Katie Brawn Unit 1 Assignment 1
In this report I will be giving a detailed explanation as well as an evaluation of the
different levels of Government that exist in the UK, as well as describing the roles of
government departments in relation to the public services as well as including their
responsibilities.
The different levels of Government in the UK
There are a range of different levels that Government can work at in the UK. These
include:
Local councils
County Councils
National Government
European Union
Local government comes in many forms, with many of their roles and responsibilities
overlapping, although they all focus on their responsibilities and services needed in
their area.
Local Councils
The lowest and most local level of Government that operates in the UK is the Local
councils, with an example being Salisbury City Council. Other local council levels
can also include Parish Councils, which operate within and for a single village, town
or part of a town.
Local councils are responsible for a variety of factors in their local area, including:
Housing
Recycling
Cemeteries and Crematoria
Beaches
Licensing
Buses
Tax and Council Tax collection
Registration of Births, Deaths and Marriages
Education
Environmental Health
Planning and Development of Buildings
Recreation and Amenities
Refuse Collection
Registration of Electors for voting
Street Lighting
Local Transport and Traffic Services
Allotments
War Memorials
Seating and Shelters
Rights of way
Tourist Information Centres
Social Services
Personally, I feel that local councils are extremely important in our society and that
they are valued by the residents of the area that these local councils serve.
A positive point of local councils is that residents can give their opinions to councils
whose staff live in the same area as them and understand what it is like living there
1
, Katie Brawn Unit 1 Assignment 1
as well as the facilities in that local area. Another positive outcome could be that
local councils can deal with issues raised themselves, and it isn’t up to County
councils or even the National government to deal with these issues as bigger, more
impactful decisions are made at county and National Government levels.
A negative point of local councils could be that if the staff working within these
councils do not do their job properly, the residents of the area the council serves
could end up with none of their local issues being solved, with potential issues being
unorganised tax payments, unreliable recycling services and beaches being left
alone and not cared for.
One other thing I feel that the local councils could do is look after recreational
spaces, such as installing new parks, litter picking and organising events in these
green spaces when safe to do so. One example of this could be Fisherton
Recreation Ground in Salisbury. For this space, the council could set up orienteering
courses and create maps for such courses, organise permanent trails around the
space for families as well as build and maintain play park spaces.
County Councils
The next level of Government operating in the UK is County Councils, with an
example being Wiltshire County Council.
County councils are responsible for a wider range of factors in their county than City
or Town councils, which include:
Adoption
Schools
Broadband
Roads
Jobs
History and Heritage
Council tax
Emergency Planning
Libraries
Planning and Development of Buildings
Public Transport
Refuse Disposal
Social Services
Trading Standards
Personally, I feel that County councils are very beneficial and an integral part of
society and government in the UK, as they can represent multiple cities and areas
where people live, such as countryside, urban areas and housing estates. They can
assist City councils with any problems they face as well as represent the county at
government where others feel that the UK Government would listen to and assist
County Councils rather than City Councils. This is because City councils represent
one set area, but County Councils represent one large, set geographical area and
can compare the impact of something from one city to other cities and towns in that
specific county.
National Government
One of the Highest levels of Government currently operating in the UK is National
Government, also known as the UK Government, but different to the UK Parliament.
2
In this report I will be giving a detailed explanation as well as an evaluation of the
different levels of Government that exist in the UK, as well as describing the roles of
government departments in relation to the public services as well as including their
responsibilities.
The different levels of Government in the UK
There are a range of different levels that Government can work at in the UK. These
include:
Local councils
County Councils
National Government
European Union
Local government comes in many forms, with many of their roles and responsibilities
overlapping, although they all focus on their responsibilities and services needed in
their area.
Local Councils
The lowest and most local level of Government that operates in the UK is the Local
councils, with an example being Salisbury City Council. Other local council levels
can also include Parish Councils, which operate within and for a single village, town
or part of a town.
Local councils are responsible for a variety of factors in their local area, including:
Housing
Recycling
Cemeteries and Crematoria
Beaches
Licensing
Buses
Tax and Council Tax collection
Registration of Births, Deaths and Marriages
Education
Environmental Health
Planning and Development of Buildings
Recreation and Amenities
Refuse Collection
Registration of Electors for voting
Street Lighting
Local Transport and Traffic Services
Allotments
War Memorials
Seating and Shelters
Rights of way
Tourist Information Centres
Social Services
Personally, I feel that local councils are extremely important in our society and that
they are valued by the residents of the area that these local councils serve.
A positive point of local councils is that residents can give their opinions to councils
whose staff live in the same area as them and understand what it is like living there
1
, Katie Brawn Unit 1 Assignment 1
as well as the facilities in that local area. Another positive outcome could be that
local councils can deal with issues raised themselves, and it isn’t up to County
councils or even the National government to deal with these issues as bigger, more
impactful decisions are made at county and National Government levels.
A negative point of local councils could be that if the staff working within these
councils do not do their job properly, the residents of the area the council serves
could end up with none of their local issues being solved, with potential issues being
unorganised tax payments, unreliable recycling services and beaches being left
alone and not cared for.
One other thing I feel that the local councils could do is look after recreational
spaces, such as installing new parks, litter picking and organising events in these
green spaces when safe to do so. One example of this could be Fisherton
Recreation Ground in Salisbury. For this space, the council could set up orienteering
courses and create maps for such courses, organise permanent trails around the
space for families as well as build and maintain play park spaces.
County Councils
The next level of Government operating in the UK is County Councils, with an
example being Wiltshire County Council.
County councils are responsible for a wider range of factors in their county than City
or Town councils, which include:
Adoption
Schools
Broadband
Roads
Jobs
History and Heritage
Council tax
Emergency Planning
Libraries
Planning and Development of Buildings
Public Transport
Refuse Disposal
Social Services
Trading Standards
Personally, I feel that County councils are very beneficial and an integral part of
society and government in the UK, as they can represent multiple cities and areas
where people live, such as countryside, urban areas and housing estates. They can
assist City councils with any problems they face as well as represent the county at
government where others feel that the UK Government would listen to and assist
County Councils rather than City Councils. This is because City councils represent
one set area, but County Councils represent one large, set geographical area and
can compare the impact of something from one city to other cities and towns in that
specific county.
National Government
One of the Highest levels of Government currently operating in the UK is National
Government, also known as the UK Government, but different to the UK Parliament.
2
