The UK’s government is divided into two sections: Central government and regional or local government. Both types of councils have many subdivisions.
The majority of local government bodies in England operate on two tiers, county and district. London, other metropolitan areas, and non-metropolitan areas, including shires operate on a single-tier system.
It must be said that local government is complicated. There are five types of local authorities and 317 councils that provide approximately 800 services. So it takes quite a lot of unravelling.
Today we’re going to look at how local councils are structured and see who is responsible for what.
Let’s start.
5 Types of Local Authorities
The five types of authorities are:
- County councils
- District councils
- Unitary authorities
- Metropolitan district councils
- London boroughs
We’ll look at each local authority in turn.
County Councils
There are 21 county councils.
They are two-tier councils and provide limited services, including education, transport, fire and public safety, waste disposal, libraries, and social services.
District Councils
There are 164 district councils.
These are the second tier in the county council’s two-tier structure – council subdivisions. Each subdivision is an independent district council. They are responsible for local services, including rubbish collection, recycling, housing, council tax collections, and planning applications.
Unitary Authorities (UAs)
There are 62 unitary authorities.
Most UAs are in cities or urban areas. They function similarly to local councils in that they are responsible for providing all local government services in their areas.
Metropolitan Districts (MDs)
There are 36 metropolitan district councils.
When taken together, they provide government services to six large urban areas. They aren’t the only English local authorities serving their districts. Joint authorities (collaborative partnerships) are responsible for fire, police, waste disposal, passenger transport, and civil defence services.
The six metropolitan districts are:
- Greater Manchester
- Merseyside
- South Yorkshire
- West Yorkshire
- Tyne and Wear
- West Midlands
London Boroughs
There are 32 London Boroughs.
Much like UAs, each London Borough provides similar services as district councils, including, rubbish collection, recycling, and tax collection. The difference is that the Greater London Authority (GLA) also provides services to London Boroughs, including police, fire, transport, and strategic planning.
There are an additional four types of councils.
Town and Parish Councils
There are a whopping 9000(ish) town or parish councils in England – that’s not counting Wales, Northern Ireland, or Scotland. They’re at the bottom end of the local council ladder, under district councils and unitary authorities.
Their scope is limited to local city services. For example, they include community matters relating to allotments, bus shelters, parks, neighbourhood planning, and community centres. However, there are occasions when they deliver additional services with the agreement of county or district councils.
Their responsibility can, when necessary, extend to issuing fixed penalty fines for dog offences, littler, graffiti, and posting flyers.
Combined Authorities
There are 11 combined authorities.
Combined authorities contain at least two local authorities. They join forces to make decisions that affect their collective areas. Their scope is even more limited than town and parish councils. They defer to existing local authorities.
The combined authorities are:
- Cambridge and Peterborough
- East Midlands and Combined County
- West Midlands
- Greater Manchester
- Liverpool City Region
- North East
- South Yorkshire
- West Yorkshire
- City of York in North Yorkshire
- Tees Valley
- West England
City of London
The City of London Corporation assumes local council responsibilities for the Square Mile. It’s responsible for education, environmental health, libraries, the Barbican Arts Centre, policing, social services, and town planning.
Isles of Scilly
The isles are governed by a unitary authority, although, it collaborates with Cornwall Council to provide certain local government services. It’s independent in that it has water and airport authorities and runs its Sea Fisheries Committee.
A note on services
The National Audit Office (NAO) defines mandatory and discretionary services.
Mandatory services: Local authorities are bound by legislation to carry out legal duties, including social care for adults and children, waste collection, and planning and housing.
Discretionary services: Local authorities have the power to deliver services in line with their local priorities. However, they are not legally bound to provide them.
A note on mayors
There are two types of mayors: Civic and elected.
Civic mayors are largely ceremonial. They might be able to chair meetings but don’t have decision-making power.
Elected mayors have responsibilities and tasks that are related to daily operations and the delivery of services.
A note on elections
Local councillors are elected for terms of four years.
Elections are held on the first Thursday in May.
An oddity: Councils differ when it comes to electing their councillors. There are three cycles.
1) By the whole: All councillors are elected every four years.
2) By halves: Half the councillors are elected every two years.
3) By thirds: A third of the councillors are elected every three years
Council Representatives
Councillors are elected by the local people. Their responsibilities include directing policy.
Council officers, who are employed rather than elected, implement policies and deliver daily services.
There’s a hierarchy:
Full Council
The council comprises elected officials only. It makes informed decisions on policy actions based on committee reports.
Committees
Committee councillors are like supervisors who review the full council’s actions and ensure it remains accountable to the public. Most of its information comes from council officers who experience firsthand the effects of policy decisions on the public.
Cabinet
Cabinets on local levels function much like the central government cabinet. They include members of the political parties that have the most elected representatives in full councils. In certain circumstances, cabinets have powers that enable them to make decisions without council approval. Each cabinet member is responsible for a specific area, like housing or children’s services.
Leaders or Elected Mayors
There is a difference between an elected leader and an elected mayor. An elected or political leader is elected by councillors and appoints cabinet members. Leaders are responsible for the council’s performance, actions, decisions and how they align with those of the central government. These must be balanced with their community’s needs.
Elected mayors do pretty much the same thing, but they are elected by the public and not councillors.
Council Officers
Some councils have a Chief Executive Officer who is responsible for council management. As in the central government, there are several departments (finance, adults’ services, etc.), each with its own head or manager.
Council officers are permanent staff who do the grunt work. They aren’t elected to fill their positions.
Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland
Local government is different in Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.
- Wales has 22 authorities.
- Scotland has 32 authorities.
- Northern Ireland has 11 authorities.
They are all single-tier or unitary.
Some areas have parish, town, or community councils that are responsible for services that include village and town centre management, litter, cemeteries, parks, allotments, and war memorials.
Recourse
If you have any complaints regarding the action or inaction of local government bodies, you can contact the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO).
Local Council Procurement Marketing
Marketing to local councils is different to central government marketing. Local government is closer to the ground and better understand their communities’ needs. Marketing campaigns must be more finely targeted to address specific challenges and speak to relevant councillors in a language they understand.
This is important because even though broader industry-specific communication might work, drilling down into ‘regional-speak’ might be better.
Cadence Marketing has decades of experience working in the public sector. We are perfectly suited to give your business or organisation the guidance needed to captivate the market with a bang. Contact us now and our experts will help you to more accurately understand and target your audience.
