Editing Middlesbrough (section)

==Local government==
{{See also|Middlesbrough Council|Borough of Middlesbrough|History of local government in Yorkshire}}
The local authority is [[Middlesbrough Council]], a [[unitary authority]]. Middlesbrough also forms part of the [[Tees Valley Combined Authority]].

===Political control===
The council has been under [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] majority control since the [[2023 Middlesbrough Council election|2023 election]].<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Lightfoot |first1=Gareth |last2=Arnold |first2=Stuart |last3=Craigie |first3=Emily |date=2023-05-06 |title=RECAP: Labour gain control of Middlesbrough Council |url=https://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teesside-news/live-teesside-elections-middlesbrough-mayor-26834784 |access-date=2023-05-07 |website=TeessideLive |language=en}}</ref>

Political control of the council since it was re-established in 1974 has been as follows:<ref name=electionscentre>{{cite web |title=Compositions calculator |url=https://www.electionscentre.co.uk/?page_id=3825 |website=The Elections Centre | date=4 March 2016 |access-date=9 September 2022}}</ref>

'''Non-metropolitan district'''
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="2"|Party in control!!Years
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}} || 1974–1996
|}

'''Unitary authority'''
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan="2"|Party in control!!Years
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}} || 1996–2019
|-
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} || 2019–2023
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}} || 2023–present 
|}

===Leadership of the Council===
Since 2002, political leadership on the council has been provided by the directly elected [[Mayor of Middlesbrough]]. Prior to 2002 the council was led by a [[leader of the council]], and the mayor had a more ceremonial role. The leaders from 1981 to 2002 were:
{| class=wikitable
! Councillor !! colspan=2|Party !! From !! To
|-
| Walter Ferrier<ref>{{cite news |last1=Robson |first1=Dave |title=Councillor Walter Ferrier who spent 57 years serving the people of Middlesbrough has died |url=https://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teesside-news/councillor-walter-ferrier-who-spent-8805893 |access-date=22 February 2024 |work=Teesside Live |date=9 March 2015}}</ref> || {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}} || align=right|1981 || align=right|1983
|-
| Michael Carr<ref>{{cite news |last1=Dale |first1=Sarah |title=Middlesbrough councillor receives OBE at Buckingham Palace |url=https://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teesside-news/middlesbrough-councillor-receives-obe-buckingham-7917660 |access-date=22 February 2014 |work=Teesside Live |date=10 October 2014}}</ref> || {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}} || align=right|1983 || align=right|1995
|-
| Ken Walker<ref>{{cite news |last1=McKenzie |first1=Sandy |title=Ex Middlesbrough Council leader tells of his regrets |url=https://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/local-news/ex-middlesbrough-council-leader-tells-3719880 |access-date=22 February 2024 |work=Teesside Live |date=6 April 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Leader's mission to modify is over at last |url=https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/7075699.leaders-mission-modify-last/ |access-date=22 February 2024 |work=Northern Echo |date=1 May 2002}}</ref> || {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}} || align=right|1995 || align=right|5 May 2002
|}

The directly elected mayors since 2002 have been:
{| class=wikitable
! Mayor !! colspan=2|Party !! From !! To
|-
| [[Ray Mallon]] || {{Party name with colour|Independent politician}} || align=right|6 May 2002 || align=right|10 May 2015
|-
| [[Dave Budd (politician)|Dave Budd]] || {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}} || align=right|11 May 2015 || align=right|5 May 2019
|-
| [[Andy Preston (politician)|Andy Preston]] || {{Party name with colour|Independent politician}} || align=right|6 May 2019 || align=right|7 May 2023
|-
| [[Chris Cooke (politician)|Chris Cooke]] || {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}} || align=right|8 May 2023 || 
|}

===Administrative history===
Middlesbrough was historically a [[Township (England)|township]] in the [[civil parish]] of [[Acklam, Middlesbrough|West Acklam]] in the [[Langbaurgh Wapentake]] of [[Yorkshire]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Middlesbrough North Riding |url=https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/455/units |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220118171919/https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/455/units |archive-date=18 January 2022 |access-date=19 September 2021}}</ref> Despite having no church building, a [[perpetual curacy]] of Middlesbrough was created in 1744, also covering the neighbouring township of [[Linthorpe]], and the curacy of Middlesbrough gradually came to be treated as a [[civil parish]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Tweddell |first=George Markham |url=https://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/YKS/NRY/Middlesbrough/Middlesbrough90 |title=Bulmer's History and Directory of North Yorkshire |date=1890 |access-date=17 September 2023 |archive-date=12 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231212065804/https://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/YKS/NRY/Middlesbrough/Middlesbrough90 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Youngs |first=Frederic A. |title=Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England: Volume II |date=1991 |publisher=Royal Historical Society |isbn=0861931270 |location=London |page=582}}</ref>

After construction of the modern town began in 1830, there was a need for more urban forms of local government. In 1841 a body of [[improvement commissioners]] was set up covering the township of Middlesbrough and part of the township of Linthorpe.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Middlesbrough Improvement and Market Act 1841 |url=https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/Vict/4-5/68/contents/enacted |access-date=17 September 2023 |website=legislation.gov.uk |publisher=The National Archives |archive-date=1 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230901225945/https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/Vict/4-5/68/contents/enacted |url-status=live }}</ref> The commissioners were superseded in 1853 when the same area was made a [[municipal borough]]. The borough boundaries were extended in 1858, 1866 and 1887.<ref>Middlesbrough Improvement Act 1858 (21 & 22 Vict. c. 140)</ref><ref>Middlesbrough Extension and Improvement Act 1866 (29 & 30 Vict. c. 143)</ref> When elected county councils were created in 1889 under the [[Local Government Act 1888]], Middlesbrough became a [[county borough]]. It was then independent from the new [[North Riding County Council]], whilst remaining part of the [[North Riding of Yorkshire]] for ceremonial purposes.<ref>{{cite legislation UK|type=act|act=Local Government Act 1888|year=1888|chapter=41|access-date=18 September 2023}}</ref>

By this time, the borough covered the civil parish of Middlesbrough and parts of the parishes of Linthorpe (where the old township had been made a separate parish in 1866), [[Marton, Middlesbrough|Marton]], and West Acklam. The [[Local Government Act 1894]] said that parishes could no longer straddle borough boundaries, and so the parish of Middlesbrough was enlarged to cover the whole borough.<ref name="VoB">{{Cite web |title=Middlesbrough Civil Parish |url=https://visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10448785#tab02 |access-date=18 September 2023 |website=A Vision of Britain through Time |publisher=GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth |archive-date=18 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231018034133/https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10448785#tab02 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gFIwAQAAMAAJ&dq=Annual+Report+of+the+Local+Government+Board&pg=PA601 |title=Annual Report of the Local Government Board |date=1895 |publisher=Local Government Board |location=London |page=287 |access-date=18 September 2023 |archive-date=15 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231215214641/https://books.google.com/books?id=gFIwAQAAMAAJ&dq=Annual+Report+of+the+Local+Government+Board&pg=PA601 |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:Acklam Hall, Middlesbrough - geograph.org.uk - 3344360.jpg|thumb|right|[[Acklam Hall]], built 1680s: Manor house in the parish of West Acklam which historically included Middlesbrough. West Acklam was absorbed into Middlesbrough in 1932.]]
The borough was further enlarged in 1913, taking in the rest of Linthorpe and the [[North Ormesby]] area from the parish of Ormesby.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Local Government Board's Provisional Order Confirmation (No. 18) Act 1913 |url=https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/Geo5/3-4/142/contents/enacted |access-date=19 September 2023 |website=legislation.gov.uk |publisher=The National Archives |archive-date=1 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230901200153/https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/Geo5/3-4/142/contents/enacted |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1932 it gained West Acklam and smaller parts from other parishes when the [[Middlesbrough Rural District]] was abolished.<ref name=VoB/>

In the latter half of the 20th century, Middlesbrough was affected by three reforms: in [[Local Government Commission for England (1958–1967)|1968]], Middlesbrough became part of the [[Teesside County Borough]]; in [[Local Government Act 1972|1974]], it became the [[county town]] of the [[Cleveland (county)|Cleveland]] non-metropolitan county until its abolition and in [[Local Government Commission for England (1992)|1996]], the [[Borough of Middlesbrough]] became a [[unitary authority]] of [[North Yorkshire]]. In 2011, a [[local enterprise partnership]] was formed from the former Cleveland boroughs and the [[borough of Darlington]] called [[Tees Valley]]. In 2016 the area appointed a [[combined authority]] mayor.