Bracknell Forest Council, also known as Bracknell Forest Borough Council, is the local authority for Bracknell Forest, a local government district with borough status in Berkshire, England. Since 1998, the council has been a unitary authority, being a district council which also performs the functions of a county council. The council has been under no overall control since 2025, being run by a Labour minority administration. It is based at Time Square in Bracknell.
History The non-metropolitan district of Bracknell was created in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, covering the same area as the former Easthampstead Rural District, which had been created in 1894. Bracknell District Council was a lower-tier authority, with Berkshire County Council providing county-level services to the area. In 1988 the district was awarded borough status, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor. The council changed the district's name from Bracknell to Bracknell Forest at the same time, becoming Bracknell Forest Borough Council.
In 1998, Berkshire County Council was abolished and its functions were taken over by the county's six districts, including Bracknell Forest. Berkshire continues to exist as a ceremonial county and a non-metropolitan county, albeit without a county council. The council's full legal name remains Bracknell Forest Borough Council, but it styles itself Bracknell Forest Council.
Governance The council provides both district-level and county-level functions. The whole borough is covered by civil parishes, which form a second tier of local government for their areas.
Political control The council has been under no overall control since 2025, being run by a Labour minority administration. Labour had won a majority of the council's seats at the 2023 election. After two councillors left the Labour group in 2025, the council went under no overall control. The subsequent Labour minority administration was further reduced when the leader of the council, Mary Temperton, and a cabinet member were suspended from the party due to a fundraising scandal.
The first election to the council was held in 1973, initially acting as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until it came into its powers on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows: (Put "Bracknell Forest" in search box to see specific results.)
Lower-tier district council Party in controlYears 1974–1976 1976–1995 1995–1997 1997–1998
Unitary authority Party in controlYears 1998–2023 2023–2025 2025–present
Leadership The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Bracknell Forest. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 1984 have been:
Councillor Party From To Alan Ward 1984 May 1992 Bob Angell May 1992 May 1995 Austin McCormack May 1995 May 1997 Paul Bettison 13 May 1997 May 2023Mary Temperton 24 May 2023 3 March 2026Helen Purnell 25 March 2026
Composition Following the 2023 election and subsequent changes to July 2026, the composition of the council was as follows:
The next election is due in 2027.
Premises The council was originally based at Easthampstead House in Town Square, Bracknell, which had been built in 1970 for its predecessor authority, Easthampstead Rural District Council. In 1997 the council acquired additional office space in a modern building called Time Square on Market Street, Bracknell, with functions split between the two buildings for a time.Bracknell Forest Borough Council, planning application 622864 for change of use of offices to local authority use at Time Square, Market Street, Bracknell, granted 8 September 1997. Council meetings continued to be held at Easthampstead House until a new council chamber was created in Time Square in 2018, after which the council vacated Easthampstead House and is now solely based at Time Square.
Elections
Since the last boundary changes in 2023 the council has comprised 41 councillors representing 15 wards, with each ward electing two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years.
Notes
References
External links Official website