List of county councils in England explained
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]
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 authority | Established | District councils | Website | Headquarters |
|---|
| Cambridgeshire County Council | 1974 | 5 | | New Shire Hall, Alconbury Weald |
| Cornwall Council | 1889 | Unitary since 2009 | | Lys Kernow, Truro |
| Derbyshire County Council | 1889 | 8 | | County Hall, Matlock |
| Devon County Council | 1889 | 8 | | County Hall, Exeter |
| Durham County Council | 1889 | Unitary since 2009 | | County Hall, Durham |
| East Sussex County Council | 1889 | 5 | | County Hall, Lewes |
| Essex County Council | 1889 | 12 | | County Hall, Chelmsford |
| Gloucestershire County Council | 1889 | 6 | | Shire Hall, Gloucester |
| Hampshire County Council | 1889 | 11 | | Castle Hill, Winchester |
| Hertfordshire County Council | 1889 | 10 | | County Hall, Hertford |
| Isle of Wight Council | 1890 | Unitary since 1995 | | County Hall, Newport |
| Kent County Council | 1889 | 12 | | County Hall, Maidstone |
| Lancashire County Council | 1889 | 12 | | County Hall, Preston |
| Leicestershire County Council | 1889 | 7 | | County Hall, Glenfield |
| Lincolnshire County Council | 1974 | 7 | | County Offices, Lincoln |
| Norfolk County Council | 1889 | 7 | | County Hall, Norwich |
| North Yorkshire Council | 1974 | Unitary since 2023 | | County Hall, Northallerton |
| Northumberland County Council | 1889 | Unitary since 2009 | | County Hall, Morpeth |
| Nottinghamshire County Council | 1889 | 7 | | County Hall, West Bridgford |
| Oxfordshire County Council | 1889 | 5 | | County Hall, Oxford |
| Shropshire Council | 1889 | Unitary since 2009 | | Shirehall, Shrewsbury |
| Somerset Council | 1889 | Unitary since 2023 | | County Hall, Taunton |
| Staffordshire County Council | 1889 | 8 | | County Buildings, Stafford |
| Suffolk County Council | 1974 | 5 | | Endeavour House, Ipswich |
| Surrey County Council | 1889 | 11 | | Woodhatch Place, Reigate |
| Warwickshire County Council | 1889 | 5 | | Shire Hall, Warwick |
| West Sussex County Council | 1889 | 7 | | County Hall, Chichester |
| Wiltshire Council | 1889 | Unitary since 2009 | | County Hall, Trowbridge |
| Worcestershire County Council | 1998 | 6 | | 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 but are likewise legally district councils that also perform county functions.[8] [9]
Former
Footnotes
1st creation 1889—1965; 2nd creation 1974—present
1st creation 1889—1974; 2nd creation 1998—present
Monmouthshire considered part of Wales from 1974.
See also
Further reading
Notes and References
- Book: Municipal Yearbook . 2009 .
- act. Local Government Act 1972. 1972. 70. 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.
- si. The Leicestershire (City of Leicester and District of Rutland) (Structural Change) Order 1996. 1996. 507. 12 May 2024.
- si. The Avon (Structural Change) Order 1995. 1995. 493. 12 May 2024.
- si. The Buckinghamshire (Structural Changes) Order 2019. 2019. 957. 12 May 2024.
- si. The Bournemouth, Dorset and Poole (Structural Changes) Order 2018. 2018. 648. 12 May 2024.
- si. The Humberside (Structural Change) Order 1995. 1995. 600. 12 May 2024.
- si. The Hereford and Worcester (Structural, Boundary and Electoral Changes) Order 1996. 1996. 1867. 12 May 2024.
- act. Lieutenancies Act 1997. 1997. 23. 12 May 2024.
