Cleveland County Council was the county council of the non-metropolitan county of Cleveland in north east England. It came into its powers on 1 April 1974 and was abolished on 31 March 1996.
History
The county council came into its powers on 1 April 1974 and established its base at Municipal Buildings in Middlesbrough.[1] It adopted the motto "Endeavour" to commemorate the name of Captain James Cook's ship, HMS Endeavour, which, in February 1768, was dispatched on a mission to find the postulated continent Terra Australis Incognita (or "unknown southern land") in the south Pacific.[2]
Following the recommendations of the Banham Commission, which had recommended the transfer of power in the county to unitary authorities,[3] the county council was abolished on 31 March 1996.[4] It was replaced with four unitary authorities: Hartlepool, Stockton-on-Tees, Middlesbrough and Redcar and Cleveland.[5] The four districts were re-allocated to the ceremonial counties of County Durham (Hartlepool and north Stockton) and North Yorkshire (south Stockton, Middlesbrough and Redcar & Cleveland) so facilitating the abolition of the ceremonial county of Cleveland as well as the abolition of the administrative county of Cleveland.[6]
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 1973 until its abolition in 1996 was held by the following parties:[7]
^"Wendy's degree of success". Newcastle Journal. 25 November 1994. p. 16. Retrieved 13 August 2022. Sir Maurice Sutherland, leader of Cleveland County Council from 1973–77 and 1981–85, becomes a Master of Law.
^Rodgers, William (15 March 2001). "Sir Maurice Sutherland". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 August 2022.