List of county councils in England

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Two-tier non-metropolitan county councils in England (red). English administrative divisions map coloured by type 2023.svg
Two-tier non-metropolitan county councils in England (red).

There are currently 29 county councils in England, all of which serve areas known as non-metropolitan counties. Of these, 21 are upper-tier authorities in a two-tier arrangement; their areas are divided into a number of non-metropolitan districts, which each have a district council. [1] The other eight county councils are unitary authorities, having taken over district functions on the abolition of districts in those counties. (All other unitary authorities are legally district councils which also perform the functions of a county council.) The unitary county councils have been given the option to omit the word 'county' from their name, which option has been taken up by some but not others; whether they took that option or not, they remain legally county councils. [2]

Contents

The first county councils were created in 1889 under the Local Government Act 1888. There was a significant reform of the number, powers and jurisdictions of county councils in 1974. County councils were also established for the metropolitan counties created in 1974, but the metropolitan county councils were all abolished in 1986. From 1995 onwards numerous unitary authorities have been created.

Current

Local authorityEstablishedDistrict councilsAdministrationWebsiteHeadquarters
Cambridgeshire County Council 1974 Cambs 5 Liberal Democrats Official website New Shire Hall, Alconbury Weald
Cornwall Council 1889Unitary since 2009 Liberal Democrats

(minority)

Official website Lys Kernow, Truro
Derbyshire County Council 18898 Reform Official website County Hall, Matlock
Devon County Council 18898Coalition: Official website County Hall, Exeter
Durham County Council 1889Unitary since 2009 Reform Official website County Hall, Durham
East Sussex County Council 18895 Conservative Official website County Hall, Lewes
Essex County Council 188912 Conservative Official website County Hall, Chelmsford
Gloucestershire County Council 18896 No Overall Control Official website Shire Hall, Gloucester
Hampshire County Council 188911 Conservative Official website Castle Hill, Winchester
Hertfordshire County Council 188910 Liberal Democrats (minority) Official website County Hall, Hertford
Isle of Wight Council 1890Unitary since 1995Coalition: Official website County Hall, Newport
Kent County Council 188912 Reform Official website County Hall, Maidstone
Lancashire County Council 188912 Reform Official website County Hall, Preston
Leicestershire County Council 18897 No Overall Control Official website County Hall, Glenfield
Lincolnshire County Council 19747 Reform Official website County Offices, Lincoln
Norfolk County Council 18897 Conservative Official website County Hall, Norwich
North Yorkshire Council 1974Unitary since 2023Coalition: Official website County Hall, Northallerton
Northumberland County Council 1889Unitary since 2009 Conservative Official website County Hall, Morpeth
Nottinghamshire County Council 18897 Reform Official website County Hall, West Bridgford
Oxfordshire County Council 18895 Liberal Democrats Official website County Hall, Oxford
Shropshire Council 1889Unitary since 2009 Liberal Democrats Official website Shirehall, Shrewsbury
Somerset Council 1889Unitary since 2023 Liberal Democrats Official website County Hall, Taunton
Staffordshire County Council 18898 Reform Official website County Buildings, Stafford
Suffolk County Council 19745 Conservative Official website Endeavour House, Ipswich
Surrey County Council 188911 Conservative Official website Woodhatch Place, Reigate
Warwickshire County Council 18895 No Overall Control Official website Shire Hall, Warwick
West Sussex County Council 18897 Conservative Official website County Hall, Chichester
Wiltshire Council 1889Unitary since 2009 No Overall Control Official website County Hall, Trowbridge
Worcestershire County Council 1998 Worcs 6 No Overall Control Official website County Hall, Worcester

The unitary authority which calls itself Rutland County Council is legally a district council which also performs county functions rather than a county council, despite its corporate branding. [3] The unitary authorities of Bristol City Council, [4] Buckinghamshire Council, [5] Dorset Council, [6] East Riding of Yorkshire Council, [7] and Herefordshire Council share their geographic name with a ceremonial county (and they are identical in Bristol's and Herefordshire's case) but are likewise legally district councils that also perform county functions. [8] [9]

Former

Local authorityEstablishedAbolished
Avon County Council 19741996
Bedfordshire County Council 18892009
Berkshire County Council 18891998
Buckinghamshire County Council 18892020
Cambridgeshire County Council 18891965 Cambs
Cambridgeshire and Isle of Ely County Council 19651974
Cheshire County Council 18892009
Cleveland County Council 19741996
Cumberland County Council 18891974
Cumbria County Council 19742023
Dorset County Council 18892019
East Riding County Council 18891974
East Suffolk County Council 18891974
Greater Manchester County Council 19741986
Hereford and Worcester County Council 19741998
Herefordshire County Council 18891974
Holland County Council 18891974
Humberside County Council 19741996
Huntingdon and Peterborough County Council 19651974
Huntingdonshire County Council 18891965
Isle of Ely County Council 18891965
Kesteven County Council 18891974
Lindsey County Council 18891974
London County Council 18891965
Merseyside County Council 19741986
Middlesex County Council 18891965
Monmouthshire County Council 18891974 Mon
North Riding County Council 18891974
Northamptonshire County Council 18892021
Rutland County Council 18891974
Soke of Peterborough County Council 18891965
South Yorkshire County Council 19741986
Tyne and Wear County Council 19741986
West Midlands County Council 19741986
Westmorland County Council 18891974
West Riding County Council 18891974
West Suffolk County Council 18891974
West Yorkshire County Council 19741986
Worcestershire County Council 18891974 Worcs

Footnotes

See also

References

  1. Municipal Yearbook. 2009.
  2. "Local Government Act 1972: Section 2", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, 1972 c. 70 (s. 2) sub-section (3) specifies that the authority's name should include "county council", but amendments in subsequent statutory instruments mean this section no longer applies to the county councils for Cornwall, Durham, Isle of Wight, North Yorkshire, Northumberland, Shropshire, Somerset, and Wiltshire.
  3. "The Leicestershire (City of Leicester and District of Rutland) (Structural Change) Order 1996", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, SI 1996/507, retrieved 12 May 2024
  4. "The Avon (Structural Change) Order 1995", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, SI 1995/493, retrieved 12 May 2024
  5. "The Buckinghamshire (Structural Changes) Order 2019", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, SI 2019/957, retrieved 12 May 2024
  6. "The Bournemouth, Dorset and Poole (Structural Changes) Order 2018", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, SI 2018/648, retrieved 12 May 2024
  7. "The Humberside (Structural Change) Order 1995", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, SI 1995/600, retrieved 12 May 2024
  8. "The Hereford and Worcester (Structural, Boundary and Electoral Changes) Order 1996", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, SI 1996/1867, retrieved 12 May 2024
  9. "Lieutenancies Act 1997", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, 1997 c. 23, retrieved 12 May 2024

Further reading