Southampton City Council is the local authority of the city of Southampton. It is a unitary authority, having the powers of a non-metropolitan county and district council combined. It provides a full range of local government services including council tax billing, libraries, social services, processing planning applications, waste collection and disposal, and it is a local education authority. The council uses a leader and cabinet structure. Labour has been in control of the council since 2022.
History
The City of Southampton shown within Hampshire
Southampton was an ancient borough, with the earliest known borough charter dating from 1154.[3] Southampton City Council has records in its archives of council meetings as early as 1199.[4] It was reformed in 1836 to become a municipal borough governed by a corporation, also known as a town council. When elected county councils were established in 1889 under the Local Government Act 1888, Southampton was considered large enough to run its own services and so it was made a county borough, independent from Hampshire County Council.[5][6][7]
Southampton was granted city status on 11 February 1964, after which the corporation was also known as Southampton City Council.[3] Local government restructuring in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972 made the City of Southampton a non-metropolitan district within Hampshire, putting it under the authority of Hampshire County Council for the first time. Southampton regained its independence from Hampshire County Council on 1 April 1997 when it was made a unitary authority.[8][9]
In July 2023, Steve Leggett the cabinet member for finance resigned.[10]
Powers and functions
The local authority derives its powers and functions from the Local Government Act 1972 and subsequent legislation. For the purposes of local government, Southampton is within a non-metropolitan area of England. As a unitary authority, Southampton City Council has the powers and functions of both a non-metropolitan county and district council combined. In its capacity as a district council it is a billing authority collecting Council Tax and business rates, it processes local planning applications, it is responsible for housing, waste collection and environmental health. In its capacity as a county council it is a local education authority, responsible for social services, libraries and waste disposal.
In August 2018 the council launched its own not-for-profit energy company 'CitizEn', created with the ambition to offer competitive rates for energy to tackle fuel poverty in the city.[11][12][13] The company was set up in cooperation with Nottingham City Council’s company Robin Hood Energy.[11] The council is currently in talks with Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council for them to become a partner in the scheme.[14]
Local Authority Trading Company
In response to the 2008 financial crash and the Great Recession the then city council, under the administration of the Conservative Party, began a process of privatisation of council services.[15] From 2017 the Labour administration had begun a process taking municipal control of services that were privatised, so that all profits are reinvested into council services.[16] These services were set up and the Southampton "Local Authority Trading Company" (LATCo) was created.[17] Potential areas for the LATCo to cover include: street parking; public transport; adult and children’s transport; fleet services; housing management and operations; street cleansing; waste management; parks and open spaces; and facilities management.[18]
In 2018 the council began the process of incorporating services which Capita had provided for the council for 11 years, including "customer services, HR pay, revenues and benefits, procurement, health and safety, print, post room and IT services". This also includes the incorporation of 300 jobs under the council's LATCo.[19][20]
Southampton City Council is also a founding member of the 'Key Cities' group. It is a lobbying group of 24 other cities across Great Britain, formed in 2013, that lobbies the government for greater devolution and funding
[29][30][31]
Political control
Political control of the council since the 1974 reforms took effect has been as follows:[32][33]
The role of Lord Mayor is largely ceremonial in Southampton, with a different councillor usually being appointed to the role each year. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. Since 2024, the council leader has been Lorna Fielker.[34] The leaders since 1996 have been:[35]
Following the last boundary changes in 2023, the council comprises 51 councillors representing 17 wards, with three councillors being elected for each ward. For each election, a third of the council or one representative for each ward is elected for a term of four years. Over four years there are three elections and a fourth gap year. The wards are:[39]
On Thursday 23 June 2016 Southampton voted in the 2016 EU Referendum under the provisions of the European Union Referendum Act 2015 where voters were asked to decide on the question "Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union?" by voting for either "Remain a member of the European Union" or "Leave the European Union". The result produced a "Leave" majority on a turnout of 68% across the city, lower than the national average of 72%.[40] The Labour MP for Southampton TestAlan Whitehead supported "remain", whilst Royston Smith the MP for Southampton Itchen supported "leave".
United Kingdom European Union membership referendum, 2016 Southampton
Choice
Votes
%
Leave the European Union
57,927
53.80%
Remain a member of the European Union
49,738
46.19%
Valid votes
107,665
99.91%
Invalid or blank votes
110
0.1%
Total votes
107,772
100.00%
Registered voters and turnout
158,171
68.2%
Southampton referendum result (without spoiled ballots):
