Torbay Council

Torbay Council
Executive mayor serving until 2019 Whole council elected every four years
Coat of arms
Council logo
Type
Type	Unitary authority council of Torbay
Houses	Unicameral
Term limits	None
History
Founded	1 April 1974
Preceded by	Torbay Borough Council (of the County Borough of Torbay)
Leadership
Executive mayor	Gordon Oliver, Conservative Since 5 May 2011
Chairman	Julien Parrott Since 14 May 2013
Structure
Seats	1 executive mayor 36 councillors
Council committees	10 Appeals Committee (Transport) Audit Committee Civic Committee Development Management Committee Employment Committee Harbour Committee Health and Wellbeing Board Licensing Committee Licensing Sub-Committee Standards Committee
Joint committees	Devon and Cornwall Police and Crime Panel Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Authority Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership
Conservatives	24 / 36
Lib Dems	8 / 36
Independent	3 / 36
Ukip	1 / 36
Elections
Council voting system	Plurality-at-large
Mayor voting system	Supplementary vote
Council last election	7 May 2015
Council next election	2 May 2019
Motto
SALUS ET FELICITAS (Health and Happiness)
Meeting place
Town Hall, Castle Circus, Torquay
Website
www.torbay.gov.uk
Constitution
Constitution, 30 July 2013

Torbay Council is the local authority of Torbay in Devon, England. It is a unitary authority, having the powers of a non-metropolitan county and district council combined. It provides a full range of local government services including Council Tax billing, libraries, social services, processing planning applications, waste collection and disposal, and it is a local education authority. The council appoints members to Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Authority and the Devon and Cornwall Police and Crime Panel. Torbay is divided into 15 wards, electing 36 councillors. The whole council is elected every four years with the last election taking place on 5 May 2011 and the next election scheduled for 2015. The council was created by the Local Government Act 1972 and replaced the Torbay Borough Council of the County Borough of Torbay. Since 1974 Torbay has held borough status which entitles the council to be known as Torbay Borough Council, although it has not used this name since becoming a unitary authority. The council is unusual in that its executive function is controlled by a directly elected mayor of Torbay, currently Gordon Oliver. Expenditure for the year 2013/2014 is budgeted to be £127 million.

The council was formed by the Local Government Act 1972 as the Torbay District Council. It replaced the existing Torbay Borough Council that was the local authority of the County Borough of Torbay and had been created in 1968. This earlier authority was the result of the amalgamation of Brixham Urban District Council, Paignton Urban District Council and Torquay Borough Council.

The current local authority was first elected in 1973, a year before formally coming into its powers and prior to the creation of the District of Torbay on 1 April 1974. The council gained borough status, entitling it to be known as Torbay Borough Council and to annually appoint a Mayor of Torbay.

It was envisaged through the Local Government Act 1972 that Torbay as a non-metropolitan district council would share power with the Devon County Council. This arrangement lasted until 1998 when the district council gained responsibility for services that had been provided within Torbay by the county council. Since gaining county council functions the council has gone by the name Torbay Council.