Somerset County Council
Encyclopedia
Somerset County Council is the county council
of Somerset
in the South West of England, an elected local government
authority responsible for the most significant local government services in most of the county.
of Somerset. With the creation of the county of Avon in 1974, a large part of the north of the county (now the unitary authorities
of North Somerset
and Bath and North East Somerset
) was taken out of Somerset and moved into the new county. However, Avon was disbanded on 1 April 1996 and the two new administratively independent unitary authorities were established.
The area now covered by the county council consists of the five remaining districts of Somerset – Mendip
, Sedgemoor
, South Somerset
, Taunton Deane
, and West Somerset
.
with full powers from 22 September 1889 as a result of the Local Government Act 1888
, taking over administrative functions until then carried out by the unelected Quarter Sessions
. The areas they covered were termed administrative counties
and were not in all cases identical to the traditional shire counties
, but in Somerset the whole 'ceremonial county' came under the authority of the new council.
The new system of local democracy was a significant development and reflected the increasing range of functions carried out by local government in late Victorian Britain. Schools (both primary and secondary) were added to the County Council's responsibilities in 1902, and until the 1990s it was also responsible for operating Colleges of Further Education.
Until 1974, Somerset had a large number of urban district
and rural district
councils. In 1974, local government was reorganized in England and Wales generally, and in Somerset the former urban and rural districts were amalgamated into a much smaller number of district councils.
In 2007, proposals to merge the surviving district councils with the county council into a single unitary authority
were rejected at a referendum
following local opposition and were subsequently abandoned by the Department for Communities and Local Government
.
s, libraries
and youth services), social services, highway maintenance, waste disposal, emergency planning, consumer protection and town and country planning for matters to do with minerals, waste, highways and education. This makes it one of the largest employers in Somerset.
Somerset County Council contributes to encouraging businesses to relocate to the county through the inward investment
agency Into Somerset
.
cabinet system
which was introduced by the Local Government Act 2000
. Previously called the "Executive Board", the Cabinet consists of six county councillors and is the county council's main decision making body, taking most important decisions about its functions. Each of the members of the Cabinet is directly responsible for a particular area of county council activities.
Decisions to do with the planning matters
dealt with by the county council and other regulatory matters are still taken in a committee
called the Regulation Committee.
" system.
Until the early 1970s, the County Council still included aldermen
. Of a total of 92 members, 69 were elected every three years by ratepayers, and 23 were aldermen, chosen by the 69 elected members. The aldermen served for six years, so after each triennial election either eleven or twelve were appointed, these numbers alternating. Until 1910, the outgoing aldermen could also vote on such appointments. As voting members of the council, aldermen were finally abolished in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972
, so that there are now only the elected members, each of the fifty-eight present county divisions electing a single member.
As a result of the elections to the county council in June 2009, it now consists of 35 Conservatives
, 21 Liberal Democrats, and two Labour
members. The council is led by Ken Maddock (Conservative).
County council
A county council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries.-United Kingdom:...
of Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
in the South West of England, an elected local government
Local government
Local government refers collectively to administrative authorities over areas that are smaller than a state.The term is used to contrast with offices at nation-state level, which are referred to as the central government, national government, or federal government...
authority responsible for the most significant local government services in most of the county.
Area covered
From 1889 the County Council administered the whole ceremonial countyCeremonial counties of England
The ceremonial counties are areas of England to which are appointed a Lord Lieutenant, and are defined by the government as counties and areas for the purposes of the Lieutenancies Act 1997 with reference to the metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties of England and Lieutenancies Act 1997...
of Somerset. With the creation of the county of Avon in 1974, a large part of the north of the county (now the unitary authorities
Unitary authority
A unitary authority is a type of local authority that has a single tier and is responsible for all local government functions within its area or performs additional functions which elsewhere in the relevant country are usually performed by national government or a higher level of sub-national...
of North Somerset
North Somerset
North Somerset is a unitary authority in England. Its area covers part of the ceremonial county of Somerset but it is administered independently of the non-metropolitan county. Its administrative headquarters is in the town hall in Weston-super-Mare....
and Bath and North East Somerset
Bath and North East Somerset
Bath and North East Somerset is a unitary authority that was created on 1 April 1996 following the abolition of the County of Avon. It is part of the Ceremonial county of Somerset...
) was taken out of Somerset and moved into the new county. However, Avon was disbanded on 1 April 1996 and the two new administratively independent unitary authorities were established.
The area now covered by the county council consists of the five remaining districts of Somerset – Mendip
Mendip
Mendip is a local government district of Somerset in England. The Mendip district covers a largely rural area of ranging from the Mendip Hills through on to the Somerset Levels. It has a population of approximately 110,000...
, Sedgemoor
Sedgemoor
Sedgemoor is a low lying area of land in Somerset, England. It lies close to sea level south of the Polden Hills, historically largely marsh . The eastern part is known as King's Sedgemoor, and the western part West Sedgemoor. Sedgemoor is part of the area now known as the Somerset Levels...
, South Somerset
South Somerset
South Somerset is a local government district in Somerset, England.The South Somerset district covers and area of ranging from the borders with Devon and Dorset to the edge of the Somerset Levels. It has a population of approximately 158,000...
, Taunton Deane
Taunton Deane
Taunton Deane is a local government district with borough status in Somerset, England. Its council is based in Taunton.The district was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, by a merger of the Municipal Borough of Taunton, Wellington Urban District, Taunton Rural District,...
, and West Somerset
West Somerset
West Somerset is a local government district in the English county of Somerset. The council covers a largely rural area, with a population of 35,075 in an area of ....
.
History
County Councils were first introduced in England and WalesEngland and Wales
England and Wales is a jurisdiction within the United Kingdom. It consists of England and Wales, two of the four countries of the United Kingdom...
with full powers from 22 September 1889 as a result of the Local Government Act 1888
Local Government Act 1888
The Local Government Act 1888 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which established county councils and county borough councils in England and Wales...
, taking over administrative functions until then carried out by the unelected Quarter Sessions
Quarter Sessions
The Courts of Quarter Sessions or Quarter Sessions were local courts traditionally held at four set times each year in the United Kingdom and other countries in the former British Empire...
. The areas they covered were termed administrative counties
Administrative county
An administrative county was an administrative division in England and Wales and Ireland used for the purposes of local government. They are now abolished, although in Northern Ireland their former areas are used as the basis for lieutenancy....
and were not in all cases identical to the traditional shire counties
Counties of the United Kingdom
The counties of the United Kingdom are subnational divisions of the United Kingdom, used for the purposes of administrative, geographical and political demarcation. By the Middle Ages counties had become established as a unit of local government, at least in England. By the early 17th century all...
, but in Somerset the whole 'ceremonial county' came under the authority of the new council.
The new system of local democracy was a significant development and reflected the increasing range of functions carried out by local government in late Victorian Britain. Schools (both primary and secondary) were added to the County Council's responsibilities in 1902, and until the 1990s it was also responsible for operating Colleges of Further Education.
Until 1974, Somerset had a large number of urban district
Urban district
In the England, Wales and Ireland, an urban district was a type of local government district that covered an urbanised area. Urban districts had an elected Urban District Council , which shared local government responsibilities with a county council....
and rural district
Rural district
Rural districts were a type of local government area – now superseded – established at the end of the 19th century in England, Wales, and Ireland for the administration of predominantly rural areas at a level lower than that of the administrative counties.-England and Wales:In England...
councils. In 1974, local government was reorganized in England and Wales generally, and in Somerset the former urban and rural districts were amalgamated into a much smaller number of district councils.
In 2007, proposals to merge the surviving district councils with the county council into a single unitary authority
Unitary authority
A unitary authority is a type of local authority that has a single tier and is responsible for all local government functions within its area or performs additional functions which elsewhere in the relevant country are usually performed by national government or a higher level of sub-national...
were rejected at a referendum
Referendum
A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...
following local opposition and were subsequently abandoned by the Department for Communities and Local Government
Department for Communities and Local Government
The Department for Communities and Local Government is the UK Government department for communities and local government in England. It was established in May 2006 and is the successor to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, established in 2001...
.
Functions
Somerset County Council is responsible for the more strategic local services of Somerset, with a changing pattern of lower-tier authorities existing alongside it within its area and responsible for other more local services, such as waste collection. The Council provides a wide range of services, including education (schoolSchool
A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
s, libraries
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
and youth services), social services, highway maintenance, waste disposal, emergency planning, consumer protection and town and country planning for matters to do with minerals, waste, highways and education. This makes it one of the largest employers in Somerset.
Somerset County Council contributes to encouraging businesses to relocate to the county through the inward investment
Inward investment
Inward investment is the injection of money from an external source into a region, in order to purchase capital goods for a branch of a corporation to locate or develop its presence in the region....
agency Into Somerset
Into Somerset
Into Somerset is the inward investment agency for the county of Somerset, England. - Into Somerset website It works with local authorities, other economic agencies and private sector partners, to encourage business relocation to Somerset....
.
Governance
Somerset County Council operates the local governmentLocal government
Local government refers collectively to administrative authorities over areas that are smaller than a state.The term is used to contrast with offices at nation-state level, which are referred to as the central government, national government, or federal government...
cabinet system
Cabinet-style council
A Cabinet-style Council is a type of local government which has been introduced in the United Kingdom for Local Councils following the introduction of the Local Government Act 2000....
which was introduced by the Local Government Act 2000
Local Government Act 2000
The Local Government Act 2000 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales. Its principal purposes are:...
. Previously called the "Executive Board", the Cabinet consists of six county councillors and is the county council's main decision making body, taking most important decisions about its functions. Each of the members of the Cabinet is directly responsible for a particular area of county council activities.
Decisions to do with the planning matters
Town and country planning in the United Kingdom
Town and Country Planning is the land use planning system governments use to balance economic development and environmental quality. Each country of the United Kingdom has its own planning system that is responsible for town and country planning devolved to the Northern Ireland Assembly, the...
dealt with by the county council and other regulatory matters are still taken in a committee
Committee
A committee is a type of small deliberative assembly that is usually intended to remain subordinate to another, larger deliberative assembly—which when organized so that action on committee requires a vote by all its entitled members, is called the "Committee of the Whole"...
called the Regulation Committee.
Elections
The first elections to the new county council were held on 23 January 1889. Since then, members have been elected for a term of office (initially three years, now four), with elections held all together on the "first past the postPlurality voting system
The plurality voting system is a single-winner voting system often used to elect executive officers or to elect members of a legislative assembly which is based on single-member constituencies...
" system.
Until the early 1970s, the County Council still included aldermen
Alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...
. Of a total of 92 members, 69 were elected every three years by ratepayers, and 23 were aldermen, chosen by the 69 elected members. The aldermen served for six years, so after each triennial election either eleven or twelve were appointed, these numbers alternating. Until 1910, the outgoing aldermen could also vote on such appointments. As voting members of the council, aldermen were finally abolished in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972
Local Government Act 1972
The Local Government Act 1972 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974....
, so that there are now only the elected members, each of the fifty-eight present county divisions electing a single member.
As a result of the elections to the county council in June 2009, it now consists of 35 Conservatives
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
, 21 Liberal Democrats, and two Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
members. The council is led by Ken Maddock (Conservative).
| Party | Councillors | |
|---|---|---|
| 35 | ||
| 21 | ||
| 2 | ||
| Total | 58 | |
| Source: Election results at Somerset County Council website | ||
Notable members
- Henry HobhouseHenry Hobhouse (MP)Henry Hobhouse was an English landowner and Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1885 to 1906....
(from 1890s), later Chairman of Council, also Member of ParliamentMember of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for East SomersetEast Somerset (UK Parliament constituency)East Somerset was the name of a parliamentary constituency in Somerset, represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom between 1832 and 1918.... - Arthur HobhouseArthur HobhouseSir Arthur Lawrence Hobhouse was a long-serving English local government Liberal politician, who is best remembered as the architect of the system of National parks of England and Wales....
(1925–1947), previously Member of Parliament for WellsWells (UK Parliament constituency)Wells is a county constituency centred on the city of Wells in Somerset. It elects one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, by the first past the post voting system...
, Chairman of Council 1940–1947 - Geoffrey Waldegrave, 12th Earl WaldegraveGeoffrey Waldegrave, 12th Earl WaldegraveGeoffrey Noel Waldegrave, 12th Earl Waldegrave KG GCVO TD , known as Viscount Chewton from 1933 to 1936, was a British peer and agriculturist....
(first elected 1937) - Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir John SlessorJohn SlessorMarshal of the Royal Air Force Sir John Cotesworth Slessor GCB, DSO, MC was a senior commander in the Royal Air Force . A pilot in the Royal Flying Corps during World War I, he held operational commands in World War II and served in the RAF's most senior post, Chief of the Air Staff, from 1950 to...
(1963–1974), previously Chief of the Air Staff - Jackie BallardJackie BallardJacqueline Margaret Ballard has been a politician and journalist in the United Kingdom. She was the Director General of the RSPCA, and took up post as CEO of the RNID on 22 October 2007....
(1993–1997), later Member of Parliament for TauntonTaunton (UK Parliament constituency)Taunton was a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and its predecessors from 1295 to 2010, taking its name from the town of Taunton in Somerset... - Sir Chris ClarkeChris Clarke (politician)Sir Christopher James Clarke OBE , usually known as Chris Clarke, was a British Liberal Democrat politician, leader of Somerset County Council and of his party's group in the Local Government Association.-Life:...
(1985–2005), Leader of the council from 1993 to 2001 - David Heath (1985–1997), later Member of Parliament for Somerton and Frome
- Susan Miller, Baroness Miller of Chilthorne DomerSusan Miller, Baroness Miller of Chilthorne DomerSusan Elizabeth Miller, Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer is a Liberal Democrat member of the House of Lords.She married firstly John Miller and secondly Humphrey Temperley, both of whom were active in political life as Liberal Democrats...
(1989–2005), Liberal Democrat spokesman on Home Affairs - Robin BushRobin Bush (historian)Robin James Edwin Bush was the resident historian for the first nine series of Channel 4's archaeology series Time Team, appearing in 39 episodes between 1994 to 2003. He also presented eight episodes of Time Team Extra in 1998.-Early life:Bush was born in Hayes, Middlesex...
(1997–2009), Chairman of Council 2001–2005, also a historian
See also
- High Sheriff of SomersetHigh Sheriff of SomersetThe Office of High Sheriff of Somerset is an ancient High Sheriff title which has been in existence for over one thousand years. The position was once a powerful position responsible for collecting taxes and enforcing law and order in Somerset a county in South West England. In modern times the...
- List of civil parishes in Somerset
- List of places in Somerset