Politics
Originally two separate metropolitan boroughs with their own town halls and administrations, it has today a single united local government authority, the Kensington & Chelsea London Borough Council, based in Kensington. One of its more notable (and controversial) Leaders was Nicholas Freeman, who was Leader from 1977 until 1989. The present Leader of the Council is Sir Merrick Cockell. He was elected in April 2000. Currently there are 42 Conservative councillors, 9 Labour and 3 Liberal Democrat.
The borough now shares a Chief Executive with neighbouring Hammersmith & Fulham, and the two boroughs have also combined a number of services and departments with one another and also with Westminster City Council.
The borough is divided between two constituencies represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom:
- Kensington, held by Sir Malcolm Rifkind for the Conservative Party, and
- Chelsea and Fulham, held by Greg Hands for the Conservative Party.
At the previous General Election in 2005, the borough was divided differently:
- Kensington and Chelsea, held by Malcolm Rifkind for the Conservative Party, and
- Regent's Park and Kensington North, held by Karen Buck for the Labour Party.
| Evolution of Parliamentary constituencies in Kensington and Chelsea | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| From 1885 | From Feb 1974 | From 1997 | From 2010 |
| Kensington North | Kensington | Regent's Park and Kensington North | Kensington |
| Kensington South | Kensington and Chelsea | ||
| Chelsea | Chelsea and Fulham | ||
Read more about this topic: Royal Borough Of Kensington And Chelsea
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