Nottinghamshire_County_Council

Nottinghamshire County Council

Nottinghamshire County Council

The upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Nottinghamshire in England


Nottinghamshire County Council is the upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Nottinghamshire in England. The non-metropolitan county is smaller than the ceremonial county; the non-metropolitan county excludes the city of Nottingham, with Nottingham City Council being a unitary authority, independent from the county council. The county council comprises 66 councillors, elected from 56 electoral divisions every four years. The council's headquarters are at Oak House in Linby on the outskirts of Hucknall. The council has been under Reform UK majority control since the 2025 election.

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The council is a constituent member of the East Midlands Combined County Authority.

History

Elected county councils were created in 1889 under the Local Government Act 1888, taking over many administrative functions that had previously been performed by unelected magistrates at the quarter sessions. The borough of Nottingham had been a county corporate since 1449 with its own quarter sessions, and Nottingham's independence from the surrounding county was maintained by making it a county borough. The county council was elected by and provided services to the remainder of the county outside the borough of Nottingham. The county council's area was termed the administrative county.[2]

Old Shire Hall, High Pavement, Nottingham: Council's meeting place 1889–1954

The first elections to the county council were held on 15 January 1889, with 51 councillors being elected. There were also 17 aldermen chosen by the councillors to serve on the council as well.[3] The council formally came into its powers on 1 April 1889, on which day it held its first official meeting at the Shire Hall in Nottingham, the courthouse (built 1770) which served as the meeting place for the quarter sessions. Henry Strutt, Lord Belper, a Liberal Unionist peer, was the first chairman of the council.[4]

Nottinghamshire was reconstituted in 1974 as a non-metropolitan county by the Local Government Act 1972; the first elections to the reformed council were held in 1973. Whilst previously the City of Nottingham was an independent county borough and therefore not included in the administrative county, the redefined non-metropolitan county included Nottingham for the first time as a non-metropolitan district. The lower tier of local government was reorganised as part of the same reforms. Prior to 1974 it had comprised numerous boroughs, urban districts and rural districts. They were replaced within eight non-metropolitan districts (including Nottingham).[5] In 1998, Nottingham regained its independence from the county council when the city council was made a unitary authority.[6]

In 2024 a combined county authority was established covering Nottinghamshire, Nottingham, Derby and Derbyshire, called the East Midlands Combined County Authority. The combined authority is chaired by the directly elected Mayor of the East Midlands and oversees the delivery of certain strategic functions across the area.[7]

Governance

Nottinghamshire County Council provides county-level services such as education, transport, social care, libraries, trading standards and waste management.[8] District-level services are provided by the area's seven district councils:[9]

Much of the county is also covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government.[10]

Political control

The council has been under Reform UK majority control since 2025.

Political control of the council since the 1974 reforms took effect has been as follows:[11][12]

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Leadership

The leaders of the council since 1974 have been:

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Composition

Following the 2025 election, one newly elected Reform UK councillor resigned less than a week later.[34] A by-election to fill the vacant seat took place on 3 July 2025 with a Conservative victory.[35] [36]

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The next elections are due in 2029.[37]

Premises

County Hall

When the county council was first created it met at the Shire Hall on High Pavement in Nottingham, a courthouse built in 1770 which had been the meeting place of the quarter sessions which preceded the county council.[38]

County Hall, West Bridgford

The council moved to County Hall in 1954; construction had begun in 1939 but had been paused due to the Second World War. When construction began the site was within the boundaries of Nottingham.[39] Boundary changes in April 1952 adjusted the boundary between Nottingham and West Bridgford in this area to follow the centre of the River Trent, transferring the County Hall site and other areas on the south bank of the Trent from Nottingham to West Bridgford.[40]

Oak House

The County Council new-build headquarters called Oak House on the A611 Annesley Road in the parish of Linby on the northern outskirts of Hucknall held the first meeting of councillors in March 2025.[41][42]

Even before Oak House's opening there were reports highlighting size concerns, with then-leader Sam Smith citing uncertainty over future government reforms.[43][44]

Social care

The council is a pioneer in the use of technology-based care to keep disabled adults in their own homes. The Technology Enabled Care service was started in 2007. It now uses home sensors to help detect falls, incontinence and unusual patterns in daily habits. It supported 4,600 people in 2024. The system automatically alerts staff at a 24-hour monitoring service. It reduced the costs of services by more than £2.75 million in 2024.[45]

Elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2017 the council has comprised 66 councillors representing 56 electoral divisions, with each division electing one or two councillors. Elections are held every four years.[46]

Electoral divisions

Nottinghamshire is divided into 56 divisions for electoral purposes. Current boundaries have been in place since 2017 following a review by the Local Government Boundary Commission for England. Each Councillor is allocated a locality budget, described as their "Councillors' Divisional Fund".[47]

Map of the electoral divisions of Nottinghamshire.
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References

  1. Gilmore, Eloise (27 May 2025). "Reform's Jan Goold elected as new chairman of Nottinghamshire County Council". Newark Advertiser. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
  2. "History of Nottinghamshire County Council". Nottinghamshire County Council. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
  3. "County Councils: Nottinghamshire". Retford and Gainsborough Times. 5 April 1889. p. 3. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  4. Local Government Act 1972. 1972 c.70. The Stationery Office Ltd. 1997. ISBN 0-10-547072-4.
  5. "Election Maps". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  6. "Compositions Calculator". The Elections Centre. University of Exeter. Retrieved 21 May 2025. (Put "Nottinghamshire" in search box to see specific results.)
  7. "Nottinghamshire". BBC News. 19 April 2009. Retrieved 25 September 2009.
  8. Wilson, Judy (5 July 2023). "Dick Wilson obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
  9. "Landslide to the right". Retford Times. 13 May 1977. p. 1. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
  10. "'Dignity' call as Tories step in". Nottingham Evening Post. 18 May 1977. p. 7. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
  11. Cowdry, Quentin (19 October 1979). "Bird wins top job". Nottingham Evening Post. p. 1. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
  12. "Tories have new leader". Stapleford and Sandiacre News. 14 May 1981. p. 2. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
  13. "Help restructure county council". Dispatch. Hucknall. 2 March 2001. p. 6. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
  14. "Council to adopt Cabinet system". Dispatch. Hucknall. 29 June 2001. p. 13. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
  15. "Twin the money". The Mirror. 4 April 2004. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
  16. "Council minutes, 19 May 2005". Nottinghamshire County Council. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
  17. Harris, Peter (10 July 2009). "Council leader claimed £49,795". Newark Advertiser. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
  18. "Council minutes, 18 June 2009". Nottinghamshire County Council. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
  19. "Nottinghamshire election 2013: Narrow win for Labour". BBC News. 3 May 2013. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
  20. Asthana, Anushka; Stewart, Heather (5 May 2017). "Local elections: Tories gain over 550 seats as Labour and Ukip votes plunge". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
  21. "Council minutes, 25 May 2017". Nottinghamshire County Council. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
  22. Jarram, Matt (10 October 2020). "Leader of Nottinghamshire County Council to step down at next election". Nottinghamshire Live. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
  23. "Mansfield MP Ben Bradley chosen as new council leader". BBC News. 10 May 2021. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
  24. Noble, Samantha (6 November 2024). "Nottinghamshire County Council leader steps down". BBC News. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
  25. "Council minutes, 5 December 2024". Nottinghamshire County Council. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
  26. Patel, Asha (2 May 2025). "Reform takes control of Nottinghamshire County Council". BBC News. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
  27. Pridmore, Oliver (23 May 2025). "Nottinghamshire's Reform leader hasn't seen his family 'in weeks'". Nottinghamshire Live. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
  28. "Reform councillor resigns less than a week after election". Newark Advertiser. 8 May 2025. Retrieved 8 May 2025.
  29. "Conservatives win by-election after Reform UK councillor quit". BBC News. 4 July 2025. Retrieved 7 July 2025.
  30. "Election Results 2025". Nottinghamshire County Council. 2 May 2025. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  31. "Nottinghamshire". Local Councils. Thorncliffe. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
  32. "1:25,000 Administrative Area Series, 1946". National Library of Scotland. Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
  33. "County Council to make major savings by moving civic and democratic base from County Hall". Nottinghamshire County Council. 13 July 2023. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  34. County Hall could be needed by council after move BBC News, 10 February 2025. Retrieved 11 May 2025
  35. "Councillors' divisional fund". Nottinghamshire County Council. Retrieved 4 March 2022.

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