Editing Plymouth (section)

=== City Council ===
{{Main|Plymouth City Council}}
[[File:Civic Centre, Plymouth from Dingles Restaurant 2024.jpg|thumb|[[Plymouth Civic Centre|Civic Centre]], completed 1962, symbolic of the post-war 'Heroic Modernism' of the [[welfare state]]; a [[listed building]] since 2007]]

The City of Plymouth is divided into 20 [[Ward (politics)|wards]], 17 of which elect three councillors and the other three electing two councillors, making up a total council of 57.<ref name="wards">{{cite web |title=Plymouth wards |url=http://www.plymouth.gov.uk/homepage/councilanddemocracy/electoral/electedrepresentatives/wards.htm |access-date=27 October 2009 |publisher=Plymouth City Council |archive-date=30 April 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100430155743/http://www.plymouth.gov.uk/homepage/councilanddemocracy/electoral/electedrepresentatives/wards.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Elections are held three years out of every four, with a third of the council being elected each time for a four year term.<ref name="wards" /> The total [[Wiktionary:electorate|electorate]] for Plymouth's Parliamentary constituencies was 190,006 in April 2019.<ref>{{cite web |title=Analysis Parliamentary Electorate Totals for March 2019 Register |url=https://www.plymouth.gov.uk/sites/default/files/March%202019%20Parliamentary%20constituency%20electorate_0.pdf |url-status=live |access-date=16 January 2021 |publisher=Plymouth City Council |archive-date=22 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122043046/https://www.plymouth.gov.uk/sites/default/files/March%202019%20Parliamentary%20constituency%20electorate_0.pdf }}</ref> Since May 2023 Plymouth has had a Labour majority Council.<ref>{{cite web|title=Councillors, committees and meetings {{!}} PLYMOUTH.GOV.UK|url=https://www.plymouth.gov.uk/councillorscommitteesandmeetings|access-date=13 December 2021|website=plymouth.gov.uk|archive-date=24 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200924080210/https://www.plymouth.gov.uk/councillorscommitteesandmeetings|url-status=live}}</ref> Plymouth City Council is formally [[twin towns and sister cities|twinned]] with: [[Brest, France|Brest]], France (1963), [[Gdynia]], Poland (1976), [[Novorossiysk]], Russia (1990) [[San Sebastián]], Spain (1990) and [[Plymouth, Massachusetts|Plymouth]], United States (2001).<ref>{{cite web |title=Twin towns |url=http://www.plymouth.gov.uk/homepage/communityandliving/twintowns.htm |access-date=6 June 2015 |publisher=Plymouth City Council |archive-date=2 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130502210154/http://www.plymouth.gov.uk/homepage/communityandliving/twintowns.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

Plymouth was granted the dignity of [[Lord Mayor]] by King [[George V]] in 1935. The position is elected each year by a group of six councillors.<ref name="lord mayoralty">{{cite web |title=Lord Mayoralty |url=http://www.plymouth.gov.uk/homepage/councilanddemocracy/aboutus/lordmayoralty.htm |access-date=2 December 2015 |publisher=Plymouth City Council |archive-date=22 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151122103825/http://www.plymouth.gov.uk/homepage/councilanddemocracy/aboutus/lordmayoralty.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> It is traditional that the position of the Lord Mayor alternates between the Conservative Party and the Labour Party annually and that the Lord Mayor chooses the Deputy Lord Mayor.<ref name="lord mayoralty" />

[[File:Great Hall - Plymouth Guildhall.jpg|thumb|right|The Great Hall in the [[Plymouth Guildhall|Guildhall]]]]
The Lord Mayor's official residence is 3 Elliot Terrace, located on [[Plymouth Hoe|the Hoe]].<ref name="elliot">{{cite web |title=Elliot Terrace |url=http://www.plymouth.gov.uk/elliotterrace |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080210090246/http://www.plymouth.gov.uk/elliotterrace |archive-date=10 February 2008 |access-date=16 February 2008 |publisher=Plymouth City Council}}</ref> Once a home of [[Waldorf Astor, 2nd Viscount Astor|Waldorf]] and [[Nancy Astor, Viscountess Astor|Nancy Astor]], it was given by Lady Astor to the City of Plymouth as an official residence for future Lord Mayors and is also used today for civic hospitality, as lodgings for visiting dignitaries and High Court judges and it is also available to hire for private events.<ref name="elliot" /> The Civic Centre municipal office building in Armada Way became a [[listed building]] in June 2007 because of its quality and period features, but has become the centre of a controversy as the council planned for its demolition estimating that it could cost £40m to refurbish it, resulting in possible job losses.<ref>{{Cite news |date=10 July 2007 |title=Council opposes building listing |publisher=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/devon/6289546.stm |access-date=20 November 2008 |archive-date=15 January 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090115064331/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/devon/6289546.stm |url-status=live }}</ref>