An introduction to local government in UK

1. Local Government in England

2. What is local government?
 While the origins of local government are
medieval, it developed into a recognizable form
of government in response to the new urban
poor of the Industrial Revolution.
 It was the Local Government Act 1888 which
created 66 county councils, plus a London
county council, all run by elected councilors.
 Local government today comprises 375 councils
in England and Wales, with almost 18,500
elected councilors.
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History
 county, from French comté, was simply used by the Normans after1066
to replace the native English term scir ([ʃir])—Modern English shire.
 A shire was an administrative division of an Anglo-Saxon kingdom
(Wessex, Mercia, East Anglia), usually named after its administrative
centre (Gloucester, in Gloucestershire; Worcester, in Worcestershire).
 Many of the names of British Counties are suffixed by the word "shire":
they were once controlled on behalf of the sovereign by a Sheriff.
 These became known as the shire town, or the county town.
 The name 'county' was introduced by the Normans, and was derived
from a Norman term for an area administered by a Count (lord).
 These Norman 'counties' were geographically based upon the Saxon
shires, and kept their Saxon names.
 England since 1994: nine regions that vary greatly in size and their
populations.

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Regions of England
1. London
2. South East
3. South West
4. West Midlands
5. North West
6. North East
7. Yorkshire and the Humber
8. East Midlands
9. East

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Sub-divisions
 Local government in England does not follow a
uniform structure.
 Each region is divided into a range of further sub
divisions.
 Greater London is divided into 32 London
boroughs and the City of London.
 The other regions are divided into metropolitan
counties, shire counties and unitary authorities.
 Counties are further divided into districts and in
some areas there are also parishes.

6. What does local government do?
 Councils work with local partners and residents to determine and
deliver local priorities.
 Councils provide over 700 services, either directly themselves or by
commissioning services from outside organizations.
 They largely work within the powers laid down under Acts of
Parliament, but since the Local Government Act 2000, they also have
responsibility for the economic, social and environmental ‘well being’
of their area.
 Most council services are mandatory: the council must do them
because they are under a duty to do so by law.
 Councils can charge for arts and entertainment activities, sport and
recreational facilities and some pest control services, under Acts of
Parliament.
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7. Principal service Includes
Children’s services  schools – nursery, primary, secondary and special
 pre-school education • youth, adult and family and community education
 children’s and families’ services– including welfare, fostering and adoption and child protection
 youth centres
 youth justice – secure accommodation and youth offender teams
Highways, roads & transport  highways – non-trunk roads and bridges
 street lighting
 traffic management and road safety
 public transport – discounted travel schemes and local transport co-ordination
 some airports, harbors and toll facilities.
Adult services  services for older people including nursing, home, residential and day care and meals
 services for people with a physical disability, learning disability or mental health need
 asylum seekers.
Housing  social housing
 housing benefit and welfare services
 homelessness
 housing strategy.
Cultural services  culture and heritage, including museums and galleries
 recreation and sport, including leisure centres and sports facilities
 open spaces – parks, playgrounds and allotments
 tourism – visitor information, marketing and tourism development
 libraries and information services.
Environmental services  cemetery, cremation and mortuary services
 community safety – including consumer protection,
 coastal protection and trading standards
 environmental health – including food safety, pollution and pest control, public toilets
 licensing – including alcohol, public entertainment,
 taxis
 agricultural and fisheries services
 waste collection and disposal, recycling and street cleaning.
Planning & development  building and development control
 planning policy – including conservation and listed buildings
 economic investment and regeneration.
Protective services  free and rescue services
 court services such as coroners.
Central and other services  local tax collection – council tax and business rates (business rates set centrally)
 registration of births, deaths and marriages
 election administration – local and national, including registration of electors
 emergency planning
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8. How is a local government organized?
 In England, there are two tiers– county and district– with responsibility for
council services split between the two tiers.
 London, other metropolitan areas and parts of shire England operate under a
single tier structure.
 County councils cover the entire county and provide around 80 % of the
services in these areas, including schools, social services, public transportation,
highways, waste disposal and trading standards.
 Each district council covers a smaller area and provides more local services,
including council housing, local planning, recycling and refuse collection and
leisure facilities.
 There are 27 counties split into 201 districts, and 56 unitary authorities in
England.
 Forty four local authorities were amalgamated into nine unitary authorities
serving a combined population of over 3.2 million.
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For the purposes of local government, England is divided
into four levels of administrative divisions:
 Regional level
 County level (Metropolitan county,
Shire county, Unitary authority, Greater
London)
 District level (Metropolitan district, Non-
metropolitan district, London borough)
 Parish level (Civil Parish)

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Administrative divisions

11. county
councils
cover the whole county and provide 80 per cent of
services in these areas, including children’s services and
adult social care.
district
councils
covering a smaller area, providing more local services
(such as housing, local planning, waste and leisure but
not children’s services or adult social care), can be called
district, borough or city councils.
unitary
authorities
just one level of local government responsible for all local
services, can be called a council (eg Medway Council), a
city council (eg Nottingham City Council) or borough
council (eg Reading Borough Council).
London
boroughs
each of the 33 boroughs is a unitary authority, but the
Greater London Authority (GLA) provides London-wide
government, including special responsibility for police,
free, strategic planning and transport.
metropolitan
districts
effectively unitary authorities, the name being a relic from
past organizational arrangements. They can be called
metropolitan borough or city councils.
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Administrative Divisions

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• Metropolitan county:
• There are six metropolitan counties, divided into metropolitan districts, which
cover large urban areas outside London.
• Shire county:
 Shire counties or non– metropolitan counties were created in 1974.
 They are 34 and they are divided into non-metropolitan districts.
 They cover much of the country, though mainly the rural areas.
• Unitary Authority:
 Unitary authorities were created in the 1990s and are single- tier authorities which
combine the functions of county and district councils. There are 47 of them.
 A unitary authority is responsible for all local government functions within its area.

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Greater London
 Greater London was created in 1965 and it is divided into the City of London
and 32 London Boroughs.
 Greater London originally had a two-tier system of local government: the
Greater London Council (GLC) shared power with the Corporation of London
(governing the small City of London) and the 32 London borough councils.
 London is the only English region with a directly elected mayor and an elected
regional assembly which oversees transport, the fire brigade and economic
development.
 The 32 London borough councils have a similar status to other unitary
authorities: They run most of the day-to-day services across the capital.
 Each council is made up of elected councillors.
 They set the Council Tax levels which, along with extra funding from central
government, allows each borough to provide services such as education,
housing, social services, street cleaning, waste disposal, roads, local
planning and many arts and leisure services.

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District level
 The term 'District' refers to an administrative area with its own elected council.
 Some districts are styled as boroughs, cities, or royal boroughs.
 All Boroughs and Cities are led by a Mayor elected by the Council.
 Metropolitan district
 Metropolitan districts are a subdivision of a metropolitan county.
 When the county councils were abolished in 1986, most of the powers of the county
councils were devolved to the metropolitan districts which therefore function similar
to other unitary authorities.
 The districts typically have populations of 174,000 to 1.1 million.
 Non-metropolitan (shire) district
 Shire counties are divided into non-metropolitan districts.
 Non-metropolitan districts (shire districts) are second-tier authorities, which
share power with county councils.
 They are subdivisions of shire counties and the most common type of district.

16. Town and parish councils
 Below the district level, in some parts of England there are town and parish
councils, responsible for services such as management of town and village
centres, litter, verges, cemeteries, parks, ponds, allotments, war memorials,
and community halls.
 The civil parish is the most local unit of government in England: They are
usually administered by parish councils, which have various local
responsibilities.
 A parish council can also be called a town council or occasionally a city
council.
 The chair of a town council or city council will usually have the title of Mayor.
 The Parish is the lowest level of local government formed at a time when
there was little difference, to the local people, between the Church and the
State.
 The parish is usually formed around a village or other small community and
used to be centred around the Parish Church.
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 Local government authorities (known as councils) have powers because the central government has
given them powers.
 The system of local government is very similar to the system of national government.
 There are elected representatives (called councillors) who meet in a council chamber in the Town Hall
or County Hall.
 Local councils traditionally manage nearly all public services.
 Local councils are allowed to collect a tax called the “council tax”.
 The role of councilors:
 Councilors are elected to represent people in a defined geographical area for a fixed term of four years,
 The role of a councilor includes:
 Representing their people:
 This is the primary duty of all councilors.
 They also have a responsibility to communicate council policy and decisions to people in their area.
 Decision making:
 They will be involved in decision-making through: full council; regulatory committees such as planning
control or licensing; local voluntary organization management; membership of partnership boards; as
school governors; as employers of staff on appointment panels and disciplinary and grievance
procedures.
How councils operate

18.  Policy and strategy review and development:
 They contribute to this through mechanisms; such as, membership of overview and scrutiny
committees; involvement in advisory groups and partnerships; interaction with executive
members; membership on area forums and committees; through case work and surgeries;
and membership of a political group.
 Overview and scrutiny:
 Councilors who are not in the cabinet can be overview and scrutiny members, who are
responsible for scrutinizing decisions, plans and services provided by the council or by health
bodies.
 Regulatory duties
 This involves councillors in quasi-judicial roles on special committees appointed by the
council, including planning and licensing.
 Community leadership and engagement
 This at the heart of the councillor’s role, working in partnership with voluntary and community
organisations to actively engage citizens, residents and service users.
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19. Local government spending and funding
 Local government finance is notoriously
complex and is worthy of a guide all of its
own.
 Local government accounts for about a
quarter of all public spending in the UK.
 Local government net current expenditure
in 2010-11was budgeted to be £122bn.
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38%
17%
16%
11%
9% 6%
3%
England and Wales 2010-11 budgeted estimates
Education
Social care
Housing
Police, fire and rescue
Culture, environment and planning
Highways and transport
All other services