Waltham Forest London Borough Council
| Waltham Forest London Borough Council | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| Leadership | |
|
Chris Robbins, Labour | |
Mayor |
Masood Ahmad (non-executive) |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 60 councillors |
|
44 / 60 | |
|
16 / 60 | |
| Elections | |
| First past the post | |
Last election | 22 May 2014[1] |
Next election | May 2018 |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| Waltham Forest Town Hall, Forest Road, Walthamstow, London E17 4SU | |
| Website | |
|
www | |
Waltham Forest London Borough Council is the local authority for the London Borough of Waltham Forest in London, England. It is one of 32 London borough councils of the United Kingdom capital. Waltham Forest is divided into 20 wards and elects 60 councillors. The council was created by the London Government Act 1963 and replaced three local authorities: Chingford Borough Council, Leyton Borough Council and Walthamstow Borough Council.
History
There have previously been a number of local authorities responsible for the area. The current local authority was first elected in 1964, a year before formally coming into its powers and prior to the creation of the London Borough of Waltham Forest on 1 April 1965. Waltham Forest replaced Chingford Borough Council, Leyton Borough Council and Walthamstow Borough Council.
It was envisaged through the London Government Act 1963 that Waltham Forest as a London local authority would share power with 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 local authorities responsible for "personal" services such as social care, libraries, cemeteries and refuse collection. As an outer London borough council it has been an education authority since 1965. This arrangement lasted until 1986 when Waltham Forest London Borough Council gained responsibility for some services that had been provided by the Greater London Council, such as waste disposal. 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.
Finances
Waltham Forest London Borough Council is the billing authority for Council Tax, and collects a precepts on behalf of the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime, the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority the Greater London Authority and Transport for London.