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Humberside County Council

Humberside County Council was the county council of the non-metropolitan county of Humberside in northern England, which was created in 1974 and abolished in 1996.

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Aug 9, 2026
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Humberside County Council
Coat of arms or logo
History
Founded1 April 1974
Disbanded31 March 1996
Succeeded byNorth Lincolnshire
North East Lincolnshire
Kingston upon Hull
East Riding of Yorkshire
Elections
First election
12 April 1973
Last election
6 May 1993
Meeting place
County Hall, Cross Street, Beverley

Humberside County Council was the county council of the non-metropolitan county of Humberside in northern England, which was created in 1974 and abolished in 1996.

History

Humberside was a non-metropolitan county governed by Humberside County Council and nine non-metropolitan district councils. The county council came into its powers on 1 April 1974 and was abolished in 1996.1 The county council was based at County Hall in Beverley.2 On 1 April 1996 the county council was replaced with four unitary authorities: North Lincolnshire, North East Lincolnshire, Kingston upon Hull and East Riding of Yorkshire.1

The coat of arms was submitted to the council for approval by a resident of Humberside (in Thorngumbald), and depicts several characters in the blazon. The shield bears two Yorkshire roses, a pair of gold fleur-de-lys for Lincolnshire and a gold ducet for Hull. The crest depicts a blue eagle issuing from the old East Riding arms - an allusion of the new deriving from the old. The eagles has droplets on its wings, representing North Sea oil. A sword represents Scunthorpe steel, with a dolphin, anchor, waves and globe representing the docks and shipping of the Humber, and the goddess Ceres represents agriculture.3

Political control

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 1974 until its abolition in 1996 was as follows:45

Party in control Years
Labour 1974–1977
Conservative 1977–1981
Labour 1981–1985
No overall control 1985–1989
Labour 1989–1996

Leadership

The leaders of the council were:

Councillor Party From To
Harry Lewis67 Labour 1 Apr 1974 May 1977
John Townend89 Conservative May 1977 May 1979
Spencer Rudkin101112 Conservative 9 May 1979 May 1981
Michael Wheaton1314 Labour May 1981 May 1984
Terry Geraghty1516 Labour May 1984 May 1992
Maggie Smith1718 Labour 13 May 1992 31 Mar 1996

Council elections

  • 1973 Humberside County Council election
  • 1977 Humberside County Council election
  • 1981 Humberside County Council election
  • 1985 Humberside County Council election
  • 1989 Humberside County Council election
  • 1993 Humberside County Council election

County result maps

  • 1981 results map
    1981 results map
References

References

  1. "The Humberside (Structural Change) Order 1995". Legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  2. Whitaker's Almanack 1982, p. 628
  3. Kershaw, Ronald (15 July 1976). "Humberside". The Times. No. 59796. p. 20. ISSN 0140-0460.
  4. "Compositions Calculator". The Elections Centre. University of Exeter. Retrieved 21 May 2025. (Put "Humberside" in search box to see specific results.)
  5. "Humberside County Council Election Results 1973-1993" (PDF). Elections Centre. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
  6. "Dawn of a new era". Grimsby Evening Telegraph. 1 April 1974. p. 5. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
  7. "Harry Lewis shock for Humberside". Hull Daily Mail. 9 May 1977. p. 1. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
  8. "Taking up the reins". Grimsby Evening Telegraph. 10 May 1977. p. 1. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
  9. "South Bank trio tops". Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph. 3 May 1979. p. 9. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
  10. "Bridge ready in 'about a year'". Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph. 10 May 1979. p. 1. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
  11. "Humberside rates". The Times. London. 16 April 1981. p. 15.
  12. "Tories may pick new leader". Hull Daily Mail. 9 May 1981. p. 1. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
  13. "School meals rise scrapped". Hull Daily Mail. 12 May 1981. p. 7. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
  14. "Council chief to stand down". Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph. 25 April 1984. p. 1. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
  15. "Start with a day off". Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph. 22 May 1984. p. 1. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
  16. "Geraghty hits back!". Hull Daily Mail. 11 May 1992. p. 1. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
  17. "New Labour leader denies plot". Hull Daily Mail. 11 May 1992. p. 6. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
  18. "Ex-county leader back in new role". Hull Daily Mail. 30 April 1996. p. 5. Retrieved 22 June 2025.