_ward_map_2002.svg)
There have previously been a number of local authorities responsible for the Greenwich 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 Greenwich
The Royal Borough of Greenwich (, , or ) is a London borough in southeast Greater London. The London Borough of Greenwich was formed in 1965 by the London Government Act 1963. The new borough covered the former area of the Metropolitan Borough ...
on 1 April 1965. Greenwich London Borough Council replaced
Greenwich Metropolitan Borough Council
The Metropolitan Borough of Greenwich was a metropolitan borough in the County of London between 1900 and 1965. It bordered the boroughs of Woolwich, Lewisham and Deptford and, across the River Thames, the borough of Poplar and the County Borou ...
and
Woolwich Metropolitan Borough Council.
It was envisaged that through the
London Government Act 1963
The London Government Act 1963 (c. 33) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which created Greater London and a new local government structure within it. The Act significantly reduced the number of local government districts in the ...
Greenwich 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. This arrangement lasted until 1986 when Greenwich London Borough Council gained responsibility for some services that had been provided by the Greater London Council, such as
waste disposal
Waste management or waste disposal includes the processes and actions required to manage waste from its inception to its final disposal.
This includes the collection, transport, treatment and disposal of waste, together with monitorin ...
. Greenwich 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 North ...
in 1990. 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.
In May 2014 the Labour-run council refused to support the building of a memorial to
Lee Rigby, whose murder by Islamists occurred in the borough, in spite of being "overwhelmed by interest in a local memorial". The authority previous faced criticism at the time of the killing, with the cabinet attending an away day immediately after the murder, therefore missing a visit by the Prime Minister. Following a campaign which saw 25,000 people sign a petition in support of the memorial the council dropped its opposition to the tribute.
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
Greater London Authority 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 and is also responsible for
council housing, social services, libraries, waste collection and disposal, traffic, and most roads and environmental health.
Summary results of elections
References
{{Authority control
Local authorities in London
London borough councils
Politics of the Royal Borough of Greenwich
Leader and cabinet executives
Local education authorities in England
Billing authorities in England