Eastbourne Borough Council

Eastbourne Borough Council
Logo
Type
Type
Leadership
Candy Vaughan,
Liberal Democrat
since 24 May 2023[1]
Stephen Holt,
Liberal Democrat
since 24 May 2023[2]
Robert Cottrill
since 28 September 2009[3][a]
Structure
Political groups
Administration
  Liberal Democrat (19)
Opposition
  Conservative (8)
Elections
First past the post
Last election
4 May 2023
Next election
6 May 2027
Meeting place
Town Hall, Grove Road, Eastbourne, BN21 4UG
Website
www.lewes-eastbourne.gov.uk

Eastbourne Borough Council is the local authority for Eastbourne in East Sussex, England. Eastbourne has had an elected council since 1859, which has been reformed on several occasions. Since 1974, Eastbourne has been a non-metropolitan district with borough status.

The council has been under Liberal Democrat majority control since 2007. It meets at Eastbourne Town Hall and has its main offices at 1 Grove Road.

History

Eastbourne Coat of Arms, a version from 1925

Eastbourne's first elected local authority was a local board, established in 1859 when the ancient parish of Eastbourne was made a local government district. Prior to that the parish had been governed by its vestry, in the same way as most rural areas.[5]

Eastbourne become a municipal borough in 1883, governed by a body formally called the "mayor, aldermen and burgesses of the borough of Eastbourne", but generally known as the corporation or town council.[6] The borough covered a slightly larger area than the previous local government district, also taking in an area known as Norway from the neighbouring parish of Willingdon. In 1911 Eastbourne was elevated to be a county borough, making it independent from East Sussex County Council. The borough was enlarged at the same time to take in the Hampden Park area from Willingdon.[7][8]

The Eastbourne Corporation Act 1926 allowed the council to purchase the Eastbourne Downland Estate on the west side of the borough, including Beachy Head.[9]

Eastbourne became a non-metropolitan district on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, with East Sussex County Council once more providing county-level services to the town.[10] Eastbourne kept its borough status, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor, continuing Eastbourne's series of mayors dating back to 1883.[11]

Since 2016 the council has shared a chief executive and other staff with nearby Lewes District Council.[4]

Governance

Eastbourne Borough Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by East Sussex County Council.[12] There are no civil parishes in the borough, which is an unparished area.[13]

Parts of the borough lie within the South Downs National Park. In those areas, town planning is the responsibility of the South Downs National Park Authority.[14]

Political control

The council has been under Liberal Democrat majority control since 2007.

Political control of the council since the 1974 reforms has been as follows:[15] [16]

Party in control Years
Liberal 1974–1976
Conservative 1976–1984
No overall control 1984–1986
Alliance 1986–1988
Conservative 1988–1990
No overall control 1990–1991
Liberal Democrats 1991–1999
No overall control 1999–2000
Conservative 2000–2002
Liberal Democrats 2002–2004
Conservative 2004–2007
Liberal Democrats 2007–present

Leadership

The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Eastbourne. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 2001 have been:[17]

Councillor Party From To
Dennis Cullen Conservative 5 May 1988 2 May 1991
Alan Shuttleworth Liberal Democrats 2 May 1991 4 May 2000
Graham Marsden Conservative 4 May 2000 15 May 2002
Beryl Healy Liberal Democrats 15 May 2002 23 Jun 2004
Graham Marsden Conservative 23 Jun 2004 18 May 2005
Ian Lucas Conservative 18 May 2005 6 May 2007
David Tutt Liberal Democrats 16 May 2007 7 May 2023
Stephen Holt Liberal Democrats 24 May 2023 Present

Composition

Following the 2023 election the composition of the council was:[18]

Party Councillors
Liberal Democrats 19
Conservative 8
Total 27

The next election is due in 2027.

Premises

The council meets at the Town Hall on Grove Road. The building was designed by William Tadman Foulkes, and built between 1884 and 1886 under supervision of Henry Currey, the Duke of Devonshire's architect.[19]

Council's main offices at 1 Grove Road, built 1964.

The council has its main offices nearby at 1 Grove Road, a large building which also includes a library and theatre.[20] That building was completed in 1964 on a site which had been occupied by the previous library and fire station, which were both destroyed in 1943 during the Second World War.[21]

Elections

See also: Eastbourne Borough Council elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2019 the council has comprised 27 councillors representing 9 wards, with each ward electing three councillors. Elections are held every four years.[22]

References

  1. ^ Has been shared chief executive for both Lewes District Council and Eastbourne Borough Council since January 2016.[4]
  1. ^ "Mayor of Eastbourne re-elected for second year". Eastbourne Borough Council. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  2. ^ "Council minutes, 24 May 2023". Eastbourne Borough Council. 24 May 2023. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  3. ^ "Council minutes, 18 November 2009" (PDF). Eastbourne Borough Council. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  4. ^ a b "Robert Cottrill has been formally confirmed as shared chief executive for Lewes District Council and Eastbourne Borough Council". The Argus. 15 January 2016. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
  5. ^ "No. 22212". The London Gazette. 24 December 1858. p. 5521.
  6. ^ Kelly's Directory of Sussex. London. 1890. p. 2151. Retrieved 20 August 2023.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  7. ^ "Eastbourne Municipal Borough / County Borough". A Vision of Britain through Time. GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  8. ^ Langston, Brett. "Eastbourne Registration District". UKBMD. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  9. ^ "Eastbourne Corporation Act 1926". legislation.gov.uk. The National Archives. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  10. ^ "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1972/2039, retrieved 31 May 2023
  11. ^ "District Councils and Boroughs, 28 March 1974". Hansard. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  12. ^ "Local Government Act 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1972 c. 70, retrieved 31 May 2023
  13. ^ "Election Maps". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  14. ^ "Members". South Downs National Park Authority. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  15. ^ "Compositions calculator". The Elections Centre. 4 March 2016. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  16. ^ "England council elections". BBC News Online. 10 May 2011. Retrieved 13 December 2011.
  17. ^ "Council minutes". Lewes and Eastbourne Councils. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  18. ^ "Local elections 2023: live council results for England". The Guardian.
  19. ^ Historic England. "Eastbourne Town Hall (1043621)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  20. ^ "Contact details for your district or borough council". East Sussex County Council. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  21. ^ "Timeline". Eastbourne History. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  22. ^ "The Eastbourne (Electoral Changes) Order 2016", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2016/1227, retrieved 20 August 2023