Walsall Council

Walsall Council
Logo
Type
Type
Leadership
Alan Fleming,
Reform UK
since 18 May 2026[1]
Elaine Williams,
Reform UK
since 21 May 2026
Emma Bennett
since October 2023[2]
Structure
Seats60 councillors
Graph of the party split among 60 seats.
Political groups
Administration (38)
    Reform (38)
Other parties (22)
    Conservative (10)
    Labour (1)
    Independent (11)
Length of term
4 years
Elections
First past the post
Last election
7 May 2026
Next election
6 May 2027
Meeting place
Council House, Lichfield Street, Walsall, WS1 1TW
Website
walsall.gov.uk

Walsall Council, formally Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council, is the local authority for the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall in the West Midlands, England. The town of Walsall had been a borough from medieval times, which was reformed on numerous occasions. Since 1974 the council has been a metropolitan borough council. It provides the majority of local government services in the borough. The council has been a member of the West Midlands Combined Authority since 2016.

The council has been under Reform UK majority control since the May 2026 election. The council meets at Walsall Council House and has its main offices at the adjoining Civic Centre.

History

The town of Walsall was an ancient borough. It also had a mayor from at least 1377. The town's claim to be a borough was not supported by a charter, leading to disputes with the lord of the manor. A formal charter was eventually issued in 1627.[3][4] The borough was reformed to become a municipal borough in 1836 under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835, which standardised how most boroughs operated across the country. It was then governed by a body formally called the 'mayor, aldermen and burgesses of the borough of Walsall', generally known as the corporation, town council or borough council.[5]

Walsall Guildhall: Seat of local government in Walsall until 1905

When elected county councils were established in 1889, Walsall was considered large enough to provide its own county-level services, and so it became a county borough, independent from the new Staffordshire County Council, whilst remaining part of the geographical county of Staffordshire. The borough was enlarged in 1966 to take in Darlaston and Willenhall.[6]

The modern metropolitan borough and its council were established in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, as one of seven boroughs in the new metropolitan county of the West Midlands. The new borough covered the combined area of the old county borough of Walsall plus the neighbouring Aldridge-Brownhills Urban District.[7] The metropolitan district was awarded borough status from its creation, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor, continuing Walsall's series of mayors dating back to the fourteenth century.[8] The council styles itself Walsall Council rather than its full formal name of Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council.[9]

From 1974 until 1986 the council was a lower-tier authority, with upper-tier functions provided by the West Midlands County Council. The county council was abolished in 1986 and its functions passed to the county's seven borough councils, including Walsall, with some services provided through joint committees.[10]

Since 2016 the council has been a member of the West Midlands Combined Authority, which has been led by the directly elected Mayor of the West Midlands since 2017. The combined authority provides strategic leadership and co-ordination for certain functions across the county, but Walsall Council continues to be responsible for most local government functions.[11][12]

Governance

Walsall Council provides metropolitan borough services. Some strategic functions in the area are provided by the West Midlands Combined Authority; the council appoints two of its councillors to sit on the board of the combined authority as Walsall's representatives.[13] There are no civil parishes in the borough.[14]

Political control

Reform UK have held majority control after winning 40 of the 60 seats in the 2026 Local Elections.

Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows:[15][16]

Party in controlYears
Labour1974–1976
No overall control1976–1980
Labour1980–1982
No overall control1982–1988
Labour1988–1992
No overall control1992–1995
Labour1995–1996
No overall control1996–1999
Labour1999–2000
No overall control2000–2004
Conservative2004–2011
No overall control2011–2019
Conservative2019-2026
No overall control[17]2026–2026
Reform[18]2026-present

Leadership

The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Walsall. Political leadership is provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 1980 have been:

CouncillorPartyFromTo
Brian Powell[19][20]LabourMay 1980May 1982
Bert Smith[a][25][26]Conservative1982May 1986
Eric Alison[27][28]LabourMay 198617 Jun 1988
Geoff Edge[29][30]LabourJul 1988Apr 1990
Jim Gavin[30][31]LabourApr 1990May 1992
Mike Bird[32][33]ConservativeMay 1992May 1995
Dave Church[34][35]LabourMay 199512 Dec 1995
Independent12 Dec 199522 Jan 1996
Ray Farrell[36][37]Labour22 Jan 199629 Nov 1998
Bill Madeley[38][39]LabourJan 1999May 1999
Harold Withnall[39][40]LabourMay 1999May 2000
Mike Bird[40][41]ConservativeMay 2000Oct 2001
Tom Ansell[41][42]ConservativeOct 2001May 2007
John O'Hare[43][44]Conservative23 May 2007May 2009
Mike Bird[45][46]Conservative20 May 200911 Aug 2014
Sean Coughlan[47][48]Labour11 Aug 20143 Jun 2015
Mike Bird[48][49]Conservative3 Jun 201525 May 2016
Sean Coughlan[50][51]Labour25 May 201623 May 2018
Mike Bird[51][52][53]Conservative23 May 20188 May 2024
Independent8 May 20243 Jun 2024
Garry Perry[54][55][56]Conservative3 Jun 202421 May 2025
Mike Bird[57][18]Conservative10 Jun 2025May 2026
Elaine Williams[58][1]Reform21 May 2026

Composition

Following the 2026 election and subsequent changes of allegiance up to July 2026, the composition of the council was:[59][60]

Party Seats
Reform38
Conservative10
Labour1
Independent11
Total 60

Eight of the independents sit together as the "Walsall Community Independents" group. The next election is due in May 2027.[60]

Premises

Civic Centre, Darwall Street

The council meets at the Council House on Lichfield Street, which had been completed in 1905 for the old borough council.[61] It replaced the earlier Guildhall on High Street, which had been built in 1867 on a site which had been occupied by the town's guildhall from the fifteenth century.[62] The council's main offices are in the Civic Centre on Darwall Street, which is linked to the Council House by a bridge over Darwall Street.[63]

Elections

Since the last boundary changes took effect in 2026, the council has comprised 60 councillors representing 20 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) being elected each time for a four-year term of office.[64]

Notes

  1. ↑ At the council's annual meeting in May 1982 it was decided not to appoint a leader.[21] Despite the lack of a formal appointment, the media routinely referred to Conservative leader Bert Smith as being the leader of the council.[22][23][24]

References

  1. 1 2 "Council minutes, 18 and 21 May 2026". Walsall Council. Retrieved 27 August 2026.
  2. ↑ "Emma Bennett, Chief Executive biography". Walsall Council. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  3. ↑ "History of the Mayor". Walsall Council. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
  4. ↑ Report of the Commissioners Appointed to Inquire into the Municipal Corporations in England and Wales: Appendix 3. 1835. p. 2045. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
  5. ↑ Municipal Corporations Act. 1835. p. 461. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
  6. ↑ "Walsall Municipal Borough / County Borough". A Vision of Britain through Time. GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
  7. ↑ "Local Government Act 1972: Schedule 1", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1972 c. 70 (sch. 1), retrieved 13 June 2024
  8. ↑ "District Councils and Boroughs". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 28 March 1974. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  9. ↑ "Find your local council". gov.uk. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
  10. ↑ "Local Government Act 1985", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1985 c. 51, retrieved 5 April 2024
  11. ↑ "The West Midlands Combined Authority Order 2016", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2016/653, retrieved 11 June 2024
  12. ↑ "Understand how your council works". gov.uk. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  13. ↑ "Contact details WMCA Board". West Midlands Combined Authority. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
  14. ↑ "Election Maps". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  15. ↑ "Compositions Calculator". The Elections Centre. University of Exeter. Retrieved 21 May 2025. (Put "Walsall" in search box to see specific results.)
  16. ↑ "England council elections". BBC News Online. 10 May 2011. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
  17. ↑ Alexander, Rachel (17 February 2026). "Tories lose majority at Walsall Council as another councillor resigns". Express and Star. Retrieved 28 August 2026.
  18. 1 2 Madden, Sophie (9 May 2026). "Hope for change after councils change hands". BBC News. Retrieved 27 August 2026.
  19. ↑ Foster, Mark (16 May 1980). "Power-politics!". Walsall Observer. p. 1. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  20. ↑ Foster, Mark (29 May 1982). "The axe starts to swing". Walsall Observer. p. 44. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  21. ↑ "Top of the chops". Walsall Observer. 21 May 1982. p. 36. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  22. ↑ "The "absurd" game". Sports Argus. Birmingham. 16 October 1982. p. 19. Retrieved 15 July 2025. Councillor Bert Smith, Conservative leader of Walsall Council...
  23. ↑ "Talks on bid to freeze rates". Wolverhampton Express and Star. 29 December 1982. p. 16. Retrieved 15 July 2025. Tory leader, Councillor Bert Smith, who heads a loose controlling coalition...
  24. ↑ "Battling - but outright win is unlikely". Sandwell Evening Mail. Birmingham. 30 April 1986. p. 29. Retrieved 15 July 2025. Labour is the biggest party with 25 seats but the Tories control the council with 19 seats and with help from nine Liberals and seven Independents. Councillor Bert Smith, leader of the Conservative-Independent group on Walsall council since 1982...
  25. ↑ "Nightmare of the bad old days". Walsall Observer. 2 May 1986. p. 17. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  26. ↑ "'Boss' Bert steps down". Walsall Observer. 27 June 1986. p. 28. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  27. ↑ "'Arrogant' jibe at new mayor's role". Walsall Observer. 30 May 1986. p. 17. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  28. ↑ "Tributes to town council leader". Wolverhampton Express and Star. 18 June 1988. p. 23. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
  29. ↑ "Labour job for edge". Sandwell Evening Mail. Birmingham. 9 July 1988. p. 1. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
  30. 1 2 "Labour's new boss". Walsall Observer. 5 April 1990. p. 5. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
  31. ↑ "Leader of council stays". Walsall Observer. 22 May 1992. p. 3. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
  32. ↑ Horton, Liz (22 May 1992). "Strike threat slammed". Walsall Observer. p. 8. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
  33. ↑ "Landslide victory for Labour group". Walsall Chronicle. 12 May 1995. p. 18. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
  34. ↑ "New leader vows changes". Walsall Chronicle. 19 May 1995. p. 1. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
  35. ↑ Wynn Davies, Patricia (13 December 1995). "Town Hall chaos as Church sticks to his guns". The Independent. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
  36. ↑ Hodges, Rebecca; Jones, Catherine (26 January 1996). "'No policies' new leader under fire". Walsall Chronicle. p. 1. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
  37. ↑ Tate, Emma (4 December 1998). "Council leader dies after illness". Walsall Chronicle. p. 3. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
  38. ↑ "Confirmed as council leader". Walsall Chronicle. 29 January 1999. p. 14. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
  39. 1 2 "Unanimous party elect new leader". Wolverhampton Express and Star. 14 May 1999. p. 37. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
  40. 1 2 "Council decide on committee chairmen". Walsall Chronicle. 26 May 2000. p. 6. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
  41. 1 2 "New council leader". Walsall Chronicle. 4 October 2001. p. 1. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
  42. ↑ "Cabinet minutes, 18 April 2007". Walsall Council. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
  43. ↑ "Council minutes, 23 May 2007". Walsall Council. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
  44. ↑ "Council reveals its new leader". Express and Star. 9 May 2009. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
  45. ↑ "Council minutes, 18–20 May 2009". Walsall Council. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
  46. ↑ "Labour takes control of Walsall Council after 14 years' opposition". BBC News. 11 August 2014. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
  47. ↑ "Council minutes, 11 August 2014". Walsall Council. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
  48. 1 2 "Council minutes, 1–3 June 2015". Walsall Council. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
  49. ↑ "Walsall Council 'to be run by a Labour-Lib Dem coalition'". BBC News. 17 May 2016. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
  50. ↑ "Council minutes, 23–25 May 2016". Walsall Council. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
  51. 1 2 Bagdi, Annabal (23 May 2018). "Conservatives officially back in control of Walsall Council". Express and Star. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
  52. ↑ Thomas, Emma (8 May 2024). "Council leader suspended by Tories after disciplinary". BBC News. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
  53. ↑ Thandi, Gurdip (8 May 2024). "Conservative Party suspends Walsall council leader following investigation". Birmingham Live. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
  54. ↑ "New Leader for Walsall Council". Walsall Council. 4 June 2024. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
  55. ↑ Asokan, Shyamantha (4 June 2024). "Council elects new leader after Tory suspension". BBC News. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
  56. ↑ Alexander, Rachel (21 May 2025). "Council leader resigns over 'political attrition'". BBC News. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
  57. ↑ Whittaker, Anna (11 June 2025). "Former council leader returns to top job". BBC News. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
  58. ↑ Alexander, Rachel (14 May 2026). "Next leader of Walsall Council among those named as group leaders". Birmingham Live. Retrieved 27 August 2026.
  59. ↑ "Open Council Data UK - compositions councillors parties wards elections emails". www.opencouncildata.co.uk. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  60. 1 2 "Walsall". Local Councils. Thorncliffe. Retrieved 25 July 2026.
  61. ↑ "Walsall Council". Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  62. ↑ Historic England. "Guildhall, Goodall Street (Grade II*) (1076399)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
  63. ↑ Historic England. "Council House, Walsall (1343029)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  64. ↑ "The Walsall (Electoral Changes) Order 2025", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2025/155, retrieved 28 August 2026
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