Editing Portsmouth (section)

== Politics ==

[[File:Portsmouth Guildhall 2014.JPG|thumb|left|The neo-classical [[Portsmouth Guildhall]] and surrounding [[Portsmouth Civic Offices|Civic Offices]] are the centre of government.|alt=A front-facing view of Portsmouth Guildhall and the surrounding civic offices]]

[[File:PortsmouthNorth2007Constituency.svg|thumb|upright=0.5|right|[[Portsmouth North (UK Parliament constituency)|Portsmouth North]] ]]

[[File:PortsmouthSouth2007Constituency.svg|thumb|upright=0.5|right|[[Portsmouth South (UK Parliament constituency)|Portsmouth South]] ]]

[[File:Portsmouth UK ward map 2010 (blank).svg|thumb|upright=0.5|right|The 14 electoral wards of Portsmouth]]

The city is administered by [[Portsmouth City Council]], a [[unitary authority]] which is responsible for local affairs. Portsmouth was granted its first market town charter in 1194.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.history.inportsmouth.co.uk/events/coatofarms.htm |title=Portsmouth first charter |publisher=Portsmouth City Council |access-date=8 March 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091014180617/http://www.history.inportsmouth.co.uk/events/coatofarms.htm |archive-date=14 October 2009}}</ref> In 1904, its boundaries were extended to all of Portsea Island and were later expanded onto the mainland of [[Great Britain]] between 1920 and 1932 by incorporating Paulsgrove, [[Wymering]], [[Cosham]], [[Drayton, Hampshire|Drayton]] and [[Farlington, Hampshire|Farlington]] into Portsmouth.<ref name="portsmouth1">{{cite web |title=The Portsmouth Encyclopaedia |url=https://www.portsmouth.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/lib-portsmouth-encyclopaedia-2011.pdf}}</ref> Portsmouth was granted [[City status in the United Kingdom|city status]] on 21 April 1926.<ref name="portsmouth1"/>

On 1 April 1974, it formed the second tier of local government (below [[Hampshire County Council]]);<ref>{{cite web |title=Local Government Review in England |url=https://www.parliament.uk/briefing-papers/RP95-84.pdf |publisher=Parliament UK |access-date=26 July 2016 |date=5 July 1995}}</ref> Portsmouth and Southampton became administratively independent of Hampshire with the creation of the unitary authority on 1 April 1997.{{sfn|Hewitt|2013|p=18}}

The city is divided into two parliamentary constituencies, [[Portsmouth South (UK Parliament constituency)|Portsmouth South]] and [[Portsmouth North (UK Parliament constituency)|Portsmouth North]], represented in the [[British House of Commons|House of Commons]] by [[Stephen Morgan (U.K. politician)|Stephen Morgan]] and [[Amanda Martin]], both of the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.portsmouth.gov.uk/ext/the-council/voting-and-elections/electoral-areas-in-portsmouth.aspx |title=Electoral areas in Portsmouth |publisher=Portsmouth City Council |access-date=29 March 2015 |archive-date=2 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402095029/https://www.portsmouth.gov.uk/ext/the-council/voting-and-elections/electoral-areas-in-portsmouth.aspx |url-status=dead }}</ref> The two Parliamentary constituencies each contain 7 electoral wards, giving an overall total of 14 electoral wards. Portsmouth's inner city centre is located in the Portsmouth South constituency.

Portsmouth City Council has 14 electoral wards, each ward returns three councillors, making 42 in total.<ref name="ward">{{cite web |title=Your Councillors by Ward |url=http://democracy.portsmouth.gov.uk/mgMemberIndex.aspx?FN=WARD&VW=TABLE&PIC=1 |website=Portsmouth Democracy |publisher=Portsmouth City Council |access-date=17 August 2018}}</ref> Each councillor serves a four-year term.<ref>{{cite web |title=Election Timetable in England |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/487034/Electoral_cycles_-_from_May_2016.pdf |publisher=Gov UK |access-date=14 August 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160411124643/https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/487034/Electoral_cycles_-_from_May_2016.pdf |archive-date=11 April 2016}}</ref> After the [[2018 United Kingdom local elections|May 2018 local elections]], the [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrats]] formed a minority administration, they have run the city since then. The leader of the council is the Liberal Democrat, [[Gerald Vernon-Jackson]]. The lord mayor usually has a one-year term.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.portsmouth.gov.uk/ext/the-council/lord-mayor/the-current-lord-mayor-of-portsmouth.aspx |title=The Lord Mayor of Portsmouth |publisher=Portsmouth City Council |access-date=29 March 2015 |archive-date=18 February 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150218032204/https://www.portsmouth.gov.uk/ext/the-council/lord-mayor/the-current-lord-mayor-of-portsmouth.aspx |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The council is based in the [[Portsmouth Civic Offices|Civic Offices]], which house the tax support, housing-benefits, resident-services, and municipal-functions departments.<ref>{{cite web |title=Portsmouth Civic Offices contact directory |url=https://www.portsmouth.gov.uk/ext/the-council/contact-us.aspx |publisher=Portsmouth City Council |access-date=27 July 2016}}</ref> They are in Guildhall Square, with the [[Portsmouth Guildhall]] and Portsmouth Central Library. The Guildhall, a symbol of Portsmouth, is a cultural venue. It was designed by [[Leeds]]-based architect [[William Hill (English architect)|William Hill]], who began it in the [[Neoclassicism|neo-classical style]] in 1873 at a cost of £140,000.{{sfn|Hewitt|2013|p=146}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Fundraising and Campaigning |url=http://www.portsmouthguildhall.org.uk/userfiles/file/Fundraising%20and%20Campaign%20Director%20JD_website.pdf |publisher=Portsmouth Cultural Trust |access-date=14 August 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160819195747/http://www.portsmouthguildhall.org.uk/userfiles/file/Fundraising%20and%20Campaign%20Director%20JD_website.pdf |archive-date=19 August 2016}}</ref> It was opened to the public in 1890.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.portsmouthguildhall.org.uk/about-us/guildhall-history |title=Portsmouth Guildhall History |access-date=29 March 2015 |website=Portsmouth Guildhall |publisher=Portsmouth City Council}}</ref>

=== Minister for Portsmouth ===
Between January 2014 and July 2016, Portsmouth uniquely had a dedicated government minister, the [[Minister for Portsmouth]], a position created in response to the loss of 900 jobs from BAE Systems within HMNB Portsmouth. The minister was charged with bringing economic growth to the city.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-36904736 | title=Minister for Portsmouth job scrapped | work=BBC News | date=27 July 2016 }}</ref>