# Portsmouth City Council

Portsmouth City Council is the local authority of the city of Portsmouth, in the ceremonial county of Hampshire, England. Portsmouth has had a council since medieval times, which has been reformed on numerous occasions. Since 1997 the council has been a unitary authority, being a district council which also performs the functions of a county council; it is independent from Hampshire County Council.
The council has been under no overall control since 2014, being run by a minority Liberal Democrat administration since 2018. The council meets at the Guildhall and has its main offices in the adjoining Civic Offices.

## History

Portsmouth was an ancient borough. Its earliest known charter was issued in 1194, although some sources suggest that replaced an earlier charter of 1106 which has since been lost. It was reformed in 1836 to become a municipal borough under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835, which standardised how most boroughs operated across the country. It was then governed by a body formally called the 'mayor, aldermen and burgesses of the borough of Portsmouth', generally known as the corporation, town council or borough council.
When elected county councils were established in 1889, Portsmouth was considered large enough for the existing borough council to also take on county council functions. It was therefore made a county borough, independent from the new Hampshire County Council. The borough boundaries were enlarged on several occasions.
Portsmouth was granted city status on 21 April 1926, after which the corporation was also known as the city council. In 1928 the city was given the right to appoint a lord mayor.
Portsmouth was reconstituted as a non-metropolitan district in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972. It kept the same boundaries, which had last been expanded in 1932, but the council became a lower-tier district council, with Hampshire County Council providing county-level services in the city for the first time. Portsmouth's borough and city statuses and its lord mayoralty were transferred to the reformed district and its council.
Portsmouth regained its independence from Hampshire County Council on 1 April 1997. The way this change was implemented was to create a new non-metropolitan county of Portsmouth covering the same area as the existing district, but with no separate county council; instead the existing city council took on county council functions, making it a unitary authority. This therefore had the effect of restoring the city council to the powers it had held when Portsmouth had been a county borough prior to 1974. The city remains part of the ceremonial county of Hampshire for the purposes of lieutenancy.

## 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, Portsmouth is within a non-metropolitan area of England. As a unitary authority, Portsmouth City Council has the powers and functions of both a non-metropolitan county and a district council combined. In its capacity as a district council, it is a billing authority, collecting council tax and business rates; processing local planning applications; and it is responsible for housing, waste collection, Trading Standards, and environmental health. It functions as a Port Health Authority for its surrounding waters. In its capacity as a county council, it is a local education authority, responsible for social services, libraries, and waste disposal.
The council adopted a pledge in 2022, which it called the "Portsmouth Pledge", whereby it set out a number of commitments to look after children in its care.

## Political control

The council has been under no overall control since 2014. Following the 2018 election a minority Liberal Democrat administration formed to run the council, which remains in office following the 2024 election.
Political control of the council since the 1974 reforms has been as follows:
Lower tier non-metropolitan district
| Party in control | Years |
| Conservative | 1974–1991 |
| No overall control | 1991–1996 |
| Labour | 1996–1997 |
Unitary authority
| Party in control | Years |
| Labour | 1997–2000 |
| No overall control | 2000–2009 |
| Liberal Democrats | 2009–2014 |
| No overall control | 2014–present |

### Leadership

The role of Lord Mayor of Portsmouth is largely ceremonial. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 1994 have been:
| Councillor | Party | From | To |
| Leo Madden | Labour | 1994 | 2000 |
| Ian Gibson | Conservative | 16 May 2000 | May 2001 |
| Leo Madden | Labour | 15 May 2001 | May 2002 |
| Frank Worley | Conservative | 14 May 2002 | 2003 |
| Phil Shaddock | Liberal Democrats | 2003 | Jun 2004 |
| Gerald Vernon-Jackson | Liberal Democrats | 22 Jun 2004 | Jun 2014 |
| Donna Jones | Conservative | 3 Jun 2014 | 15 May 2018 |
| Gerald Vernon-Jackson | Liberal Democrats | 15 May 2018 | May 2023 |
| Steve Pitt | Liberal Democrats | 16 May 2023 | |

### Composition

Following the 2024 election the composition of the council was:
| Party | Party | Councillors |
| | Liberal Democrats | 19 |
| | Portsmouth Independent Party | 9 |
| | Labour | 8 |
| | Conservative | 4 |
| | Independent | 2 |
| Total | Total | 42 |
The next election is due in May 2026.

## Elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2002, the council has comprised 42 councillors representing 14 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.

## Premises

The council meets at Portsmouth Guildhall, in Guildhall Square. The building was completed in 1890 for the old borough council. The council's main offices are the Civic Offices, which were erected to the east of the guildhall and completed in 1976.