Countries of the World/COUNTRYS.BIN/dp/0054/00545.txt

Text File | 1991-06-24 | 31KB | 531 lines

$Unique_ID{COW00545}
$Pretitle{405}
$Title{United Kingdom
Local Government}
$Subtitle{}
$Author{Embassy of the United Kingdom, Washington DC}
$Affiliation{Embassy of the United Kingdom, Washington DC}
$Subject{local
authorities
fire
government
councils
services
authority
ireland
northern
central}
$Date{1990}
$Log{}
Country:     United Kingdom
Book:        Britain's System of Government
Author:      Embassy of the United Kingdom, Washington DC
Affiliation: Embassy of the United Kingdom, Washington DC
Date:        1990

Local Government

     A wide range of public services is provided by democratically elected
local authorities throughout Britain. The gradual expansion of local services,
particularly in the period between the late 1940s and mid-1970s, led to a
steady rise in local government expenditure and in its support from central
funds. In recent years central government has sought to check this growth as
part of a general policy of reducing public expenditure. A number of measures
have been introduced, aimed at increasing the accountability of local
government. These include the holding back of central government grant from
authorities spending above government targets, and the establishment in
England and Wales of the independent Audit Commission to audit accounts and
ensure economical use of resources. The Government has legislated to promote
greater competition in the provision of some local authority services. In
Scotland there is an independent Commission for Local Authority Accounts and
similar action has been taken to control local authority expenditure.
Moreover, since staff costs form such a significant part of public
expenditure, local authorities have been urged to reduce staff levels. Local
authorities in England, Wales and Scotland are required to publish quarterly
staffing levels for particular services.

     The specific powers and duties of local authorities are conferred on them
by Parliament, or by measures made under its authority. The actual
administration, and the exercise of discretion within statutory limits, are
the responsibility of the local authority. In the case of certain services,
however, ministers have powers to secure a measure of national uniformity in
the standard of a service provided, to safeguard public health, or to protect
the rights of individual citizens. For some services the minister concerned
has wide powers of supervision; for others there are strictly limited powers.

     The main links between local authorities and central government are: in
England, the Department of the Environment, although other departments (for
example, the Department of Education and Science, and the Home Office) are
concerned with various local government functions; in Scotland, the Scottish
Office; in Wales, the Welsh Office; and in Northern Ireland, the Department of
the Environment for Northern Ireland.

Principal Types of Local Authority

     England and Wales (outside Greater London) are divided into 53 counties,
within which there are 369 districts. All the districts and 47 of the
counties-the `non-metropolitan' counties-have independent, locally elected
councils with separate functions. County authorities provide the large-scale
local government services, while the district authorities are responsible for
the more local ones (see p 36).

     In Greater London-an area of about 1,580 sq km (610 sq miles) and a
population of some 6.8 million-the local government authorities are the
councils of 32 London boroughs and the Corporation of the City of London,
while in the six metropolitan counties there are 36 district councils.

     Until 1986 Greater London and the metropolitan counties had their own
councils, but these were abolished by the Local Government Act 1985, which was
designed to create a more effective, economical and accountable system by
removing a tier of local government. As a result, many of the functions
previously carried out by the Greater London Council and the metropolitan
county councils were transferred to the London borough and metropolitan
district councils. However, a number of services require a statutory authority
over areas wider than the boroughs and districts. These are waste regulation
and disposal in certain areas; the police and fire services, including civil
defence, and public transport in all metropolitan counties; and the fire
service, including civil defence, in London. All are run by joint authorities
composed of elected councillors nominated by the borough or district councils.
In April 1990 responsibility for education in inner London was transferred
from the Inner London Education Authority (ILEA) to individual inner London
borough councils. The Local Government Act 1985 established seven residuary
bodies to carry out the remaining tasks of the Greater London Council and the
metropolitan county councils that were not assigned to successor authorities
at that time. The Act also placed a duty on the residuary bodies to wind
themselves up by March 1991.

     Within rural districts in England, parish councils or meetings are
focuses for local opinion as bodies with limited powers of local interest. In
Wales community councils have similar functions.

     On the mainland of Scotland local government is on a two-tier basis: nine
regions are divided into 53 districts, each area having its own elected
council. There are three virtually all-purpose authorities for Orkney,
Shetland and the Western Isles. Provision is also made for local community
councils, although these are not local authorities.

     The areas and electoral arrangements of local authorities are kept under
review by the Local Government Boundary Commissions for England, Wales and
Scotland.

     In Northern Ireland 26 district councils are responsible for local
environmental and certain other services. Statutory bodies, such as the
Northern Ireland Housing Executive and area boards, are responsible to central
government departments for administering major services such as housing,
education and libraries, and health and personal social services. Regional
services such as roads, water and sewerage, and planning, are the
responsibility of central government, through the Department of the
Environment for Northern Ireland.

Election of Councils

     Local authority councils consist of a number of elected unpaid
councillors presided over by a chairman. Councillors can claim a flat-rate
attendance allowance or a financial loss allowance for performing council
business. They are also entitled to travelling and subsistence allowances.
Parish and community councillors cannot claim expenses for duties.

     In England, Wales and Northern Ireland each council annually elects a
chairman and vice-chairman. Some districts have the ceremonial title of
borough, or city, both granted by royal authority (in Northern Ireland, by the
Secretary of State). In boroughs and cities the chairman is normally known as
the Mayor. In the City of London and certain other large cities, he or she is
known as the Lord Mayor. In Scotland the chairman of the district council of
each of the four cities is called the Lord Provost. No specific title is laid
down for the chairmen of other councils, but some are known as conveners,
while others continue to use the old title of `provost'.

     Councillors are elected for four years. All county councils, London
borough councils, and about two-thirds of non-metropolitan district councils
are elected in their entirety every four years. In the remaining districts
(including all metropolitan districts) one-third of the councillors are
elected in each of the three years between county council elections.

     In Scotland local elections are held every two years, alternately for
districts and for regions and islands authorities, so that all types of
authority are elected for four years at a time.

     Anyone is entitled to vote at a local government election in Great
Britain provided he or she is aged 18 years or over, is a British citizen,
other Com