# Southend-on-Sea City Council

Southend-on-Sea City Council is the local authority of the city of Southend-on-Sea, in the ceremonial county of Essex, England. Southend has had an elected local authority since 1866, which has been reformed several times. Since 1998 the council has been a unitary authority, being a district council which also performs the functions of a county council; it is independent from Essex County Council
The council has been under no overall control since 2019. Since 2024 it has been led by a coalition of Labour, the Liberal Democrats and some of the independent councillors. It is based at Southend Civic Centre.
Since 2024, the government has planned to abolish the council and merge it with other parts of Essex as part of its planned reorganisation of local government in Essex in 2025.

## History

Southend's first elected council was a local board, which held its first meeting on 29 August 1866. Prior to that the town was administered by the vestry for the wider parish of Prittlewell. The local board district was enlarged in 1877 to cover the whole parish of Prittlewell.
In 1892 the town was made a municipal borough, governed by a body formally called the 'mayor, aldermen and burgesses of the borough of Southend-on-Sea', generally known as the corporation, town council or borough council. The borough boundaries were enlarged on several occasions, notably absorbing Southchurch in 1897, Leigh-on-Sea in 1913, and Shoeburyness and North Shoebury in 1933. By 1914 the borough was considered large enough to provide its own county-level functions, and so it was made a county borough, independent from Essex County Council.
The powers of the council were substantially reformed in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972. Southend's boundaries remained the same, but it was redesignated as a non-metropolitan district, with Essex County Council once more providing county-level services. Southend retained its borough status, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor, continuing Southend's series of mayors dating back to 1892.
Southend regained its independence from Essex County Council on 1 April 1998 when it was made a unitary authority. The way this change was implemented was to create a new non-metropolitan county called Southend-on-Sea covering the same area as the district, but with no separate county council. Instead, the existing borough council assumed the functions that legislation assigns to county councils, making it a unitary authority. This therefore had the effect of restoring the borough council to the powers it had held when Southend was a county borough prior to 1974. Southend-on-Sea remains part of the ceremonial county of Essex for the purposes of lieutenancy.
On 26 January 2022 letters patent were issued granting city status to the borough, allowing the council to change its name to Southend-on-Sea City Council.

## Governance

Southend-on-Sea City Council provides both district-level and county-level functions. There is one civil parish within the city at Leigh-on-Sea, which forms an additional tier of local government for that area; the rest of the city is unparished.

### Political control

The council has been under no overall control since 2019. Following the 2024 election a coalition of Labour, the Liberal Democrats and some of the independent councillors was formed to run the council, led by Labour councillor Daniel Cowan.
Political control of the council since the 1974 reforms has been as follows:
Lower-tier non-metropolitan district
| Party in control | Years |
| No overall control | 1974–1976 |
| Conservative | 1976–1987 |
| No overall control | 1987–1990 |
| Conservative | 1990–1994 |
| No overall control | 1994–1998 |
Unitary authority
| Party in control | Years |
| No overall control | 1998–2000 |
| Conservative | 2000–2012 |
| No overall control | 2012–2013 |
| Conservative | 2013–2014 |
| No overall control | 2014–2017 |
| Conservative | 2017–2019 |
| No overall control | 2019–present |

### Leadership

The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Southend-on-Sea, usually being held by a different councillor each year. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 2003 have been:
| Councillor | Party | From | To |
| Howard Briggs | Conservative | 20 Feb 2003 | 12 May 2005 |
| Anna Waite | Conservative | 12 May 2005 | 7 May 2006 |
| Murray Foster | Conservative | 18 May 2006 | 6 May 2007 |
| Nigel Holdcroft | Conservative | 17 May 2007 | 25 May 2014 |
| Ron Woodley | Independent | 5 Jun 2014 | 19 May 2016 |
| John Lamb | Conservative | 19 May 2016 | 9 May 2019 |
| Tony Cox | Conservative | 9 May 2019 | 3 Jun 2019 |
| Ian Gilbert | Labour | 3 Jun 2019 | May 2022 |
| Stephen George | Labour | 19 May 2022 | 18 May 2023 |
| Tony Cox | Conservative | 18 May 2023 | 20 May 2024 |
| Daniel Cowan | Labour | 20 May 2024 | |

### Composition

Following the 2024 election, a subsequent by-election in July 2024, and two independent councillors joining Reform UK in August 2024, the composition of the council was:
| Party | Party | Councillors |
| | Labour | 19 |
| | Conservative | 16 |
| | "Independent Group" | 5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | 4 |
| | Green | 2 |
| | Reform UK | 2 |
| | Non-Aligned | 3 |
| Total | Total | 51 |
Five of the independent councillors sit together as the "Independent Group", which forms the council's administration with Labour and the Liberal Democrats. The remaining 3 independent councillors sit as 'non-aligned' councillors (i.e. individually). The next election is due in 2026.

## Elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2001, the council has comprised 51 councillors representing 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) elected each time for a four-year term of office. The next election in 2026 will be held under new boundaries.

## Premises

The council is based at Southend Civic Centre on Victoria Avenue. The building was designed by borough architect, Patrick Burridge, and officially opened by Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother on 31 October 1967.

## Performance

In 2007, Southend Borough Council was criticised as one of the worst financially managed local authorities in England by the Audit Commission report for 2006/7, one of three to gain only one of four stars, the others being Liverpool and the Isles of Scilly.
In March 2012, Southend Borough Council was awarded the title of 'Council of the Year 2012' by the Local Government Chronicle.

## Arms

Coat of arms of Southend-on-Sea City Council :
* NotesOriginally granted to Southend-on-Sea County Borough Council on 1 & 2 January 1915. Transferred to Southend-on-Sea Borough Council on 21 May 1974.
* CrestIssuant out of a mural crown Gules the mast of a ship proper flying therefrom a flag Argent charged with a cross throughout Gules.
* EscutcheonAzure on a pile Argent between on the dexter an anchor erect on the sinister a grid-iron and in base a trefoil slipped Or a flower vase issuing therefrom a spray of lilies Proper.
* SupportersOn the dexter side a mediaeval fisherman holding a net with his exterior hand all Proper and on the sinister side a Cluniac monk Proper holding in the dexter hand a book Gules and in the exterior hand a staff also Proper.
* MottoPer Mare Per Ecclesiam (Through The Sea Through The Church)