Torbay Council

Torbay Council is the local authority for Torbay, a unitary authority with borough status in the ceremonial county of Devon, England. The council is based in Torquay.

Following the 2023 election the Conservatives had a majority of the seats - however in October 2023 two Conservative members left the party to form a new group, Prosper Torbay. This leaves the Conservative group as a minority, though still in control of the council. The leader of the council is David Thomas.

History
The council was created on 1 April 1968 to govern the county borough of Torbay, which replaced the abolished municipal borough of Torquay, urban districts of Brixham and Paignton and civil parish of Churston Ferrers. The council's formal title on creation in 1968 was the "mayor, aldermen and burgesses of the borough of Torbay", informally known as the corporation or borough council. As a county borough, the council provided all local government services for the area.

Six years later local government was reorganised again, under the Local Government Act 1972. Torbay kept the same boundaries, but on 1 April 1974 it became a non-metropolitan district, with Devon County Council once more providing county-level services to the area. Torbay retained borough status, allowing the council to take the name "Torbay Borough Council" and letting the chair of the council take the title of mayor, continuing Torbay's series of mayors which had started in 1968.

Torbay regained its independence from the county council in 1998 when it was made a unitary authority, since when it has styled itself "Torbay Council". Between 2005 and 2019 the council had a directly elected mayor. Since 2019 political leadership has instead been provided by a leader of the council.

Governance
As a unitary authority, Torbay Council has the responsibilities of both a district council and county council combined. In its capacity as a district council it is a billing authority collecting Council Tax and business rates, and its responsibilities include town planning, housing, waste collection and environmental health. In its capacity as a county council it is a local education authority, and responsible for social services, libraries and waste disposal.

Torbay Council appoints two members to the Devon and Somerset Combined Fire Authority and appoints one member to the Devon and Cornwall Police and Crime Panel. The Torbay Health and Wellbeing Board is made up of representatives from Torbay Council and other local healthcare organisations.

Political control
The council is under Conservative control following the Conservatives winning a by-election in June 2024 following the death of independent councillor Patrick Joyce. This brought the Conservatives up to eighteen seats and with a tie-breaking casting vote hands of the Conservative mayor. The council had previously been under no overall control after two changes of allegiance in October 2023 saw the Conservatives lose the majority they had won in the May 2023 election.

Political control of the council since the 1974 reforms has been as follows:

Non-metropolitan district

Unitary authority

Leadership
Prior to 2005, political leadership was provided by the leader of the council. The leader from 2003 to 2005 was:

Between 2005 and 2019 the council had a directly elected mayor. The mayors were:

In 2019 the council reverted to having a leader instead of a directly elected mayor. The leaders since 2019 have been:

Composition
Following the 2023 election, two subsequent changes of allegiance in October 2023, and a by-election in June 2023, the composition of the council is:

Two of the independent councillors sit together as the "Independent Group." The next election is due in 2027 where all seats will be contested.

Premises
The council is based at Torquay Town Hall on Castle Circus, which had been completed in 1911 for the former Torquay Town Council.

On its creation in 1968 the council also inherited the former Paignton Urban District Council's headquarters at Oldway Mansion and the former Brixham Urban District Council's headquarters at Brixham Town Hall. Oldway Mansion was used as additional office space for the council until 2013. Brixham Town Hall was transferred to Brixham Town Council in 2011.

Elections
Since the last boundary changes in 2019 the council has comprised 36 councillors representing 16 wards, with each ward electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years.