Luton Borough Council (also known as LBC, or Luton Council) is the local authority of Luton, in the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire, England. Luton is a unitary authority, having the powers of a county and district council combined. It is a member of the East of England Local Government Association.
It is made up of 48 councillors representing 20 wards. The council has been under Labour majority control since 2007, with Hazel Simmons being leader of the council since then.
History
Luton's first elected council was a local board of health established in 1850, prior to which the town had been administered by the parish vestry. The town became a municipal borough in 1876 governed by a corporation, also known as a town council. In 1964 the borough was elevated to county borough status, making it independent from Bedfordshire County Council.
On 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, the county borough was reconstituted as a non-metropolitan district. Between 1974 and 1997 Luton was a lower-tier district council, with Bedfordshire County Council again providing county-level services to the town. On 1 April 1997 Luton became a unitary authority, once more taking over the county-level services.
Governance
Political control
The first elections to the borough council as reformed under the Local Government Act 1972 were held in 1973, initially acting as a shadow authority until the new arrangements took effect on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows:
Non-metropolitan district
Unitary authority
Leadership
The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Luton, with political leadership instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 1999 have been:
Composition
Following the 2023 election, the composition of the council was:
The next election is due in 2027.
Premises
The council is based at Luton Town Hall at the head of George Street, the town centre's main street. The current building was completed in 1936, replacing an earlier town hall of 1847 on the same site. The earlier building had been destroyed in a fire in 1919 in the town's "Peace Riot" which followed the formal proclamation of peace at the end of the First World War.
Elections
Elections are held every four years. Since the last boundary changes in 2023 there have been 48 councillors elected from 20 wards.
Wards
Barnfield
Beech Hill
Biscot
Bramingham
Central
Challney
Dallow
Farley
High Town
Leagrave
Lewsey
Northwell
Poets
Round Green
Saints
South
Stopsley
Sundon Park
Vauxhall
Wigmore
NHS
In July 2017 it decided to merge its health commissioning budget with the local Clinical Commissioning Group, establishing an integrated commissioning committee. It is one of the first areas which the NHS has designated an Accountable care system.