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Richmond upon Thames London Borough Council is the
local authority Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-loca ...
for the
London Borough of Richmond upon Thames The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames () in southwest London forms part of Outer London and is the only London borough on both sides of the River Thames. It was created in 1965 when three smaller council areas amalgamated under the London ...
in
Greater London Greater may refer to: *Greatness, the state of being great *Greater than, in inequality (mathematics), inequality *Greater (film), ''Greater'' (film), a 2016 American film *Greater (flamingo), the oldest flamingo on record *Greater (song), "Greate ...
, England. It is a
London borough The London boroughs are the 32 local authority districts that together with the City of London make up the administrative area of Greater London; each is governed by a London borough council. The present London boroughs were all created at ...
council, one of 32 in London, the United Kingdom capital. Richmond upon Thames is divided into 18
wards Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a priso ...
and elections for all Council seats in the borough are held every four years. The most recent election was in 2022 when the Liberal Democrats, led by Gareth Roberts, retained overall majority control of the council for a second consecutive term.


History

There have previously been a number of local authorities responsible for the Richmond upon Thames 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 Richmond upon Thames The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames () in southwest London forms part of Outer London and is the only London borough on both sides of the River Thames. It was created in 1965 when three smaller council areas amalgamated under the London ...
on 1 April 1965. Richmond upon Thames replaced the
Municipal Borough of Twickenham Twickenham was a local government district in Middlesex, England from 1868 to 1965. History Twickenham Local Government District was formed in 1868, when the civil parish of Twickenham adopted the Local Government Act 1858. The district was gove ...
in
Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, historic county in South East England, southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the Ceremonial counties of ...
, the Municipal Borough of Richmond and the
Municipal Borough of Barnes Barnes was a local government district in north west Surrey from 1894 to 1965, when its former area was absorbed into the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. History Barnes was formed as an urban district in 1894 and became a municipal bor ...
, both then in
Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...
. 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 ...
Richmond upon Thames as a London local authority would share power with the
Greater London Council The Greater London Council (GLC) was the top-tier local government administrative body for Greater London from 1965 to 1986. It replaced the earlier London County Council (LCC) which had covered a much smaller area. The GLC was dissolved in 198 ...
. 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 Outer London is the name for the group of London boroughs that form a ring around Inner London. Together, the inner and outer boroughs form London, the capital city of the United Kingdom. These were areas that were not part of the County of Londo ...
borough council it has been an
education authority The Education Authority ( ga, Údarás Oideachais) is a non-departmental body sponsored by the Department of Education (Northern Ireland), Department of Education in Northern Ireland. It was established under the Education Act (Northern Ireland) ...
since 1965. This arrangement lasted until 1986 when Richmond upon Thames 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 monitoring ...
. Since 2000 the
Greater London Authority The Greater London Authority (GLA), colloquially known by the metonym "City Hall", is the devolved regional governance body of Greater London. It consists of two political branches: the executive Mayoralty (currently led by Sadiq Khan) and the ...
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.


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 The Greater London Authority (GLA), colloquially known by the metonym "City Hall", is the devolved regional governance body of Greater London. It consists of two political branches: the executive Mayoralty (currently led by Sadiq Khan) and the ...
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 Local education authorities (LEAs) were local councils in England that are responsible for education within their jurisdiction. The term was used to identify which council (district or county) is locally responsible for education in a system wit ...
and is also responsible for
council housing Public housing in the United Kingdom, also known as council estates, council housing, or social housing, provided the majority of rented accommodation until 2011 when the number of households in private rental housing surpassed the number in so ...
, social services, libraries, waste collection and disposal, traffic, and most roads and environmental health.


Political composition

The borough council was controlled by the
Conservatives Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
from its inception to 1983 when the Liberals and the SDP won control in a
by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...
. The Council was then led by David Williams until he stood down in favour of
Serge Lourie (Alexander) Serge Lourie CF (born 22 February 1946) is a former Leader of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, where he was a local government councillor from 1982 to 2010. He was Chairman of the United Kingdom Housing Trust, Kingston ...
in 2001. Between 2002 and 2006 the council was controlled by the Conservatives under
Greater London Assembly The London Assembly is a 25-member elected body, part of the Greater London Authority, that scrutinises the activities of the Mayor of London and has the power, with a two-thirds super-majority, to amend the Mayor's annual budget and to reject ...
member
Tony Arbour Anthony Francis Arbour JP (born 30 August 1945), commonly known as Tony Arbour, is a British Conservative Party politician. From 2000 until his retirement in 2021, he was a member of the London Assembly representing South West London and is a f ...
. Between 2006 and 2010 the council reverted to the Liberal Democrats under the leadership of
Serge Lourie (Alexander) Serge Lourie CF (born 22 February 1946) is a former Leader of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, where he was a local government councillor from 1982 to 2010. He was Chairman of the United Kingdom Housing Trust, Kingston ...
. From 2010 to 2018 it was run by the Conservative Party, initially under
Lord True Nicholas Edward True, Baron True (born 31 July 1951) is a British Conservative politician serving as Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal since September 2022. Early life and education True was born on 31 July 1951 ...
and then (from 2017) led by Paul Hodgins. The Liberal Democrats, led by Gareth Roberts, won control of the council at the 2018 election and retained control in the 2022 election.


Notable former councillors

*
Tony Arbour Anthony Francis Arbour JP (born 30 August 1945), commonly known as Tony Arbour, is a British Conservative Party politician. From 2000 until his retirement in 2021, he was a member of the London Assembly representing South West London and is a f ...
, councillor for
Hampton Wick Hampton Wick, formerly a village, is a Thames-side area of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, and is contiguous with Teddington and Kingston upon Thames. It is buffered by Bushy Park, one of the Royal Parks of London from Hampton and ...
ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...
1968–1986 and 1994–2018, and Leader of the Council 2002–2006 *
David Blomfield David Guy Blomfield (11 July 1934 – 12 July 2016) was leader of the Liberal Party group on Richmond upon Thames Council, a writer, a book editor and a local historian. Early life and education David Blomfield was born in Camberley, Surre ...
, councillor for
Kew Kew () is a district in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Its population at the 2011 census was 11,436. Kew is the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens ("Kew Gardens"), now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace. Kew is a ...
ward 1971–1978 and 1979–1986. As leader of the
Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...
group he was Leader of the Opposition on the Council in 1978. * Ian Dalziel, councillor for
Barnes Barnes may refer to: People * Barnes (name), a family name and a given name (includes lists of people with that name) Places United Kingdom *Barnes, London, England **Barnes railway station ** Barnes Bridge railway station ** Barnes Railway Bri ...
ward 1978–1979 * Dee Doocey, councillor for
Hampton Hampton may refer to: Places Australia *Hampton bioregion, an IBRA biogeographic region in Western Australia *Hampton, New South Wales *Hampton, Queensland, a town in the Toowoomba Region * Hampton, Victoria Canada * Hampton, New Brunswick *Ha ...
ward 1986–1994 and chair of the council's Housing Committee * Sally Hamwee, councillor for Palewell ward 1978–1998 * Stephen Knight, councillor for
Teddington Teddington is a suburb in south-west London in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. In 2021, Teddington was named as the best place to live in London by ''The Sunday Times''. Historically in Middlesex, Teddington is situated on a long m ...
ward 2006–2018 and Leader of the Opposition on the Council 2010–2015 *
Serge Lourie (Alexander) Serge Lourie CF (born 22 February 1946) is a former Leader of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, where he was a local government councillor from 1982 to 2010. He was Chairman of the United Kingdom Housing Trust, Kingston ...
, councillor for Kew ward 1982–2010; Leader of the Council 2001–2002 and 2006–2010 *
Tania Mathias Tania Wyn Mathias (born 21 June 1964) is a British ophthalmologist and Conservative Party politician. She served as the Member of Parliament for Twickenham from May 2015 to June 2017. Early life and career Mathias was born in Kensington, London ...
, councillor for
Hampton Wick Hampton Wick, formerly a village, is a Thames-side area of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, and is contiguous with Teddington and Kingston upon Thames. It is buffered by Bushy Park, one of the Royal Parks of London from Hampton and ...
ward 2010–2015 * Bill Newton Dunn, councillor for South Richmond Ward 2018–2022 and previously a Member of the European Parliament * Geoff Pope, councillor for South Twickenham ward, mayor 1989–1990 and chair of the Council's Social Services Committee *
Tim Razzall Edward Timothy Razzall, Lord Razzall, (born 12 June 1943) is a British Liberal Democrat politician and parliamentarian. Early life He was the son of Humphrey Razzall, a Liberal Party member who stood as Liberal Parliamentary Candidate for S ...
, councillor for
Mortlake Mortlake is a suburban district of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames on the south bank of the River Thames between Kew and Barnes. Historically it was part of Surrey and until 1965 was in the Municipal Borough of Barnes. For many centu ...
ward 1974–1998. During that time he served as chair of the Council's Policy and Resources Committee for 13 years and as deputy leader 1983–1996. He was succeeded in both roles by Serge Lourie. *
Jenny Tonge Jennifer Louise Tonge, Baroness Tonge (''née'' Smith; born 19 February 1941) is a politician in the United Kingdom. She was Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament (MP) for Richmond Park in London from 1997 to 2005. In June 2005 she was made a ...
, councillor for Kew ward 1981–1990 and chair of the Council's Social Services Committee * Nicholas True, councillor for
East Sheen East Sheen, also known as Sheen, is a suburb in south-west London in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Its long high street has shops, offices, restaurants, cafés, pubs and suburban supermarkets and is also the economic hub for Mort ...
ward 1986–2017 and Leader of the Council 2010–2017 * Sir David Williams, councillor for Ham, Petersham and Richmond Riverside ward 1974–2014 and Leader of the Council 1983–2001


See also

*
Richmond upon Thames London Borough Council elections Richmond upon Thames London Borough Council elections are held every four years for all 54 councillor seats in the 18 wards that make up the Borough Council. By-elections are held in individual wards when vacancies arise outside the four-year ...


Notes


References


External links


Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Richmond upon Thames Borough Council 1965 establishments in England Billing authorities in England History of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames Leader and cabinet executives Local authorities in London Local education authorities in England London borough councils Politics of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames