Hammersmith and Fulham London Borough Council
Whole council elected every four years
Coat of arms or logo
Coat of arms
Logo
Logo
Type
Type
Leadership
Mayor of Hammersmith & Fulham
Emma Apthorp, Labour
since 25 May 2022
Leader of the Council
Stephen Cowan, Labour
Chief executive
Sharon Lea
since 28 February 2022
Structure
Seats50 councillors
Political groups
Administration (40)
  •   Labour (40)

Opposition (10)

Elections
First past the post
Last election
5 May 2022
Next election
7 May 2026
Meeting place
Hammersmith Town Hall
Website
www.lbhf.gov.uk

Hammersmith and Fulham London Borough Council is the local authority for the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in the United Kingdom capital of London. Hammersmith and Fulham is divided into 21 wards, electing a total of 50 councillors.[1] The council was created by the London Government Act 1963 as the Hammersmith London Borough Council and replaced two local authorities: Hammersmith Metropolitan Borough Council and Fulham Metropolitan Borough Council. The council was renamed on 1 January 1980.

History

A map showing the wards of Hammersmith and Fulham since 2002

There have been a number of local authorities responsible for this 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 Hammersmith on 1 April 1965. Hammersmith London Borough Council replaced Hammersmith Metropolitan Borough Council and Fulham Metropolitan Borough Council. Both had been created in 1900, replacing parish vestries. Fulham was an ancient parish covering broadly the same area as the current borough. Hammersmith was governed by a separate vestry from 1631 and was formally split off as a separate civil parish in 1834. They were joined for local government from 1855 to 1886 as the Fulham District of the Metropolis, governed by the Fulham District Board of Works.[2]

It was envisaged that through the London Government Act 1963 Hammersmith and Fulham 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. The council was renamed on 1 January 1979. The two tier arrangement lasted until 1986 when Hammersmith and Fulham London Borough Council gained responsibility for some services that had been provided by the Greater London Council, such as waste disposal. Hammersmith and Fulham became an education authority 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.[3]

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.[4] 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.[5]

The council was found to have exceeded its powers in a landmark English administrative law case, Hazell v Hammersmith and Fulham LBC, which declared that local authorities had no power to engage in interest rate swap agreements because they were beyond the council's borrowing powers. Their actions were held to contravene the Local Government Act 1972.[6]

In 2021 the council was said by the Housing Ombudsman to be the worst performing landlord in the country with regard to damp and mould in its properties.[7]

Elections

Since 1964 political control of the council has been held by the following parties:[8][9]

Party in controlYearsLabConOth
Labour2022–40100
Labour2018–202235110
Labour2014–201826200
Conservative2010–201415310
Conservative2006–201013330
Labour2002–200628180
Labour1998–200236140
Labour1994–199833152
Labour1990–199428220
Labour1986–19904091
No Overall Control1982–198625232
No Overall Control1978–198224242
Labour1974–197848102
Labour1971–19745820
Conservative1968–19716540
Labour1964–19685370

See also

References

  1. ↑ Councillors Archived 2013-01-18 at the Wayback Machine London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulhan
  2. ↑ Youngs, Frederic (1979). Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England. Vol. I: Southern England. London: Royal Historical Society. ISBN 0-901050-67-9.
  3. ↑ Leach, Steve (1998). Local Government Reorganisation: The Review and its Aftermath. Routledge. p. 107. ISBN 978-0714648590.
  4. ↑ "Council Tax and Business Rates Billing Authorities". Council Tax Rates. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  5. ↑ "Local Plan Responses – within and outside London". Mayor of London. 12 November 2015. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  6. ↑ "Hazell -v- Hammersmith and Fulham London Borough Council; HL 1991". swarb.co.uk. 9 July 2015. Retrieved 11 July 2015.
  7. ↑ "Council launches damp and mould strategy after topping ombudsman's worst performers list". Inside Housing. 10 February 2022. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  8. ↑ "Local elections: Hammersmith & Fulham". BBC News Online. Retrieved 16 October 2009.
  9. ↑ "London Borough Council Elections 2014" (PDF). Retrieved 9 April 2020.
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