City of Lincoln Council

Type
Type|

Non-metropolitan district

Leadership

Mayor

Alan Briggs,
Conservative
since 14 May 2024[1]

Leader

Naomi Tweddle,
Labour
since 14 May 2024[2]

Chief Executive

Angela Andrews
since September 2014[3]

Structure
Seats| 33 councillors

Political groups

Administration
Labour (23)
Other parties
Liberal Democrats (5)
Conservative (5)

Length of term

| 4 years
Elections

Last election

| 2 May 2024

Next election

| 7 May 2026
Meeting place
Guildhall, Saltergate, Lincoln, LN1 1DH
Website
www.lincoln.gov.uk

The City of Lincoln Council is the local authority for the district of Lincoln, in the county of Lincolnshire, England. The council consists of 33 councillors, three for each of the 11 wards in the city.[4] It is currently controlled by the Labour Party, led by Naomi Tweddle. The administrative headquarters is at Lincoln City Hall although council meetings are held at the guildhall.[5]

## History

[edit]

The city of Lincoln had been an ancient borough and was made a county corporate in 1409 with its own sheriff and court of quarter sessions, making it independent from the Lindsey Quarter Sessions. The borough corporation was reformed in 1836 to become a municipal borough.[6] When elected county councils were established in 1889 under the Local Government Act 1888 to take over the local government functions of the quarter sessions, Lincoln was considered large enough to provide its own county-level services and so it was made a county borough, independent from the new Lindsey County Council.[7]

On 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, Lincoln was reconstituted to become a non-metropolitan district, altering its powers and responsibilities but keeping the same area and name. The separate county councils which had existed for each of the Parts of Lincolnshire were also amalgamated to create a single Lincolnshire County Council for the first time, with responsibility for county-level services in the city of Lincoln too.[8]

## Governance

[edit]

City of Lincoln Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Lincolnshire County Council. There are no civil parishes in the city, which is an unparished area.[9][10]

## Political control

[edit]

The council has been under Labour majority control since 2011.

Political control of the council since the 1974 reforms has been as follows:[11][12]

Party in control | Years

|

| Democratic Labour | 1974–1978
| No overall control | 1978–1979
| Conservative | 1979–1982
| Labour | 1982–2007
| Conservative | 2007–2010
| No overall control | 2010–2011
| Labour | 2011–present

### Leadership

[edit]

The role of Mayor of Lincoln is now largely ceremonial. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 1974 have been:[13]

Councillor | Party | From | To

|
|
|

Fred Allen |  | Democratic Labour | 1 Apr 1974 | May 1975
Jean Bates[14][15] |  | Democratic Labour | May 1975 | 3 Oct 1978
Cecil Robinson[16] |  | Conservative | 3 Oct 1978 | May 1979
Jim Sullivan[17] |  | Conservative | May 1979 | May 1982
Peter Archer[18] |  | Labour | May 1982 | May 1984
Derek Miller[19] |  | Labour | May 1984 | May 1993
Chris Meanwell[20] |  | Labour | May 1993 | May 1995
Roland Hurst |  | Labour | May 1995 | May 1999
Ric Metcalfe[21] |  | Labour | 18 May 1999 | 22 May 2007
Edmund Strengiel |  | Conservative | 22 May 2007 | May 2008
Darren Grice |  | Conservative | May 2008 | 24 May 2011
Ric Metcalfe |  | Labour | 24 May 2011 | 7 May 2024
Naomi Tweddle |  | Labour Co-op | 14 May 2024 |

### Composition

[edit]

Following the 2024 election, the composition of the council was:[22]

Party  | Councillors

|

| Labour | 23
| Conservative | 5
| Liberal Democrats | 5
Total | 33

The next election is due in 2026.

## Elections

[edit]

See also: City of Lincoln Council elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2016 the council has comprised 33 councillors representing 11 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. Lincolnshire County Council elections are held in the fourth year of the cycle when there are no city council elections.[23]

## Premises

[edit]

City Hall, Beaumont Fee, Lincoln, LN1 1DD: Council's main offices

Council meetings are held at the Guildhall on Saltergate; the current building was completed c. 1520 on a site which had been used as a guildhall since 1237, having been created from part of one of the gates in the city wall.[24][25][26]

The council's main offices are at City Hall on Beaumont Fee, which was built in 1973 and formally opened on 16 March 1974.[27]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Karran, Ellis; Maslin, Eleanor (7 May 2024). "Lincoln welcomes new council leader and new mayor". BBC News. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
2. ^ Griffin, Joe (7 May 2024). "Naomi Tweddle chosen as next City of Lincoln Council leader following Ric Metcalfe's retirement". Lincolnshire Live. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
3. ^ "Lincoln council appoints new chief executive". ITV News. 6 July 2015. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
4. ^ "Councillors". City of Lincoln Council. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
5. ^ "Famous Lincoln landmark wins prestigious award". Lincolnshire Live. 29 March 2019. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
6. ^ Municipal Corporations Act 1835
7. ^ "Relationships and changes Lincoln MB/CB through time". A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
8. ^ "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972". legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
9. ^ "Local Government Act 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1972 c. 70, retrieved 31 May 2023
10. ^ "Election Maps". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
11. ^ "Compositions calculator". The Elections Centre. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
12. ^ "Lincoln". BBC News Online. 2009-04-19. Retrieved 2010-05-07.
13. ^ "Council minutes". City of Lincoln Council. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
14. ^ "Woman leader for city council". Lincolnshire Echo. Lincoln. 1 March 1975. p. 1. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
15. ^ "Tories take over – and get warning from Dem-Labs". Lincolnshire Echo. Lincoln. 4 October 1978. p. 1. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
16. ^ "City Council leader not to stand". Lincolnshire Echo. Lincoln. 27 March 1979. p. 1. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
17. ^ "Tories draw up 'Better Lincoln' plan". Lincolnshire Echo. Lincoln. 10 May 1979. p. 1. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
18. ^ "Lincoln's rulers decide future". Lincolnshire Echo. Lincoln. 7 May 1982. p. 1. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
19. ^ "Leader retires". Lincoln Target. 13 May 1993. p. 9. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
20. ^ "Leader goes in Labour Party's shake-up". Lincolnshire Echo. Lincoln. 9 May 1995. p. 3. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
21. ^ "New boss for City Council". Lincolnshire Echo. Lincoln. 10 May 1999. p. 12. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
22. ^ "RETURNING OFFICER'S DECLARATION OF RESULT". City of Lincoln Council.
23. ^ "The Lincoln (Electoral Changes) Order 2015", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2015/1461
24. ^ Historic England. "Stonebow and Guildhall, Lincoln (1388605)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
25. ^ "The Stonebow and Guildhall" (PDF). Lincolnshire Museums. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
26. ^ Antram, N.; Pevsner, N.; J., Harris (1989). The Buildings of England: Lincolnshire. Yale University Press. p. 503\. ISBN 978-0300096200.
27. ^ "City Hall opened - and relic saved". Lincolnshire Echo. Lincoln. 18 March 1974. p. 7. Retrieved 26 November 2023.

*[c.]: circa