Stevenage Borough Council

History

Stevenage's first elected council was a local board established in 1873, prior to which the town had been administered by the parish vestry. Such local boards were converted into urban district councils in 1894. The Local Government Act 1972 reconstituted Stevenage Urban District as a non-metropolitan district with effect from 1 April 1974. The district was awarded borough status on the same date, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor.

Governance

Stevenage Borough Council provides district-level services. County-level functions are provided by Hertfordshire County Council. There are no civil parishes in the borough.

Political control

The first elections to the borough council as reformed under the Local Government Act 1972 were held in 1973, initially acting as a shadow authority until the new arrangements took effect on 1 April 1974. The Labour Party has held a majority of the seats on the council since 1974:

Leadership

The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Stevenage, and is usually held by a different councillor each year. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 1974 have been:

Composition

Following the 2024 election and subsequent changes up to September 2025, the composition of the council is as follows:

The next scheduled election is due in May 2026, when a third of the council's seats will be up for election.

Elections

Main article: Stevenage Borough Council elections

Since the last ward boundary changes in 2024 the council has comprised 39 councillors, with the borough being divided into 13 wards each electing three councillors. Elections are held three years out of every four, electing one councillor from each ward each time to serve a four-year term of office. Hertfordshire County Council elections are held in the fourth year of the cycle when there are no borough council elections.

The wards are:

• Almond Hill
• Bandley Hill and Poplars
• Bedwell
• Chells
• Longmeadow
• Manor
• Martins Wood
• Old Town
• Roebuck
• St Nicholas
• Shephall
• Symonds Green
• Woodfield

Premises

The council is based at Daneshill House on Danestrete in the town centre. The building was built in 1961 for the development corporation which oversaw the development of Stevenage as a New Town between 1946 and 1980. The building was bought by the council in 1980 when the development corporation was wound up.

Arms

References

References

1. (24 May 2025). "Nazmin Chowdhury 'humbled' to be appointed new Stevenage mayor". Essex Live.
2. "Council minutes, 14 December 2022".
3. (23 January 2025). "Tom Pike appointed new Chief Executive Officer".
4. "Political Makeup". Stevenage Borough Council.
5. https://democracy.stevenage.gov.uk/mgMemberIndex.aspx?FN=PARTY&VW=LIST&PIC=0
6. {{London Gazette. (3 October 1873)
7. "Stevenage Urban District". GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth.
8. (28 March 1974). "District Councils and Boroughs".
9. "Compositions Calculator". University of Exeter.
10. (25 May 2006). "End of an era". The Comet.
11. "Mayors of Stevenage from 1974".
12. "Council minutes, 23 May 2006".
13. "Council minutes, 14 December 2022".
14. (4 May 2024). "Local elections 2024: full mayoral and council results for England". The Guardian.
15. Heath, Martin. (2025-09-17). "Stevenage Labour councillor defects to Reform UK".
16. "Stevenage". Thorncliffe.
17. {{cite legislation UK. (2023)
18. (2020). "The New Town Centre, Stevenage, Hertfordshire: Architecture and Significance". Historic England.
19. "East of England Region". Civic Heraldry of England.