Unitary authorities of England#Current list

The term "unitary authority" was first used in the Redcliffe-Maud Report in 1969 in its current sense of a local government authority which combines the functions of a county council and a district council.Redcliffe-Maud Report I. vi 73, cited in Oxford English Dictionary Online, draft addendum February 2003, s.v. unitary. An earlier citation, in 1936, uses the term for the London County Council in the sense of an elected council for the whole of London. Strictly speaking, the term does not necessarily mean a single level of local government within an area, because in some cases there are also parish councils in the same area.

Although the term was not applied to them, county boroughs between 1889 and 1974 were effectively unitary authority areas, that is, single-tier administrative units. Before 1889, local government authorities had different powers and functions, but from medieval times some cities and towns had a high degree of autonomy as counties corporate. Some smaller settlements also enjoyed some degree of autonomy from regular administration as boroughs or liberties.

The Local Government Act 1972 created areas for local government where large towns and their rural hinterlands were administered together. The concept of unitary units was abandoned with a two-tier arrangement of county and district councils in all areas of England, except the Isles of Scilly where the small size and distance from the mainland made it impractical. In 1986 a broadly unitary system of local government was introduced in the six metropolitan counties and Greater London, where the upper-tier authorities were abolished and their functions were split between central government, the borough councils and joint boards.{{ cite book |author1=Atkinson, H. |author2=Wilks-Heeg, S. |name-list-style=amp | title=Local Government from Thatcher to Blair | year=2000 | publisher=Polity}}

{{main|Local Government Commission for England (1992)}}

A review in the 1990s was initiated to select non-metropolitan areas where new unitary authorities could be created.{{ cite book | title=Politics UK | year=2004 | publisher=Pearson | edition=5th | author= Jones, Kavanagh, Moran & Norton}} The resulting structural changes were implemented between 1995 and 1998. Bristol, Herefordshire, the Isle of Wight and Rutland were established as counties of a single district; the county administration of Berkshire was dissolved, though the county legally preserved to retain for its territory its royal designation, and each of its district councils became unitary; the counties of Avon, Humberside and Cleveland were broken up to create several unitary authorities; and a number of districts were split off from their associated counties. The changes caused the ceremonial counties to be defined separately, as they had been before 1974. The review caused 46 unitary authorities to be created.

{{main|2009 structural changes to local government in England}}

A further review was initiated in 2007 and was enacted in 2009. The review established Cornwall and Northumberland as counties of a single district; established unitary authorities in County Durham, Shropshire and Wiltshire covering the part of the county that was not already split off in the 1990s review; and divided the remainder of Bedfordshire and Cheshire into two unitary authority areas. The review caused nine unitary authorities to be created.

{{Seealso|2019–2023 structural changes to local government in England}}

In 2017, it was proposed that two unitary authority areas be formed to cover the ceremonial county of Dorset. One of the authorities would consist of the existing unitary authorities of Bournemouth, Poole and the non-metropolitan district of Christchurch, the other would be composed of the remainder of the county.{{cite web|url=https://futuredorset.co.uk/|title=Future Dorset – Two new authorities for Dorset|website=futuredorset.co.uk|access-date=20 September 2018}} In November 2017, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Sajid Javid stated that he was "minded to approve the proposals" and a final decision to implement the two unitary authority model was confirmed in February 2018. Statutory instruments for the creation of two unitary authorities, to be named Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council and Dorset Council, have been made and shadow authorities for the new council areas were formed ahead of their creation on 1 April 2019.{{cite web|url=https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2018/9780111168134/contents|title=The Bournemouth, Dorset and Poole (Structural Changes) Order 2018|website=www.legislation.gov.uk|access-date=20 September 2018}}{{cite web|url=https://dorsetareacouncils.wordpress.com/|title=Shadow Dorset Council|website=Shadow Dorset Council|access-date=20 September 2018}}

Buckinghamshire County Council and the non-metropolitan districts of Aylesbury Vale, Chiltern, South Bucks, and Wycombe in Buckinghamshire were replaced by a single unitary authority known as Buckinghamshire Council on 1 April 2020. The existing unitary authority of Milton Keynes was not affected; from 1 April 2020, therefore, the ceremonial county of Buckinghamshire has been composed of two unitary authority areas.[https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-46078569 Buckinghamshire unitary council plan gets go-ahead] from BBC News[http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2019/957/contents/made The Buckinghamshire (Structural Changes) Order 2019]

In March 2018, an independent report commissioned by the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, proposed structural changes to local government in Northamptonshire. These changes would see the existing county council and district councils abolished and two new unitary authorities created in their place.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-40610349|title=Troubled council 'should be scrapped'|work=BBC News|date=15 March 2018|access-date=20 September 2018}} One authority, West Northamptonshire, would consist of the existing districts of Daventry, Northampton and South Northamptonshire and the other authority, North Northamptonshire would consist of Corby, East Northamptonshire, Kettering and Wellingborough districts.{{cite web|url=http://www.itv.com/news/anglia/2018-03-15/northamptonshire-county-council-should-be-split-up-finds-damning-report/|title=Northamptonshire County Council 'should be split up', finds damning report|website=itv.com|date=15 March 2018|access-date=20 September 2018}} This was confirmed in May 2019, with the new councils being created in April 2021.

In July 2021 the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government announced that in April 2023, the non-metropolitan counties of Cumbria, North Yorkshire and Somerset would be reorganised into unitary authority areas.{{cite web |title=Next steps for new unitary councils in Cumbria, North Yorkshire and Somerset |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/next-steps-for-new-unitary-councils-in-cumbria-north-yorkshire-and-somerset |website=GOV.UK |access-date=20 December 2021 |language=en}} The new authorities, Cumberland, Westmorland and Furness, North Yorkshire Council and Somerset Council were first elected in May 2022 and formally assumed their powers on 1 April 2023.

{{further|2024–present structural changes to local government in England}}

The Labour Party returned to power following the 2024 general election, and in her Autumn budget statement, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves outlined that a forthcoming English Devolution Bill would include plans for "working with councils to move to simpler structures that make sense for their local areas", suggesting that a new round of local government reorganisation could be likely.{{Cite web |date=2024-10-30 |title=Budget: LGR confirmed in high tax, high spend Budget |url=https://www.themj.co.uk/budget-lgr-confirmed-tax-spend-budget |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=www.themj.co.uk |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2024-10-30 |title=Budget 2024: Local government on path to reorganisation |url=https://www.highwaysmagazine.co.uk/Budget-2024-Local-government-on-path-to-reorganisation/14183 |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=Highways Magazine |language=en}}

In February 2025 Jim McMahon, the Minister for Local Government and English Devolution, wrote to all two-tier and unitary councils in England stating that all local government will move to a unitary system with new council areas having a target population of at least 500,000. Councils were invited to work together and submit an interim plan by 21 March 2025 and a final proposal for reorganisation by 28 November 2025.{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-government-reorganisation-invitation-to-local-authorities-in-two-tier-areas|title=Local government reorganisation: invitation to local authorities in two-tier areas|author=Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government|date=6 February 2025|accessdate=2 March 2025}}

The process of changing from a two-tier local government to a structure based on unitary authorities is called 'restructuring'. The Secretary of State responsible for local government invites proposals from local areas to restructure into unitary authorities, and the Secretary decides whether or not the change should be implemented. The restructuring is carried out by an Order. There are no examples in the UK of councils restructuring back into a two-tier system.{{Cite report |url=https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9056/ |title=Unitary local government |last=Sandford |first=Mark |date=22 July 2021 |publisher=House of Commons Library |access-date=21 March 2022}}

Unitary authorities combine the powers and functions that are normally delivered separately by the councils of non-metropolitan counties and non-metropolitan districts. These functions are housing, waste management, waste collection, council tax collection, education, libraries, social services, transport, planning, consumer protection, licensing, cemeteries and crematoria. The breakdown of these services is as follows:Frequently Asked Questions on the structural reviews of Devon, Norfolk and Suffolk, Boundary Commission for England

{{Non-metropolitan local authority functions}}

Unitary government has been criticised for damaging local democracy. Opponents to unitary authority criticise the 'bigger is better' assumption and highlight that larger councils breed mistrust of councillors and reduction in public engagement and voter turnout. Outside the UK, multi-level local government is the prevailing system, with major towns normally having a local authority. The average size of a local authority in England is 170,000, three times that of Europe.{{Cite web |date=2021-09-06 |title=Unitary authorities: the larger local government becomes, the greater the damage to local democracy |url=https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandpolicy/unitary-councils/ |access-date=2022-04-28 |website=British Politics and Policy at LSE}}

Most unitary authority areas are divided into a number of multiple member wards from which councillors are elected in the same way as in two-tier district council elections. The exceptions, which are divided into electoral divisions as in county council elections, are Cornwall, County Durham, the Isle of Wight, Northumberland, Shropshire and Wiltshire.{{cite web|url=https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/election-maps/help.html|title=Help using the election maps apps|website=openspace.ordnancesurvey.co.uk|access-date=7 November 2017}}

Districts are usually named after a town, city, geographical area or county (historic and or ceremonial). With no effect on powers or functions, districts can have the status of royal borough, borough or city. A district having a charter is dependent on the charter's wording: as a charter trustee to a place in the district; having joint charter to the place and district or to the district itself.

Notes

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The Council of the Isles of Scilly is a sui generis single-tier authority, created in 1890 and since 1930 has held the "powers, duties and liabilities" of a county council.{{cite web|url=http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksro/1930/216/pdfs/uksro_19300216_en.pdf|title=Isles of Scilly Order 1930|access-date=7 November 2017}} It thus does not fit the narrower definition of unitary authority as those authorities created under the Local Government Act 1992. The 36 metropolitan borough councils are also the sole elected local government units in their areas (except for parish councils in a few locations), but share strategic functions with joint boards and arrangements. On the other hand, the City of London Corporation and the 32 London borough councils, although they have a high degree of autonomy, share strategic functions with the directly elected Mayor of London and London Assembly.

Unitary authorities should not be confused with another formation in English local government, the combined authority.

• Local government in England
• History of local government in England
• List of unitary authorities of England by population
• List of county councils in England
• Political make-up of unitary authorities in England

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{{Unitary authorities of England}}

{{Former unitary authorities of England}}

{{Administrative geography of the United Kingdom}}

{{Subdivisions of England}}

Category:Local government in England

Category:England geography-related lists