Governance
Torquay is part of Torbay, an administrative area, created in 1968 as a Borough, from the amalgamation of the Boroughs of Torquay, Paignton and Brixham. Historically part of the county of Devon, Torbay was made a unitary authority on 1 April 1998 making it responsible for its own affairs. For local elections the district is divided into 11 wards, 7 of them in Torquay.
Torbay Council is headed by Mayor Gordon Oliver (Conservative). Mayor Oliver is the 2nd directly elected Mayor, with the first being Mayor Nick Bye who served from Nov 2005 till May 2011.
Torquay (along with part of Paignton) is in the Torbay parliamentary constituency, created in 1974; previous to that, it was in its own eponymous constituency. The constituency elects one Member of Parliament, since 1997 Adrian Sanders of the Liberal Democrats. Torquay, the rest of South West England, and Gibraltar are in the South West England constituency of the European Parliament.
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Famous quotes containing the word governance:
“He yaf me al the bridel in myn hand,
To han the governance of hous and land,
And of his tonge and his hand also;”
—Geoffrey Chaucer (1340?–1400)