Northumberland County Council

Elected county councils were established in 1889 under the Local Government Act 1888, taking over administrative functions previously carried out by unelected magistrates at the quarter sessions. The city of Newcastle upon Tyne had been a county corporate since 1400 with its own quarter sessions, and Newcastle's independence from the county was maintained by making it a county borough. The county council was elected by and provided services to the remainder of the county, which area was termed the administrative county. Berwick-upon-Tweed was also a county corporate, but was not considered large enough to provide its own county-level services. It was therefore included in the administrative county of Northumberland.{{cite legislation UK|type=act|act=Local Government Act 1888|year=1888|chapter=41|access-date=27 August 2023}} Tynemouth subsequently also became a county borough in 1904, removing it from the administrative county.{{cite web |title=Tynemouth Municipal Borough / County Borough |url=https://visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10061982 |website=A Vision of Britain through Time |publisher=GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth |access-date=25 March 2024}}

File:Moot Hall, Castle Garth, Newcastle - geograph.org.uk - 4591164.jpg: Council's meeting place 1889–1981]]

The first elections were held in January 1889. The council formally came into being on 1 April 1889, on which day it held its first official meeting at the Moot Hall, Newcastle upon Tyne, the courthouse (built 1811) which had served as the meeting place of the quarter sessions which preceded the county council.{{NHLE|desc=Moot Hall, Castle Garth|num=1116297|grade=I|access-date=26 March 2024}} The first chairman of the council was Matthew White Ridley, who was also the Conservative MP for Blackpool (in Lancashire).{{cite news |title=Meeting of Northumberland County Council |url=https://www.findmypast.co.uk/search-newspapers |access-date=26 March 2024 |work=Morpeth Herald |date=6 April 1889 |page=2}}

The county was reformed in 1974, becoming a non-metropolitan county and ceding further territory around the Newcastle conurbation to the new metropolitan county of Tyne and Wear. Until 1974 the lower tier of local government comprised numerous boroughs, urban districts and rural districts. In 1974 the lower tier was reorganised and Northumberland was left with six districts: Alnwick,

Berwick-upon-Tweed, Blyth Valley, Castle Morpeth, Tynedale and Wansbeck.{{cite legislation UK|type=si|si=The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972|year=1972|number=2039|access-date=31 May 2023}}

Until 1981 the county council had its meeting place at the Moot Hall, which formed an exclave of the administrative county in central Newcastle.{{cite web |title=Administrative Area Series, 1947 |url=https://maps.nls.uk/view/196756955 |website=National Library of Scotland |publisher=Ordnance Survey |access-date=25 March 2024}} The main administrative offices were at the adjoining County Hall. The exclave became part of the city in 1974 and therefore outside the county council's territory.{{cite legislation UK|type=act|act=Local Government Act 1972|year=1972|chapter=70|schedule=1|access-date=25 March 2024}} The council moved to Morpeth in 1981.

As part of the 2009 structural changes to local government in England, Northumberland's six districts were abolished and their functions were taken over by the county council.{{cite legislation UK|type=si|si=The Northumberland (Structural Change) Order 2008|year=2008|number=494|access-date=25 March 2024}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.northumberland.gov.uk/BB_News.asp?BB_Bulletin_ID=4108|title=Northumberland County Council|access-date=3 January 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081220233428/http://www.northumberland.gov.uk/BB_News.asp?BB_Bulletin_ID=4108|archive-date=20 December 2008|url-status=dead}} As part of the 2009 changes the council was given the option of changing its name to "Northumberland Council".{{cite legislation UK|type=si|si=The Local Government (Structural Changes) (Miscellaneous Amendment and Other Provision) Order 2009|year=2009|number=837|article=4|access-date=25 March 2024}} After consultation with the public the council decided to keep the name "Northumberland County Council".{{Cite web|url=http://www.northumberland.gov.uk/BB_News.asp?BB_Bulletin_ID=4100|title=Northumberland County Council|access-date=3 January 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081220233358/http://www.northumberland.gov.uk/BB_News.asp?BB_Bulletin_ID=4100|archive-date=20 December 2008|url-status=dead}}

File:Northumberland UK location map.svg

In 2024 a combined authority was established covering Northumberland, County Durham, Gateshead, Newcastle upon Tyne, North Tyneside, South Tyneside and Sunderland, called the North East Mayoral Combined Authority. It is chaired by the directly elected Mayor of the North East and oversees the delivery of certain strategic functions across the area.{{cite legislation UK|type=si|si=The North East Mayoral Combined County Authority (Establishment and Functions) Order 2024|year=2024|number=402|access-date=6 May 2024}}

Since 2009, Northumberland County Council has provided both county-level and district-level services. The whole county is also covered by civil parishes, which form an additional tier of local government.{{cite web |title=Election Maps |url=https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/election-maps/gb/ |publisher=Ordnance Survey |access-date=26 March 2024}}

The council has been under no overall control since 2021, being led by a minority Conservative administration. Following the 2021 election the Conservatives won a majority of the seats, but lost their majority later that year following a Liberal Democrat gain in a December 2021 by-election.{{cite web|date=7 May 2021|title=County Council election results|url=https://www.northumberland.gov.uk/elections.aspx|website=Northumberland County Council}}{{Cite web|title=Northumberland County Council|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/topics/cdl8n2edx5xt/northumberland-county-council|access-date=2021-05-07|website=BBC News|language=en-GB}}

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 web|title=Local election results: Northumberland|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/vote2005/locals/html/3872.stm|work=Election 2005|publisher=BBC News Online|access-date=30 January 2012|date=6 May 2005}}{{cite web|title=Northumberland|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/elections/local_council/08/html/35uf.stm|work=Elections 2008|publisher=BBC News Online|access-date=30 January 2012|date=6 May 2008}}

Two-tier non-metropolitan county

Unitary authority

The leaders of the council since 1998 have been:{{cite web |title=Council minutes |url=https://northumberland.moderngov.co.uk/mgCalendarMonthView.aspx?GL=1&bcr=1 |website=Northumberland County Council |access-date=15 August 2022}}

Following the 2021 election and subsequent by-elections and changes of allegiance up to March 2024, the composition of the council was:

Eight of the independent councillors sit together as a group. The other is not aligned to any group.{{cite web |title=Your Councillors |url=https://northumberland.moderngov.co.uk/mgMemberIndex.aspx?bcr=1 |website=Northumberland County Council |access-date=26 March 2024}} The next election is due in 2025.

{{also|Northumberland County Council elections}}

Since the last full review of boundaries in 2013 the council has comprised 67 councillors representing 66 electoral divisions, each of which elects one councillor except Alnwick which elects two. Elections are held every four years.{{cite legislation UK|type=si|si=The Northumberland (Electoral Changes) Order 2011|year=2011|number=2|access-date=26 March 2024}} New division boundaries have been drawn up to come into effect for the 2025 elections, increasing the number of councillors to 69.{{cite legislation UK|type=si|si=The Northumberland (Electoral Changes) Order 2024|year=2024|number=124|access-date=26 March 2024}}

File:Vermont Hotel, Castle Garth - geograph.org.uk - 1652889.jpg: Council's main offices 1910–1981]]

The council is based at County Hall on the southern outskirts of Morpeth, which was purpose-built for the council and opened in 1981.{{cite news |title=Northumberland County Council to spend £17m on HQ revamp |url=https://www.hexham-courant.co.uk/news/16612455.northumberland-county-council-spend-17m-hq-revamp/ |access-date=26 March 2024 |work=Hexham Courant |date=25 January 2018}} Proposals to move the council's headquarters to Ashington were considered between 2014 and 2017, with building work starting on the new site in Ashington. In 2017 work on the new site was aborted after the proposed sale of the Morpeth site fell through. The council subsequently decided to stay in Morpeth and renovate County Hall instead.{{cite news |title=Multi-million pound plans to move Northumberland County Council headquarters quashed |url=https://www.itv.com/news/tyne-tees/2017-05-18/multi-million-pound-plans-to-move-northumberland-county-council-headquarters-quashed |access-date=26 March 2024 |work=ITV News |date=18 May 2017}}

Prior to 1981 the council was based in Newcastle. Meetings were held at the Moot Hall. A large office building called County Hall was built opposite the Moot Hall in 1910 to serve as the council's main offices.{{NHLE|desc=County Hall, Castle Garth|num=1024938|grade=II|access-date=26 March 2024}}

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• {{Official website|http://www.northumberland.gov.uk/Home.aspx}}

{{Unitary authorities of England}}

{{Local government districts of England abolished in 2009}}

{{County councils of England}}

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Category:Local government in Northumberland

Category:Unitary authority councils of England

Category:County councils of England

Category:1889 establishments in England

Category:2009 establishments in England

Category:Local education authorities in England

Category:Billing authorities in England

Category:Local authorities in Northumberland

Category:Leader and cabinet executives