# Kingston upon Thames London Borough Council

Kingston upon Thames London Borough Council, which styles itself Kingston Council, is the local authority for the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in London. The council has been under Liberal Democrat majority control since 2018. It is based at Kingston upon Thames Guildhall.

## History

The town of Kingston upon Thames was an ancient borough, having been formally incorporated in 1441, with a long history prior to that as a royal manor dating back to Saxon times. The borough 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 thereafter run by a body formally called the "Mayor, Aldermen and Burgesses of the Borough (or Royal Borough) of Kingston-upon-Thames". Kingston was often described as a royal borough, with its right to that title being formally confirmed in 1927.
The much larger London Borough of Kingston upon Thames and its council were created in 1965 under the London Government Act 1963, with the first election held in 1964. For its first year the council acted as a shadow authority alongside the area's outgoing authorities, being the councils of the three municipal boroughs of Kingston-upon-Thames, Malden and Coombe and Surbiton. The new council formally came into its powers on 1 April 1965, at which point the old boroughs and their councils were abolished.
Kingston's royal borough status transferred to the enlarged borough. The council's full legal name is the "Mayor and Burgesses of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames", although it styles itself Kingston Council. The council counts its mayors as forming a continuous series with the mayors of the old municipal borough of Kingston-upon-Thames as first appointed in 1836.
From 1965 until 1986 the council was a lower-tier authority, with upper-tier functions provided by the Greater London Council. The split of powers and functions meant that the Greater London Council was responsible for "wide area" services such as fire, ambulance, flood prevention, and refuse disposal; with the boroughs (including Kingston upon Thames) responsible for "personal" services such as social care, libraries, cemeteries and refuse collection. As an outer London borough council Kingston upon Thames has been a local education authority since 1965. The Greater London Council was abolished in 1986 and its functions passed to the London Boroughs, with some services provided through joint committees.
Since 2000 the Greater London Authority has taken some responsibility for highways and planning control from the council, but within the English local government system the council remains a "most purpose" authority in terms of the available range of powers and functions.

## Powers and functions

The local authority derives its powers and functions from the London Government Act 1963 and subsequent legislation, and has the powers and functions of a London borough council. It sets council tax and as a billing authority also collects precepts for Greater London Authority functions and business rates. It sets planning policies which complement Greater London Authority and national policies, and decides on almost all planning applications accordingly. It is a local education authority and is also responsible for council housing, social services, libraries, waste collection and disposal, traffic, and most roads and environmental health.

## Political control

The council has been under Liberal Democrat majority control since 2018.
The first election was held in 1964, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until it came into its powers on 1 April 1965. Political control of the council since 1965 has been as follows:
| Party in control | Years |
| Conservative | 1965–1986 |
| No overall control | 1986–1994 |
| Liberal Democrats | 1994–1998 |
| No overall control | 1998–2002 |
| Liberal Democrats | 2002–2014 |
| Conservative | 2014–2018 |
| Liberal Democrats | 2018–present |

### Leadership

The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Kingston upon Thames. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 1972 have been:
| Councillor | Party | From | To |
| C. M. Cotton | Conservative | 1972 | 1974 |
| Mike Knowles | Conservative | 1974 | 1983 |
| David Edwards | Conservative | 1983 | 1985 |
| Frank Hartfree | Conservative | 1985 | 1986 |
| Chris Nicholson | Alliance | 1986 | 1987 |
| Steve Harris | Alliance | 1987 | 1988 |
| Frank Hartfree | Conservative | 1988 | 1990 |
| Paul Clokie | Conservative | 1990 | 1994 |
| John Tilley | Liberal Democrats | 1994 | 1997 |
| Derek Osbourne | Liberal Democrats | 1997 | 1998 |
| David Edwards | Conservative | 1998 | 2001 |
| Kevin Davis | Conservative | 2001 | 2002 |
| Roger Hayes | Liberal Democrats | 2002 | 2003 |
| Derek Osbourne | Liberal Democrats | 2003 | Jun 2013 |
| Liz Green | Liberal Democrats | 19 Jun 2013 | May 2014 |
| Kevin Davis | Conservative | May 2014 | May 2018 |
| Liz Green | Liberal Democrats | May 2018 | 24 Mar 2020 |
| Caroline Kerr | Liberal Democrats | 24 Mar 2020 | 26 Oct 2021 |
| Andreas Kirsch | Liberal Democrats | 26 Oct 2021 | |

### Composition

Following the 2022 election, a by-election in November 2022 and a change of allegiance in November 2023, the composition of the council was as follows:
| Party | Councillors |
| Liberal Democrats | 42 |
| Kingston Independent Residents Group | 2 |
| Independent | 2 |
| Conservative | 2 | Total | Total | 48 |
The Kingston Independent Residents Group and the independent councillors sit together as 'The Opposition Group'. The next election is due in May 2026.

## Elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2022 the council has comprised 48 councillors representing 19 wards, with each ward electing two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years.

## Premises

The council meets at the Guildhall on the High Street in Kingston upon Thames, which had been completed in 1935 for the old borough council. Most of the council's offices are into two 1970s buildings behind the Guildhall, known as Guildhall 1 and Guildhall 2.

## Criticism
### Size of staff departure payments

In the financial years 2015–19, under a Conservative and then Liberal Democrat administration the council spent £2.4 million of public money on so-called ‘golden goodbyes’ to departing senior staff, including:
* Over £250,000 for Bruce McDonald, the former CEO of the council.
* £316,000 to Charlie Adan, former council chief executive, who left her role two months after the May 2018 local elections, reportedly because she clashed with new council leader, Liz Green.
* £160,000 to Roy Thompson, who served as temporary Chief Executive for less than six months, while Adan's successor was found, with his post as deputy being axed as a cost saving.
* £442,000 split between five ‘senior officers’.