Bedford Borough Council

The town of Bedford was an ancient borough, with its first known charter dating from 1166.{{cite web |url=https://bedsarchives.bedford.gov.uk/Using_Our_Collections/Collection-Guides/Local-Government-Records/BedfordBoroughRecords/BedfordBoroughRecordsIntroduction.aspx |title=Bedford Borough records introduction |publisher=Bedfordshire Archives |access-date= 8 August 2021}} The ancient borough covered the five parishes of St Cuthbert, St John, St Mary, St Paul and St Peter.{{cite book |title=Report of the Commissioners appointed to inquire into the Municipal Corporations in England and Wales: Appendix 4 |date=1835 |page=2103 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MHBTAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA2103 |access-date=23 June 2024}}

File:Old Town Hall, Bedford.jpg, St Paul's Square: Council's headquarters 1892–2009]]

Bedford was reformed to become a municipal borough in 1836 under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835, which standardised how most boroughs operated across the country. It was then governed by a body formally called the 'mayor, aldermen and burgesses of the borough of Bedford', generally known as the corporation, town council or borough council. The borough boundaries were significantly enlarged in 1934 to take in areas from several neighbouring parishes, notably including most of Goldington parish, including the village. The boundaries were expanded again in 1968.{{cite web |title=Bedford Municipal Borough |url=https://visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10108287#tab02 |website=A Vision of Britain through Time |publisher=GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth |access-date=23 June 2024}}

The modern district and its council were created in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, with the first election held in 1973. For its first year it operated as a shadow authority alongside the area's outgoing authorities, being the old Bedford Borough Council, Kempston Urban District Council and Bedford Rural District Council. The new district and its council formally came into being on 1 April 1974.{{cite legislation UK|type=si|si=The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972|year=1972|number=2039|accessdate=3 March 2023}}{{cite legislation UK|type=si|si=The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Names) Order 1973|year=1973|number=551|accessdate=3 March 2023}}

The new district was initially called Bedford, and it was not given borough status to begin with. To preserve Bedford's ancient mayoralty, the councillors representing wards in the town itself acted as charter trustees.{{cite web |title=District Councils and Boroughs |url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/written-answers/1974/mar/28/district-councils-and-boroughs#S5CV0871P0_19740328_CWA_145 |website=Parliamentary Debates (Hansard) |access-date=4 December 2021 |date=28 March 1974}} On 16 October 1975 the district was both renamed North Bedfordshire and granted borough status, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor, at which point the charter trustees were abolished.{{London Gazette|issue=46725|page=13813|date=31 October 1975}} The council changed the district's name back to Bedford with effect from 1 October 1992, becoming Bedford Borough Council.{{cite book |title=Bulletin of changes of local authority status, names and areas, 1 April 1992–31 March 1993 |date=1993 |publisher=Department of the Environment |location=London |page=16 |url=https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20221201175649mp_/https://s3-eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/lgbce/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/17517/bulletin92-93.pdf |access-date=23 June 2024}}

Following a referendum in 2002, the council chose to have a directly elected mayor as its political leader.

Local government in Bedfordshire was reorganised again with effect from 1 April 2009. Bedfordshire County Council was abolished and Bedford Borough Council became a unitary authority. The change implemented was to create a new non-metropolitan county called Bedford covering the same area as the borough, but with no separate county council; instead the existing borough council took on county council functions, making it a unitary authority.{{cite legislation UK|type=si|si=The Bedfordshire (Structural Changes) Order 2008|year=2008|number=907|accessdate=11 May 2023}} Bedford remains part of the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire for the purposes of lieutenancy.{{cite legislation UK|type=act|act=Lieutenancies Act 1997|year=1997|chapter=23|accessdate=26 April 2023}}

As a unitary authority, Bedford Borough Council provides both district-level and county-level functions. Most of the borough is covered by civil parishes, which form an additional tier of local government for their areas. The exception is the central part of the Bedford urban area, roughly corresponding to the pre-1974 borough of Bedford, which is unparished.{{cite web |title=Election Maps |url=https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/election-maps/gb/ |publisher=Ordnance Survey |access-date=23 June 2024}}{{cite web |title=Bedfordshire: Diagram showing administrative boundaries, 1971 |url=https://maps.nls.uk/view/241241251 |website=National Library of Scotland |publisher=Ordnance Survey |access-date=23 June 2024}}

The council is a member of the East of England Local Government Association.

The council has been under no overall control since 1986.

Political control since the 1974 reforms has been as follows:{{cite web |title=Compositions Calculator |url=https://www.electionscentre.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/composition_calc.html |access-date=26 November 2024 |website=The Elections Centre |publisher=University of Exeter}} (Put "Bedford" in search box to see specific results.){{cite news| url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/elections/local_council/09/html/4157.stm | title = Bedford | access-date = 11 December 2009 | work = BBC News Online | date=19 April 2009}}{{cite news| url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/vote2007/councils/html/09ud.stm | title = Bedford | access-date = 11 December 2009 | work = BBC News Online}}

Lower tier non-metropolitan district

Unitary authority

Bedford Borough Council is one of a relatively small number of councils in England to have a directly elected mayor as its political leader, having chosen to move to directly-elected mayors following a referendum in 2002.{{cite news| url = https://www.theguardian.com/society/2002/feb/22/politics.localgovernment | title = Bedford wants a mayor | access-date = 14 May 2023 | date = 22 February 2002 | work = The Guardian | location=London | first=Simon | last=Parker}} The mayors of Bedford since 2002 have been:{{cite web |title=Bedford |url=https://www.localcouncils.co.uk/councils/?council=bedford |website=Local Councils |publisher=Thorncliffe |access-date=11 March 2025}}

The council comprises 46 councillors plus the elected mayor. Following the 2023 election and subsequent by-elections and changes of allegiance up to June 2024, the composition of the council (excluding the elected mayor's seat) was:{{cite news |title=Bedford election result |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election/2023/england/councils/E06000055 |access-date=14 May 2023 |work=BBC News}}{{cite news |last1=Hutchinson |first1=Paul |title=Bedford Borough Councillor resigns from party over Gaza conflict |url=https://www.bedfordindependent.co.uk/bedford-borough-councillor-resigns-from-party-over-gaza-conflict/ |access-date=19 January 2024 |work=Bedford Independent |date=3 November 2023}}

The next election is due to be held in 2027.

{{Further|Bedford Borough Council elections}}

Since the last boundary changes in 2023, the council has comprised 46 councillors, elected from 28 wards. Council and mayoral elections are held together every four years.{{cite legislation UK|type=si|si=The Bedford (Electoral Changes) Order 2022|year=2022|number=268|accessdate=11 May 2023}}

File:BedfordTownHall.JPG

From 1892 the old Bedford Borough Council was based at the Town Hall in St Paul's Square, which had previously been part of Bedford School, with parts of the building dating back to c. 1550. A large tower block extension was added to the building in 1962. The Town Hall passed to the new council on local government reorganisation in 1974.{{cite web|url=https://virtual-library.culturalservices.net/webingres/bedfordshire/vlib/0.digitised_resources/bedford_historic_building_town_hall_article.htm |title=Bedford Historic Buildings Old Town Hall|publisher= Bedfordshire and Luton Libraries' Catalogue|access-date=3 December 2020}}

Following the abolition of Bedfordshire County Council in 2009, Bedford Borough Council took over the old County Hall on Cauldwell Street, which had been completed in 1969 for the county council, renaming it Borough Hall. The 1962 wing of the Town Hall was subsequently demolished and the older part of the building renovated to become Bedford's register office.{{cite news |title=Historic hall is new home for Registry Office |url=https://www.bedfordtoday.co.uk/news/historic-hall-is-new-home-for-registry-office-787460 |access-date=23 June 2024 |work=Bedford Today |date=16 March 2016}}

Bedford has been granted two distinct coats of arms. The first is per pale Argent and Gules a fess Azure, and the second Argent an eagle displayed wings inverted and head turned towards the sinister Sable ducally crowned and surmounted by a castle of three tiers Or.{{cite web|url=http://civicheraldry.co.uk/east_of_england.html |title=East of England Region |publisher=Civic Heraldry of England |accessdate=8 March 2021}}

{{Reflist}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20180128074738/http://www.bedford.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=0 Bedford Borough Council]

{{Unitary authorities of England}}

{{Local authorities in Bedfordshire}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Unitary authority councils of England

Category:Local education authorities in England

Category:Local authorities in Bedfordshire

Category:Local authorities in England with elected mayor

Category:Billing authorities in England

Category:Borough of Bedford

Category:1974 establishments in England