Cleveland County Council | |
---|---|
Type | |
Type | |
History | |
Founded | 1 April 1974 |
Disbanded | 31 March 1996 |
Succeeded by |
Hartlepool Stockton-on-Tees Middlesbrough Redcar and Cleveland |
Meeting place | |
Municipal Buildings, Middlesbrough |
Cleveland County Council was the county council of the non-metropolitan county of Cleveland in north east England. It came into its powers on 1 April 1974 and was abolished on 31 March 1996.
The county council came into its powers on 1 April 1974 and established its base at Municipal Buildings in Middlesbrough. [1] It adopted the motto "Endeavour" to commemorate the name of Captain James Cook's ship, HMS Endeavour, which, in February 1768, was dispatched on a mission to find the postulated continent Terra Australis Incognita (or "unknown southern land") in the south Pacific. [2]
Following the recommendations of the Banham Commission, which had recommended the transfer of power in the county to unitary authorities, [3] the county council was abolished on 31 March 1996. [4] It was replaced with four unitary authorities: Hartlepool, Stockton-on-Tees, Middlesbrough and Redcar and Cleveland. [5] The four districts were re-allocated to the ceremonial counties of County Durham (Hartlepool and north Stockton) and North Yorkshire (south Stockton, Middlesbrough and Redcar & Cleveland) so facilitating the abolition of the ceremonial county of Cleveland as well as the abolition of the administrative county of Cleveland. [6]
The first election to the council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority before coming into its powers on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council from 1973 until its abolition in 1996 was held by the following parties: [7]
Party in control | Years | |
---|---|---|
Labour | 1973–1977 | |
Conservative | 1977–1981 | |
Labour | 1981–1996 |
The leaders of the council included:
Councillor | Party | From | To | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Maurice Sutherland [8] [9] | Labour | 1973 | 1977 | |
Arthur Pearson [10] [11] | Conservative | pre-1978 | post-1979 | |
Maurice Sutherland | Labour | 1981 | 1985 | |
Bryan Hanson [12] [13] | Labour | 1985 | 1989 | |
Paul Harford [14] [15] | Labour | 1989 | post-1995 |
Sir Maurice Sutherland, leader of Cleveland County Council from 1973–77 and 1981–85, becomes a Master of Law.