NCTJ Public Affairs Latest Update Graded A+

NCTJ Public Affairs Latest Update Graded A+ Local government - types of council 201 District councils (e.g. North Devon District Council) 27 County councils (e.g. Devon County Council) 55 Unitary authorities (e.g. Cornwall) 36 Metropolitan districts (e.g. Salford City Council) 32 London boroughs (E.g. Camden Council) +2 (City of London and Isles of Scilly) 353 major councils in England (excluding Parish/ Town councils - there are 9,000/ 10,000 of them) Two-tier authority Structure of local government Two-tiers of governance - county and district/ borough Each tier has different responsibilities Most councils had this structure up until 1990 After 1990, loads of mergers took place and unitary authorities were created Hybrid authority Structure of local government In areas where two-tier and unitary authorities co-exist e.g. Brighton and Hove City Council (unitary) exists alongside a two-tier structure of East Sussex County Council and several lower tier authorities, including Lewes district council Unitary authority Structure of local government Integrated approach to governance, they run all local services Mergers after 1990's led to creation of these Combined authority Structure of local government New tier of local government In nine areas (e.g. Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region) Resources of two or more existing councils are 'pooled' Allows neighbouring councils to collaborate and make collective decisions (e.g. on transport which spans across multiple council areas) Get additional funding Powers of combined authority Integrated transport authority Economic prosperity board Can borrow money on open market Elected mayors (e.g Burnham) In Manchester, this authority controls the NHS budget and policing Cornwall Council Created a unitary authority in 2009 Merger of one county and six district councils 123 members Boundary Commission proposed to reduce member numbers to 87 Budget = £1 billion + Metropolitan districts Structure of local government Govern metropolitan (city) areas Effectively unitary authorities e.g. Greater Manchester, Merseyside Responsibilities of county councils Education