Brent London Borough Council, also known as Brent Council, is the local authority for the London Borough of Brent in Greater London, England. The council is responsible for the provision of a range of services within the borough. The council has been under no overall control since May 2026, led by a Labour minority administration. It is based at Brent Civic Centre in Engineers Way, Wembley.
History The London Borough of Brent and its council were created under the London Government Act 1963, with the first election held in 1964. For its first year the council acted as a shadow authority alongside the area's two outgoing authorities, being the borough councils of Wembley and Willesden. The new council formally came into its powers on 1 April 1965, at which point the old districts and their councils were abolished.
The council's full legal name is the "Mayor and Burgesses of the London Borough of Brent", although it styles itself Brent Council.
From 1965 until 1986 the council was a lower-tier authority, with upper-tier functions provided by the Greater London Council. The split of powers and functions meant that the Greater London Council was responsible for "wide area" services such as fire, ambulance, flood prevention, and refuse disposal; with the boroughs (including Brent) responsible for "personal" services such as social care, libraries, cemeteries and refuse collection. As an outer London borough council Brent has been a local education authority since 1965. The Greater London Council was abolished in 1986 and its functions passed to the London Boroughs, with some services provided through joint committees.
Since 2000 the Greater London Authority has taken some responsibility for highways and planning control from the council, but within the English local government system the council remains a "most purpose" authority in terms of the available range of powers and functions.
On Valentine's Day in 2016, the Council launched its ‘Love Where You Live’ campaign, an initiative which encouraged local people to work alongside the Council and make Brent a better, happier place to live. Groups such as Kensal Green Streets, Harlesden Environmental Action Residents, Northwest TWO and Keep Wembley Tidy all took action as a result of the campaign. In June 2016, a short, community-based documentary called ‘Stories of Brent’ was produced, based on the campaign, starring Audley Harrison, Rachel Yankey and Liz Mitchell from Boney M. Brent was the London Borough of Culture in 2020, receiving £1.35m of funding under a new initiative launched by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan.
Powers and functions The local authority derives its powers and functions from the London Government Act 1963 and subsequent legislation, and has the powers and functions of a London borough council. It sets council tax and as a billing authority it also collects precepts for Greater London Authority functions and business rates. It sets planning policies which complement Greater London Authority and national policies, and decides on almost all planning applications accordingly. It is also the local education authority.
Political control The council has been under no overall control since May 2026.
The first election to the council was held in 1964, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new arrangements came into effect on 1 April 1965. Political control of the council since 1965 has been as follows: (Put "Brent" in search box to see specific results.)
Party in control Years 1965–1968 1968–1971 1971–1982 1982–1986 1986–1990 1990–1998 1998–2006 2006–2010 2010–2026 2026-
Leadership Political leadership is provided by the leader of the council. The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Brent. The leaders since 1965 have been:
Councillor Party From To George Swannell 1965 1968 Edwin Lee 1968 1971 Philip Hartley 1971 1977 James Goudie 1977 1978 John Lebor 1978 1981 Tom Bryson 1981 1983 Martin Coleman 1983 1986 Merle Amory 1986 1988 Dorman Long 1988 1990 Bob Blackman 1990 1996 Paul Daisley Apr 1996 2001 Ann John 2001 May 2006 Paul Lorber 26 Jun 2006 May 2010 Ann John 26 May 2010 May 2012 Muhammed Butt 16 May 2012
Elections
Since the last boundary changes in 2022 the council has comprised 57 councillors representing 22 wards, with each ward electing two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years.
Following the 2026 election the composition of the council was:
Party Councillors 26 11 11 9Total57
The next election is due in May 2030.
Premises
The council is based at Brent Civic Centre on Engineers Way in the Wembley Park area of the borough. The building was purpose-built for the council and opened in 2013. Prior to 2013 the council was based at Brent Town Hall, on Forty Lane in Wembley, which had been completed in 1940 for the old Wembley Borough Council, originally being called Wembley Town Hall.
See also Brent Housing Partnership
References
External links London Borough of Brent website