Local government structure Flashcards
What do local authorities/councils do?
Local authorities provide a wide range have a regulatory role in their area.
Personal services- education, housing and social care
Protective- involving liaison other bodies such as police, fire, planning.
Recreation and leisure facilities- some of these may be commercial and make money for the authority
Statuary (prescribed) such as education, waste and housing, social care- which the authority delivers depends on the structure of local government in that area.
What different local government structures are there?
Local government structures are either two tier structure or a unitary authority.
What is the most common structure of local government
The most common structure of local government is the two tier structure- this is made up of a county and district council who split the responsibility for services between them.
What is the most common local gov structure in metropolitan areas?
In London and other metropolitan areas, parts of shire (county) England operate a single tier structure with each council responsible for all services
How many local authorities are there in England and what different types are they made up of?
There are 317 in England and there are 5 different types-
District councils
County councils
Unitary councils
Metropolitan districts
London boroughs
How does a two tier structure work?
The two tier structure remains in use in the majority of England.
They are divided by two different councils and separately elected.
What are some district councils referred too?
Some district councils have the status of either a borough or city and are referred to a borough or city council.
What services does a county council provide?
The county council provide important strategic services such such as planning, social services, education, fire and public safety, waste management and trading standards.
What is a unitary authority?
A unitary authority is a single tiered council that provides all local government services in that area.
A unitary authority are mainly in cities, urban areas and large towns?
How many unitary authorities are there in England?
62
Where are unitary authorities most common?
Unitary authorities are most common in cities, urban areas and large towns.
What is a hybird structure and why might a local government have one?
A hybrid structure can be set up to to serve a big town. For example, a unitary structure may be set up in a county that already has a a two tier structure and these will co-exist. For example, Brighton and Hove- a city council- which provides all of it’s services for the area, rather than East Sussex county council.
What is a metropolitan/ district council?
There are 36 in total covering large areas such as Greater Manchester, South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire. They are responsible for all areas, although some, such as police and waste disposal, may be provided by joint authorities (districts joint up)
What does the local government look like for London?
The capital is split up into 32 Boroughs councils. These provide nearly all services for their area from Waste to education.
What is a combined authority?
A combined authority is a legal body which allows two or more councils to join up and make decisions collaboratively across their boundaries.
These combined authorities receive additional power from central government and funding.
They do not replace existing local authorities and are good for areas such as transport and economic policy.
Give two examples of a combined authority.
Greater Manchester
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
What is a city council?
A city council is conferred by a Royal Charter.
A number of different types of councils have the word city in their name.
Some do not have a specific council but have charter trustees to protect their city name.
What can protect a city’s city name
A charter trustees
What is a parish council?
A parish council is the smallest/ lowest tier of government structure. They are made up of elected councillors and there is around 10,000 in England.
They cover only 36% of the population.
They have to annual meeting and at least three other meetings in the year.
There must also be a parish meeting to all electors to discuss local interest.
Parish councils have limited power. They have power and deal with issues such as allotments, public clocks, war memorials, parks.
They can issue penalties for things like littering and graffiti.
What does Wales local government structure look like?
Wales is made up of unitary councils- single tier. There is 22 of them and 730 community councils. They are responsible for things like the overseeing of war memorials and ponds.
