Buckinghamshire Council

Buckinghamshire Council is a unitary local authority in England, the area of which comprises most of the ceremonial county of Buckinghamshire.[1] It was created in April 2020 from the areas that were previously administered by Buckinghamshire County Council including the districts of South Bucks, Chiltern, Wycombe and Aylesbury Vale.

Buckinghamshire Council
Council logo
Type
Type
History
Founded1 April 2020
Preceded byBuckinghamshire County Council, South Bucks, Chiltern, Wycombe, Aylesbury Vale
Leadership
Chair
Richard Scott
since 1 April 2020
Leader
Martin Tett
since 1 April 2020
Structure
Seats200[lower-alpha 1]
Political groups
Administration
  Conservative (161)
Other parties
  Liberal Democrat (18)
  Independent (10)
  Labour (9)
  Green (1)
Elections
First past the post
Next election
2021 local elections
Meeting place
The Gateway, Aylesbury
Buckinghamshire
United Kingdom
Website
https://www.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/

History
See also: Buckinghamshire County Council

The plan for a single unitary authority was proposed by Martin Tett, leader of the county council, and was backed by Communities Secretary James Brokenshire. District councils had also proposed a different plan in which Aylesbury Vale becomes a unitary authority and the other three districts becomes another unitary authority. The district councils opposed the (single) unitary Buckinghamshire plan.[2]

Statutory instruments for a single unitary authority were made on 22 May 2019 and a shadow authority of 202 members was subsequently formed.[3]

The council is based at The Gateway in Aylesbury, the site of the old district council.[4] The new authority came into being on 1 April 2020.[5]

Composition

At the first meeting of the shadow authority, Richard Scott was elected chair of the authority and Martin Tett as chair of the seventeen member shadow executive committee.[6][7]

Due to the postponement of the 2020 United Kingdom local elections until 2021, it was announced on 18 March 2020 that all of the current shadow authority members would become councillors and the shadow executive members would form the cabinet.[8] They will stay in post until the inaugural election takes place in May 2021.[9][10]

There are currently 200 councillors, made up of members from the former County Council and District Councils.[lower-alpha 1]

Party Councillors
Conservative[lower-alpha 2] 161
Liberal Democrats 18
Independent[lower-alpha 3] 10
Labour 9
Green 1
Source: Buckinghamshire Council - Your Councillors by Party
  1. The Buckinghamshire Council website mentions 200 councillors, but only lists 199, as of 7 April 2020
  2. Includes independent Conservatives
  3. Includes Bucks Residents Association

See also
  • 2019–21 structural changes to local government in England

References
  1. "Bucks County Council takes final curtain call after 131 years". Bucks Herald. 16 March 2020. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  2. District council joins plans to take legal action over 'undemocratic' unitary authority from Bucks Free Press
  3. Statutory Instrument 2019 No. 957 The Buckinghamshire (Structural Changes) Order 2019 (Coming into force 23 May 2019)
  4. "Aylesbury Vale District Council offices to be central point for the new Buckinghamshire Council". Bucks Herald. 13 September 2019. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  5. "Buckinghamshire Council replaces 5 other councils TODAY - everything you need to know". Bucks Free Press. 1 April 2020. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  6. "About the Shadow Authority - Buckinghamshire Council Shadow Authority". shadow.buckinghamshire.gov.uk. Retrieved 2019-06-30.
  7. "Shadow Executive - Buckinghamshire Council Shadow Authority". shadow.buckinghamshire.gov.uk. Retrieved 2019-06-30.
  8. "Coronavirus cancels local elections until 2021 - This is what is going to happen with the new unitary council". Bucks Free Press. 20 March 2020. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  9. "New council outlines political arrangements following postponement of elections". Buckinghamshire Council Shadow Authority. 18 March 2020. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  10. Statutory Instrument 2020 No. 426 The Local Government (Coronavirus) (Structural Changes) (Consequential Amendments) (England) Regulations 2020
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