Local councils are responsible for providing a variety of services in the areas they manage. From education to waste disposal, local authorities provide and organise the frontline services that we all rely on. In England, more than 2 million people are employed by local government – these are some of the most respected workers in the country, such as firefighters, social services and schoolteachers. Over the next few weeks, we are going to look at the different types of council in each of the countries of the United Kingdom and what you should expect from them. First up it’s England.
How many types of council are there?
In England, there are 353 local authorities. All of them operate as either a one-tier system (unitary authorities), which are often found in cities, or a two-tier system (county and district councils) that serve rural and semi-rural parts of England.
Here’s a breakdown of the different types of local authority in England:
Unitary Authorities
Large towns, like Thurrock, Torbay and Windsor, or smaller counties such as the Isle of Scilly have a single tier of local government. This is usually because they have concentrated, large populations in comparison to some more rural areas. There are two types of unitary authority: Metropolitan districts and London boroughs.
County Councils
There are currently 26 county councils in England, which are in charge of – you guessed it – county areas! Examples of these are, East Sussex, Staffordshire or Warwickshire county councils. They are then further split down into…
District Councils
These district councils will either be called ‘Borough Councils’ or ‘District Councils’ and they cover the more local services.
Town and Parish Councils
Some parts of England have a third tier of local government, which has smaller responsibilities, like war memorials, allotments, parks and community centres.
To find out who your local authority is, simply click here.
You’ll be able to tell which of these categories your local authority is very easily – the name will include the local authority type it falls under!
What are they responsible for?
Local authorities have a wide range of power and are in charge of their own budget – but of course, they must act within the law! To provide services they may choose to deliver the service themselves, such as when they employ schoolteachers. They can also choose to work with voluntary organisations, such as Shelter to provide homelessness services, or work with private companies, for example when dealing with waste management.
If you live in an area with a Unitary Authority, here are all the services they are responsible for:
- Education services
- Streets and roads
- Transport
- Social Services
- Housing
- Libraries
- Leisure and recreation
- Environmental health
- Waste collection and disposal
- Planning applications
- Strategic planning
- Council tax
County councils cover the whole of the county and provide the majority of public services in their particular area. These include:
- Waste disposal
- Social services
- Transport
- Trading Standards
- Libraries
- Streets and roads
- Education services
- Fire and public safety
Each county is divided into several districts and these district, or borough councils cover a much smaller area and provide more local services. These include:
- Recycling
- Housing
- Planning applications
- Waste collection
- Council Tax
- Leisure and recreation facilities
- Environmental health
- Electoral registration
If you would like to contact your local council about an issue that is affecting you, just go to your council’s website, where they will have all their services listed. The contact details for that particular department will be right there, so you can get in touch directly with the people in charge.
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