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Hounslow London Borough Council
Hounslow London Borough Council
Type
Type	London borough council
Leadership
Mayor	Karen Smith, ; Labour ; since 28 May 2024
Leader	Shantanu Rajawat, ; Labour ; since 5 May 2022
Chief Executive	Niall Bolger ; since December 2018
Structure
Seats	62 councillors
Political groups	Administration (51) Labour (51) Other Parties (11) Conservative (9) Workers Party of Britain (1) Independent (1)
Elections
Voting system	Plurality-at-large
Last election	5 May 2022
Next election	7 May 2026
Meeting place
	Hounslow House, 7 Bath Road, Hounslow, TW3 3EB
Website
	www.hounslow.gov.uk

Hounslow London Borough Council, also known as Hounslow Council, is the local authority for the London Borough of Hounslow in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in London. The council has been under Labour majority control since 2010. The council is based at Hounslow House on Bath Road in Hounslow.

History

The London Borough of Hounslow and its council were created under the London Government Act 1963, with the first election held in 1964. For its first year the council acted as a shadow authority alongside the area's three outgoing authorities, being the borough councils of Brentford and Chiswick and Heston and Isleworth and the urban district council of Feltham. The new council formally came into its powers on 1 April 1965, at which point the old districts and their councils were abolished.^[3]^[4] The council's full legal name is the "Mayor and Burgesses of the London Borough of Hounslow", although it styles itself Hounslow Council.^[5]^[6]

From 1965 until 1986 the council was a lower-tier authority, with upper-tier functions provided by 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 boroughs (including Hounslow) responsible for "personal" services such as social care, libraries, cemeteries and refuse collection. As an outer London borough council Hounslow has been a local education authority since 1965. The Greater London Council was abolished in 1986 and its functions passed to the London Boroughs, with some services provided through joint committees.^[7]

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.^[8]

Powers and functions

The local authority derives its powers and functions from the London Government Act 1963 and subsequent legislation, and has the powers and functions of a London borough council. It sets council tax and as a billing authority also collects precepts for Greater London Authority functions and business rates.^[9] It sets planning policies which complement Greater London Authority and national policies, and decides on almost all planning applications accordingly. It is a local education authority and is also responsible for council housing, social services, libraries, waste collection and disposal, traffic, and most roads and environmental health.^[10]

Political control

The council has been under Labour majority control since 2010.

The first election was held in 1964, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until it came into its powers on 1 April 1965. Political control of the council since 1965 has been as follows:^[11]^[12]

Party in control		Years
	Labour	1965–1968
	Conservative	1968–1971
	Labour	1971–2006
	No overall control	2006–2010
	Labour	2010–present

Leadership

The role of Mayor of Hounslow is largely ceremonial. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 1965 have been:^[13]^[14]

Councillor		From	To
Alf King	Labour	1965	1968
Dyas Usher	Conservative	1968	1969
George Henniker^[15]	Conservative	1969	1971
Alf King	Labour	1971	1986
John Grigg	Labour	1986	1987
David Wetzel	Labour	1987	1991
John Chatt	Labour	1991	1999
John Connelly	Labour	1999	2002
John Chatt	Labour	2002	18 May 2004
Colin Ellar	Labour	18 May 2004	7 May 2006
Peter Thompson	Conservative	23 May 2006	25 May 2010
Jagdish Sharma	Labour	25 May 2010	10 Jun 2014
Steve Curran	Labour	10 Jun 2014	31 May 2022
Shantanu Rajawat	Labour	31 May 2022

Composition

Following the 2022 election and by-elections and changes of allegiance up to May 2024, the composition of the council was as follows:^[16]

Party		Councillors
	Labour	51
	Conservative	9
	Workers Party	1
	Independent	1
Total		62

The next election is due in May 2026.

Elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2022 the council has comprised 62 councillors representing 22 wards, with each ward electing two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years.^[17]