United Kingdom Unitary state

Structures and competences

Local level :

419 local governments*

In general, councillors are elected for a four-year term, based on either a first-past-the-post voting system or a proportional system.

England has 27 county councils, 36 metropolitan district councils, 201 non-metropolitan district councils (local governments outside of big cities) and 56 unitary authorities (a one tier local government). In the United Kingdom’s capital city of London, there are 33 boroughs, including the City of London, which is the city’s financial district.

Wales has 22 single tier unitary authorities (county and county borough councils). These authorities deliver a wide range of services, such as housing, social services, transport and highways, environmental health, libraries, leisure and tourism. The 22 existing single-tier unitary authorities were established in 1996.

Scotland has 32 single tier unitary authorities. In Scotland delivery of services is becoming more complex with Community Planning Partnerships bringing together by law the municipalities with the other public and voluntary bodies of that local area. Furthermore in addition to transfer of some services to the central level there is now integration of national and local services of social care and health.

Northern Ireland has 11 district councils whose competencies are more limited than elsewhere in the UK, but who have been reformed in April 2015, restructured from 26 to 11 authorities, to possess new powers including Planning, Community Investment and Economic Development, in addition to Regulatory, Registration, Enforcement, Animal Welfare, Refuse, Waste Management, Building Control, Leisure, Arts and Environmental Health.

In addition to the local governments referred to above, there are over 12,000 other smaller authorities at the local level (parishes, community councils, town councils). Most of these have small elected bodies to look after local interests.

The Greater London Authority, set up in 2000, is considered a regional authority.

COMPETENCES*

Local competences are not uniform throughout the United Kingdom as they are wholly transferred (devolved) to Scotland, while other arrangements are applied to Wales and Northern Ireland. English local governments remain directly accountable to the UK government and parliament.

There are two tiers of local government in parts of England (counties and districts) and a single tier in other parts of England and all of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland (councils).

COUNTIES:

• Education
• Social services
• Highways and transport
• Strategic planning advice
• Fire
• Waste disposal
• Libraries

DISTRICTS:

• Local planning
• Housing
• Licensing
• Building Standards
• Environmental health
• Waste collection
• Park and leisure services

* Combined authorities consist of two or more English councils (outside London only). The creation of a combined authority is voluntary but its formation must be approved by Parliament. The combined authority has the power to exercise any function of its constituent councils that relates to economic development and regeneration, and any of the functions that are available to the transport authorities; combined authorities are encouraged to borrow from EU institutions for social and environmental schemes which meet EU objectives. The Cities and Local Government Devolution Bill 2015–16 is intended to allow the introduction of directly-elected mayors to combined authorities in England and to make it possible for combined authorities to exercise a wider range of powers, including those otherwise delivered nationally.

Since 2011, the following combined authorities have been created: Greater Manchester, North East, Liverpool City Region, Sheffield City Region, and West Yorkshire; others are being planned from 2016 onwards.

Unitary authorities have the competences of both counties and districts.

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Nations and regions

England, Wales, Scotland and Nothern Ireland

In England, the only directly elected regional authority is the Greater London Authority, which has an assembly of 25 elected members, with an executive mayor, elected by direct universal suffrage. Its main competences include public transport, sustainable development planning, fire and emergency planning and metropolitan police.

In the rest of England, legislation could allow for the setting-up of elected regional assemblies, but only if there is a positive popular vote by referendum. At present, no regional assembly has been set up and there are no plans to do so.

The National Assembly for Wales came into existence in 1999. It has a more limited range of legislative powers than the Scottish Parliament (mainly on secondary legislation, giving more detailed effect to UK parliament measures). However, its primary law-making powers were enhanced following a referendum held in March 2011, making it possible for it to legislate without having to consult the UK parliament in devolved areas. Its competences include policy development and implementation in agriculture, culture, economic development, education, environmental health, highways and transport, social services, housing, spatial planning and local government.

Since 1999, the Scottish Parliament, with a Scottish executive government has had full legislative powers over a wide range of matters – effectively, all issues except those reserved to the UK Parliament. Its exclusive competences include education, health, environment, agriculture, justice, social work, planning and local government. A further transfer of mainly tax and borrowing powers to the Scottish Parliament was enacted via the Scotland Act 2012 and following the Scottish independence referendum in 2014 a new package is currently (2016) being discussed in the UK parliament.

The Northern Ireland Assembly also came fully into being in 1999. Its main competences include the economy, foreign direct investment, justice, policing, education, health, regional infrastructure and agriculture, with some planning and economy powers now devolved to Councils. From April 2015, there is the possibility of further powers being transferred to it at a later date.