Windsor and Maidenhead Borough Council is the local authority of the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England. It is a unitary authority, having the powers of a non-metropolitan county and district council combined. Windsor and Maidenhead is divided into 19 wards, electing 41 councillors.[2] The council was created by the Local Government Act 1972 and replaced six local authorities: Cookham Rural District Council, Eton Urban District Council, Eton Rural District Council, Maidenhead Borough Council, New Windsor Borough Council and Windsor Rural District Council. Since 1 April 1998 it has been a unitary authority, assuming the powers and functions of Berkshire County Council.
Windsor and Maidenhead Borough Council | |
|---|---|
 Coat of arms | |
 Council logo | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| History | |
| Founded | 1 April 1974 |
| Leadership | |
Stephen Evans since April 2023 | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 41 councillors |
 | |
Political groups |
|
Length of term | 4 years |
| Elections | |
| Plurality-at-large | |
Last election | 4 May 2023 |
Next election | 6 May 2027 |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| Town Hall, St Ives Road, Maidenhead, SL6 1RF | |
| Website | |
| www | |
History
The authority was formed as the Windsor and Maidenhead District Council. It replaced Cookham Rural District Council, Eton Urban District Council, Eton Rural District Council, Maidenhead Borough Council, New Windsor Borough Council and Windsor Rural District Council. The current local authority was first elected in 1973, a year before formally coming into its powers and prior to the creation of the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead on 1 April 1974. The council gained borough status, entitling it to be known as Windsor and Maidenhead Borough Council.
It was envisaged through the Local Government Act 1972 that Windsor and Maidenhead as a non-metropolitan district council would deliver district-level services, with the Berkshire County Council providing county-level services. This arrangement lasted until 1998 when Berkshire County Council was abolished and Windsor and Maidenhead Borough Council gained responsibility for services that had been provided by the county council.
Political control
The council has had a Liberal Democrat majority since the 2023 election, although the party forms an administration with the Borough First and the Old Windsor Residents' Association.
The first elections to the council 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:[3][4]
Non-metropolitan district
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| Conservative | 1974–1991 | |
| No overall control | 1991–1995 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 1995–1997 | |
| No overall control | 1997–1998 | |
Unitary authority
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| No overall control | 1998–1999 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 1999–2000 | |
| No overall control | 2000–2003 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 2003–2007 | |
| Conservative | 2007–2023 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 2023–present | |
Leadership
The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Windsor and Maidenhead, with political leadership instead being provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 2007 have been:[5]
| Councillor | Party | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mary Rose Gliksten | Liberal Democrats | 6 May 2007 | ||
| David Burbage[6] | Conservative | 22 May 2007 | 24 May 2016 | |
| Simon Dudley[7] | Conservative | 24 May 2016 | 12 Sep 2019 | |
| Andrew Johnson[8] | Conservative | 24 Sep 2019 | 7 May 2023 | |
| Simon Werner[9] | Liberal Democrats | 23 May 2023 | ongoing | |
Composition
Following the 2023 election, the composition of the council was:[10]
| Party | Councillors | |
|---|---|---|
| Liberal Democrats | 22 | |
| Conservative | 7 | |
| Borough First | 7 | |
| Old Windsor Residents' Association | 2 | |
| West Windsor Residents' Association | 2 | |
| Flood Prevention | 1 | |
| Total | 41 | |
The Borough First and the Old Windsor Residents' Association sit together as the "Local Independents" group, which forms the council's administration with the Liberal Democrats.[11] The next election is due in 2027.
Executive
| Post | Councillor | Ward | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leader of the Council Cabinet Member for Community Partnerships, Public Protection and Maidenhead | Simon Werner | Pinkneys Green | |
| Deputy Leader of the Council Cabinet member for Finance | Lynne Jones | Old Windsor | |
| Cabinet member for Communities and Leisure | Joshua Reynolds | Furze Platt | |
| Cabinet member for Environmental Services | Richard Coe | Riverside | |
| Cabinet member for Climate Change, Biodiversity and Windsor Town Council | Karen Davies | Clewer East | |
| Cabinet member for Adults, Health and Housing Services | Catherine del Campo | Furze Platt | |
| Cabinet member for Highways and Transport, Customer Service Centre and Employment | Geoff Hill | Oldfield | |
| Cabinet member for Children’s Services, Education and Windsor | Amy Tisi | Clewer East | |
| Cabinet member for Planning, Legal and Asset Management | Adam Bermange | Boyn Hill | |
Elections
Elections are held every four years. Since the last boundary changes in 2019 there have been 41 councillors elected from 19 wards. The next election is due in 2027.[12]
Premises
The council is based at Maidenhead Town Hall, on St Ives Road in Maidenhead, which had been built in 1962 for the former Maidenhead Borough Council.