Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council

The town of Blackburn was governed by a body of improvement commissioners from 1803.{{cite web |title=Blackburn Markets and Improvement Act 1803 |url=https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/Geo3/43/125/contents/enacted |website=legislation.gov.uk |publisher=The National Archives |access-date=23 June 2024}} The town was incorporated to become a municipal borough in 1851, after which it was governed by a body formally called the 'mayor, aldermen and burgesses of the borough of Blackburn', generally known as the corporation, town council or borough council.{{cite book |title=A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 6 |date=1911 |publisher=Victoria County History |location=London |pages=244–249 |url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/lancs/vol6/pp244-249 |access-date=23 June 2024}} When elected county councils were established in 1889, Blackburn was considered large enough to provide its own county-level services, and so it became a county borough, independent from the new Lancashire County Council, whilst remaining part of the geographical county of Lancashire.{{cite web |title=Blackburn Municipal Borough / County Borough |url=https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10179622 |website=A Vision of Britain through Time |publisher=GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth |access-date=22 August 2022}}

A larger Blackburn district was created in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972. It gained the neighbouring town of Darwen and several other rural parishes, and became a non-metropolitan district, with Lancashire County Council providing county-level services.{{cite legislation UK|type=si|si=The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972|year=1972|number=2039|accessdate=22 August 2022}}{{cite legislation UK|type=si|si=The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Names) Order 1973|year=1973|number=551|accessdate=22 August 2022}} Blackburn's borough status was transferred to the enlarged district, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor, continuing Blackburn's series of mayors dating back to 1851.{{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}}

The district was renamed Blackburn with Darwen in May 1997.{{cite web |title=Historical information from 1973 onwards |url=https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ordnancesurvey.co.uk%2Fdocuments%2Fboundary-legislation-changes-from-1973.xls&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK |website=Boundary-Line support |publisher=Ordnance Survey |access-date=17 February 2023}}{{cite web |title=Lancashire |url=https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20221201173652/https://www.lgbce.org.uk/resources/database-of-local-government-orders/north-west/lancashire |website=Database of Local Government Orders |publisher=Local Government Boundary Commission for England |access-date=23 June 2024}}

The council became a unitary authority on 1 April 1998. The way the change was implemented was to create a new non-metropolitan county covering the same area as the borough, but with no separate county council; instead, the existing borough council took on county council functions.{{cite legislation UK|type=si|si=The Lancashire (Boroughs of Blackburn and Blackpool) (Structural Change) Order 1996|year=1996|number=1868|accessdate=22 August 2022}} Blackburn with Darwen remains part of the ceremonial county of Lancashire 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, Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council provides both district-level and county-level functions. Parts of the borough are covered by civil parishes, which form an additional tier of local government for their areas. The exceptions are the main part of the Blackburn urban area (roughly corresponding to the pre-1974 borough) and the Hoddlesden area, which are 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=Lancashire: Diagram showing administrative boundaries, 1969 |url=https://maps.nls.uk/view/241243156 |website=National Library of Scotland |publisher=Ordnance Survey |access-date=23 June 2024}}

The council has been under Labour majority control since 2011.

Political control of the council since the 1974 reforms has been as follows:{{cite web |title=Compositions calculator |url=https://www.electionscentre.co.uk/?page_id=3825 |website=The Elections Centre |access-date=10 August 2022}}{{cite news| url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/elections/local_council/08/html/ex.stm | title = Blackburn With Darwen | access-date = 5 February 2010 | work = BBC News Online | date=19 April 2008}}

Lower tier non-metropolitan district

Unitary authority

The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Blackburn with Darwen. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 1993 have been:{{cite web |title=Council minutes |url=https://democracy.blackburn.gov.uk/ieDocHome.aspx?bcr=1 |website=Blackburn with Darwen Council |access-date=22 August 2022}}

Following the 2024 election the composition of the council was:{{cite news |title=Local elections 2024: full mayoral and council results for England |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/ng-interactive/2024/may/02/local-elections-2024-full-council-results-for-england |access-date=21 May 2024 |work=The Guardian |date=4 May 2024}}

Of the independent councillors, 12 sit together as the '4 BwD' group, and the other does not belong to a group.{{cite news |last1=Jacobs |first1=Bill |title=Blackburn with Darwen: Gaza Independents surge rocks Labour |url=https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/24298054.blackburn-darwen-gaza-independent-rebels-surge-rocks-labour/ |access-date=23 June 2024 |work=Lancashire Telegraph |date=3 May 2024}} The next election is due in May 2026.

{{also|Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council elections}}

Since the last boundary changes in 2018, the council has comprised 51 councillors elected from 17 wards, with each ward electing three councillors. Elections are held three years out of every four, with a third of the council (one councillor for each ward) being elected each time for a four-year term.{{cite legislation UK|type=si|si=The Blackburn with Darwen (Electoral Changes) Order 2017|year=2017|number=1270|accessdate=22 August 2022}}

The council is based at Blackburn Town Hall on King William Street in the centre of Blackburn. The building was built for the old Blackburn Borough Council and completed in 1856. A tower block annexe was added in 1969, linked to the old building by a bridge. The council also maintains an area office at Darwen Town Hall, completed in 1882 for the old Darwen Borough Council.{{cite web |title=Town Halls |url=https://www.blackburn.gov.uk/customer-services/town-halls |website=Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council |access-date=21 June 2023}}

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{{Unitary authorities of England}}

{{Local authorities in Lancashire}}

{{Blackburn with Darwen culture}}

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Category:Unitary authority councils of England

Category:Local education authorities in England

Category:Local authorities in Lancashire

Category:Leader and cabinet executives

Category:Billing authorities in England

Category:Local government in Blackburn with Darwen