A county council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county . This term has slightly different meanings in different countries.
61-453: Cheshire County Council was the county council of Cheshire . Founded on 1 April 1889, it was officially dissolved on 31 March 2009, when it and its districts were superseded by two unitary authorities; Cheshire West and Chester and Cheshire East . At the time of its abolition in 2009, it had six districts: Chester , Congleton , Crewe and Nantwich , Ellesmere Port and Neston , Macclesfield , and Vale Royal . Cheshire County Council
122-621: A leave of absence . The (elected) county mayor should not be confused with the (appointed) county governor . The county council has its roots in Amtsformandskabet created in 1837. Starting in 1964, members of the county councils were appointed by the municipal councils. In 1975, the first general elections were held for the county councils. The county councils created under British rule in 1899 continue to exist in Ireland, although they are now governed under legislation passed by
183-554: A vote of no confidence in the leader. In addition, the compliance of councillors with their code of conduct may be overseen by a standards committee, although since the coming into effect of the Localism Act 2011 this can be dispensed with and its functions can be delegated to a monitoring officer. The elected mayor and cabinet model was introduced by the Local Government Act 2000. Councils currently operating
244-472: A result, the status of some of these (mainly) more rural counties changed. Cornwall, Durham, Northumberland, Shropshire and Wiltshire became unitary authorities providing all services. Some of these councils have dropped the word "county" from their titles. Bedfordshire and Cheshire county councils were abolished with more than one unitary council established within the boundaries of the abolished council. Other county councils remained unchanged, particularly in
305-434: A slightly different division of powers between county and district councils, however. The county and district councils were abolished twenty-two years later, when the present system of principal areas was introduced. A county council is a type of local government that is responsible for providing services to a specific county or region. It is typically composed of elected officials who are responsible for making decisions about
366-469: A system of large regional councils was introduced. Regions were themselves abolished in 1996 and replaced by the current unitary council areas . In Scotland, control of county administration was in the hands of Commissioners of Supply . This was a body of the principal landowners liable to pay land tax, and was unelected. The first elections to Scottish county councils took place in February 1890. Only
427-475: A third option for an elected mayor and council manager, which was only adopted by one authority and was later withdrawn. Additionally, lower tier authorities with a population under 85,000 were allowed to continue to use a committee system. The leader and cabinet model was introduced under the Local Government Act 2000 . It consists of the leader and the cabinet itself, which is usually formed by
488-507: A unitary authority. County councils were abolished under the Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 1972 in 1973. The only local authorities since that date have been district councils . In Scotland county councils existed from 1890 to 1975. They were created by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889 and reconstituted forty years later by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1929 . County councils were abolished in 1975 when
549-483: A whole. These decisions are scrutinised by one or more "overview and scrutiny" committees, which may be dedicated to one or more service areas. The leader and cabinet are responsible for policies, plans, and strategies, which must be within the budget adopted by the full council. These will be reported to the overall "full" council, which is convened to bring together all elected members of the authority at regular meetings. One or more overview and scrutiny committees holds
610-460: Is exercised, alongside full council, by a number of committees, made up of councillors in proportion to their parties' representation on the council. Such councils may choose to nominate a councillor as Leader of the Council for the purposes of representing the political leadership of the council, particularly in relations with external bodies. If no leader is nominated, as was the case prior to 2000,
671-563: Is sometimes used in English for regional municipal bodies in other countries. Both Swedish and Norwegian county councils are directly elected by their inhabitants as it is also the case in Romania during local elections. There are some differences between them in responsibilities. Leader of the council Executive mayor elected by the people, elected legislative City council Council - Manager Executive leader elected by
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#1732776903382732-659: The Greater London Council . Greater London was declared to be an "area" and not to lie in any county. In addition two pairs of administrative counties were merged to become Cambridgeshire and Isle of Ely and Huntingdon and Peterborough under recommendations made by the Local Government Commission for England . The Local Government Act 1972 completely reorganised local authorities in England and Wales. County boroughs were abolished and
793-623: The Irish War of Independence . The Irish Free State inherited the local authorities created by the United Kingdom legislation. The first elections after independence were held on 23 June 1925, following amendments by the Local Government Act 1925 . The act abolished rural district councils (except in County Dublin ) and passed their powers to the county councils. At the following election all county councils were to be increased:
854-454: The Local Government Act 1958 recommended a reduction in the number of county councils in Wales and Monmouthshire from thirteen to seven, but reform did not take place until 1974. From 1 April 1974 the number of counties and county councils was reduced to eight in number. Like the county councils introduced in England at the same time, the whole council was elected every four years. There was
915-521: The Local Government Reform Act 2014 , the number of county councils was again reduced: a merger of North Tipperary and South Tipperary County Councils created a single Tipperary County Council ; and the city and county councils of Limerick and Waterford were merged to create Limerick City and County Council and Waterford City and County Council . In Taiwan, a county council is the legislative body of each county . Members of
976-472: The Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 . Following invitations from central government in 2007, a number of county councils and their associated districts examined ways in which local government provision could be rationalised, mainly in the form of abolishing the existing county and district councils and establishing one-tier authorities for all or parts of these existing counties. As
1037-472: The Oireachtas , with the principal act being the Local Government Act 2001 . The Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 introduced county councils to Ireland, with a lower tier of governance of urban and rural districts . The administrative and financial business carried by county grand juries and county at large presentment sessions were transferred to the new councils. Principal among these duties were
1098-451: The metropolitan boroughs and joint boards. The Local Government Act 1992 established a new Local Government Commission whose remit was to conduct a review of the structure of local administration, and the introduction of unitary authorities where appropriate. Accordingly, the number of county councils was reduced: Avon , Berkshire, Cleveland , Hereford and Worcester and Humberside were abolished, while Worcestershire County Council
1159-465: The 1990s they also ran colleges of further education and the careers services. That decade also saw the privatisation of some traditional services, such as highway maintenance, cleaning and school meals. County councils were created by the Local Government Act 1888 ( 51 & 52 Vict. c. 41), largely taking over the administrative functions of the unelected county courts of quarter sessions . County councils consisted of councillors, directly elected by
1220-570: The Scottish county councils were completely reconstituted. Their powers were increased in small burghs . On the other hand, large burghs became independent of the county for most purposes. The district committees created in 1890 were abolished and replaced by district councils, partly consisting of county councillors and partly of directly elected district councillors. Two joint county councils were created, for Perthshire and Kinross-shire and Moray and Nairnshire . The county councils also gained
1281-439: The aldermen took place every three years thereafter. The areas over which the councils had authority were designated as administrative counties . The writ of the county councils did not extend everywhere: large towns and some historic counties corporate were constituted county boroughs by the same act. County borough councils were independent of the council for the county in which they were geographically situated, and exercised
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#17327769033821342-549: The area formed two unitary authorities, with Cheshire East covering the area of the former Congleton , Crewe and Nantwich and Macclesfield districts, and Cheshire West and Chester covering the area of the former Chester , Ellesmere Port and Neston , and Vale Royal districts. From 1889 until 1957 the county council met at the Crewe Arms Hotel in Crewe as a location conveniently accessible by railway to most of
1403-431: The cabinet to account for its decisions and is responsible that the democratic checks and balances are maintained. The principal executive decisions taken by the council as a whole are to appoint the leader, to approve the leader's budget, to adopt development plan documents, and to agree on the council's constitution. Beyond that, it may raise issues, urge the leader, cabinet, or cabinet members to take actions, or pass
1464-463: The chair of the council's main policy committee may be informally deemed to be the council's de facto leader. Some councils operate governance arrangements which have the characteristics of more than one formal governance option. For example, an authority operating under conventional executive arrangements but whose overview and scrutiny committees operate in a manner similar to those under the committee system (developing policy, taking an active part in
1525-401: The committee system is used, executive power is exercised through various committees rather than being focussed on one person. Many councils which use the committee system still nominate one of the councillors to hold the title 'Leader of the Council', albeit without the same powers as a leader under the leader and cabinet model. From the establishment of elected local authorities in England in
1586-463: The control of the Parliament of Northern Ireland , who quickly introduced the Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 1922 , abolishing proportional representation. Electoral districts were redrawn, and a property qualification for voters ( Plural voting ) introduced, ensuring Unionist controlled councils in counties with Nationalist majorities. In 1968 Fermanagh County Council was reconstituted as
1647-519: The council "to any body or persons or person he shall think fit". The power was widely used by ministers of all parties. For example, Kerry County Council was dissolved from 1930 to 1932, and from 1945 to 1948, with commissioners appointed to perform the council's function. The number of county councils was increased from 27 to 29 in 1994 when County Dublin was split under the Local Government (Dublin) Act 1993 into three new counties: Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown , Fingal and South Dublin . In 2014, under
1708-481: The council from among themselves Elected mayor and cabinet Executive mayor elected by the people Committee system Executive leader and executive committees elected by the council from among themselves In England, local authorities are required to adopt one of three types of executive arrangements , having an "elected mayor and cabinet ", a "leader and cabinet", or a "committee system". The type of arrangement used determines how decisions will be made within
1769-508: The council. In councils which use the elected mayor system, the mayor is directly elected by the electorate to provide political leadership for the council and has power to make executive decisions. In councils which use the leader and cabinet model (the most commonly used model), the elected councillors choose one of their number to be the Leader of the Council , and that person provides political leadership and can make executive decisions. Where
1830-449: The councillors for the "landward" part of the county were elected however. The remainder of the council were co-opted by the town councils of the burghs in the county. Scottish county councils also differed from those in England and Wales as they were required to divide their county into districts. A district committee of the county councillors elected for the area were an independent local council for some administrative purposes. In 1930
1891-543: The councils are elected through local elections held every 4 years. The Outline for Implementing Local Autonomy for Cities and Counties was promulgated in April 1950. County councils were established in 1951. In 1999 the Local Government Act was enacted. As stipulated in the Act, duties of the county councils include approving the county budget, levying local taxes and enacting local ordinances. County councils were formed in
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1952-453: The county (including Stockport) being transferred to Greater Manchester , the Wirral peninsula (including Birkenhead and Wallasey) being transferred to Merseyside and the eastern tip of the county at Upper Longdendale and Tintwistle being transferred to Derbyshire . In return, the county gained the area around Widnes and Warrington from Lancashire . County boroughs were abolished at
2013-410: The county council from 1889 until the 1974 reforms were: The leaders of the council from 1974 until 2009 were: Below is a list of people who were Aldermen of Cheshire County Council and when they were made an alderman. County council In Norway, a county council ( Norwegian : Fylkesting ) is the highest governing body of a county municipality ( fylkeskommune ). The county council sets
2074-414: The county council. The last election to Cheshire County Council was held in 2005. Voting for the new unitary authorities took place on 1 May 2008, which then acted as shadow authorities until formally taking over from the abolished county and district councils on 1 April 2009. Political control of Cheshire County Council from 1974 until its abolition in 2009 was held by the following parties: The chairmen of
2135-400: The county excluding these towns was known as the administrative county and was the area under the jurisdiction of Cheshire County Council. Wallasey was later made a county borough in 1913, removing it from the administrative county. Under the Local Government Act 1972 , Cheshire was reconstituted as a non-metropolitan county and had its boundaries revised, with an area in the north-east of
2196-447: The county's budget, infrastructure, and services. County councils are responsible for providing services such as education, health care, public safety, transportation, and social services. They also have the power to levy taxes and fees to fund these services. County councils are typically responsible for maintaining roads, bridges, and other infrastructure within their county. They also have the power to pass laws and regulations that affect
2257-582: The county. County councils are typically responsible for providing services to their constituents, such as libraries, parks, and other recreational facilities. County councils are also responsible for providing services to the elderly, disabled, and other vulnerable populations. County councils are typically responsible for providing services to the environment, such as water and air quality, and for protecting natural resources. County councils are also responsible for providing services to businesses, such as economic development and job training. The term county council
2318-581: The county. Work began on building a new County Hall on Castle Drive in Chester in 1938, but work on the building was paused due to the Second World War , and it was not formally opened until 1957. After Cheshire County Council's abolition, County Hall was sold to the University of Chester . From 1889 until 1970, elections to the county council were generally held every three years. As part of
2379-538: The duties of the abolished education authorities. Since 1996 Wales has been divided into unitary principal areas . Principal councils were designated by the legislation that created them as either "county councils" or "county borough councils". County and county borough councils have identical powers. Prior to 1996 local government in Wales was similar to that in England. Thus the county councils introduced in 1889 were identical to their English counterparts. The Local Government Commission for Wales appointed under
2440-530: The electorate; and county aldermen , chosen by the council itself. There was one county alderman for every three councillors (one for every six in the London County Council ). The first elections to the councils were held at various dates in January 1889, and they served as "provisional" or shadow councils until 1 April, when they came into their powers. Elections of all councillors and half of
2501-512: The existence of a leader of the council, others did not. The role of Leader of the Council in that regard was similar to that of the British prime minister ; the post had not been explicitly created, but gradually emerged. The Local Government Act 2000 sought to strengthen public engagement with local democracy, and streamline the system of committees, introducing the models of directly elected mayors and cabinets, leaders and cabinets, as well as
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2562-511: The first business of their inaugural meetings being the appointment of additional members. The triennial elections were postponed in 1914 on the outbreak of World War I . The Local Government (Ireland) Act 1919 introduced proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote to county councils, elected from multi-member electoral areas. Only one election was under the new system before independence, held in January 1920 (in urban areas) and on 2 June 1920 (in rural areas), during
2623-558: The functions of both county and district councils. The new system was a major modernisation, which reflected the increasing range of functions carried out by local government in late Victorian Britain . A major accretion of powers took place when education was added to county council responsibilities in 1902. County councils were responsible for more strategic services in a region, with (from 1894) smaller urban district councils and rural district councils responsible for other activities. The Local Government Act 1929 considerably increased
2684-499: The heavily populated parts of England such as the south-east. Further minor local government reforms took place in 2019–20, which led to Dorset and Buckinghamshire also becoming unitary authorities providing all services. County councils existed in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 1973. Following partition, six administrative counties remained within the United Kingdom as part of Northern Ireland . Local government came under
2745-516: The late 19th century. In the various constituent countries of the United Kingdom councils had different powers and different memberships. Following local government reforms in the 1970s, county councils no longer exist in Scotland or Northern Ireland. In England they generally form the top level in a two-tier system of administration; in Wales they are unitary authorities. In England county councils were introduced in 1889, and reformed in 1974. Since
2806-399: The leader of the controlling party as being the 'Leader of the Council'. It was also generally recognised that the most powerful political position on a council was the person who chaired the main policy-making committee, which in most councils was called the policy and resources committee. Usually, the leader of the largest party would chair that committee. Some councils explicitly acknowledged
2867-495: The maintenance of highways and bridges, the upkeep and inspection of lunatic asylums and the appointment of coroners . The new bodies also took over some duties from poor law boards of guardians in relation to diseases of cattle and from the justices of the peace to regulate explosives. The Irish county councils differed in constitution from those in Great Britain. Most of the council was directly elected: each county
2928-403: The majority party in the local authority , where there is one, or by a coalition which comes together to elect a leader. The council elects the leader, and the leader appoints the other members of the cabinet. Each cabinet member holds a separate portfolio, such as housing, finance, economic development, or education. Decisions may be delegated to the individual members, or taken by the cabinet as
2989-505: The mayoral model include: The elected mayor and council manager option was also introduced by the Local Government Act 2000, but withdrawn by the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 . The only local authority to adopt the model was Stoke-on-Trent City Council , reverting to leader and cabinet in 2008. Section 31 of the Local Government Act 2000 allowed district councils in two tier areas, with populations under 85,000, to propose alternative executive arrangements. This
3050-427: The mid-1990s a series of local government reorganisations has reduced the number of county councils as unitary authorities have been established in a number of areas. County councils are very large employers with a great variety of functions including education (schools and youth services), social services, highways, fire and rescue services, libraries, waste disposal, consumer services and town and country planning. Until
3111-435: The nineteenth century until the Local Government Act 2000 , councils used a system of committees for decision making. There was no legislative requirement for any councillor to be declared the leader, with the principle being that all the elected councillors were equal in status. In practice, political groups had their own leaders, and when a council was under the control of a particular party, local media would commonly refer to
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#17327769033823172-466: The number of extra councillors was to be twice the number of abolished rural districts. The act set out the powers and duties of county councils and also gave the Minister for Local Government the power to dissolve councils if he was satisfied that "the duties of a local council are not being duly and effectually discharged". He could order new elections to be held, or transfer the power and properties of
3233-543: The powers of county councils. Primarily, the Boards of Guardians were abolished: workhouses were taken over by the county councils as public assistance institutions, and county councils also assumed responsibility for former poor law infirmaries, and fever hospitals. County councils also took charge of highways in rural districts. In 1965 there was a reduction in the number of county councils. The London Government Act 1963 abolished those of London and Middlesex and created
3294-405: The reforms under the Local Government Act 1972, those councillors still in post in 1972 on the old county council had their terms of office extended to 31 March 1974. The first election to the reconstituted county council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority until the new arrangements came into effect on 1 April 1974. Elections were thereafter generally held every four years for
3355-628: The same time, and so the city of Chester came under the jurisdiction of the county council for the first time. The lower tier of local government was also reorganised, with the county's previous municipal boroughs , urban districts and rural districts being replaced by eight non-metropolitan districts . These changes all took effect on 1 April 1974. On 1 April 1998, two of the county's districts, Halton and Warrington , became unitary authorities , making them independent from Cheshire County Council. Cheshire County Council and its six remaining districts were abolished on 31 March 2009. From 1 April 2009
3416-602: The scope of the county municipal activity. The council is led by the Chairman of the County Council, more commonly called a County Mayor ( fylkesordfører ). Members of the council are elected for a four-year term through the general local elections , which can extended for a second four-year term. It is common for members of a county council to also hold seats in municipal councils, but very rare that they also hold legislative ( Storting ) or other government office, without
3477-447: The whole of England (apart from Greater London ) was placed in a two-tier arrangement with county councils and district councils. In the six largest conurbations metropolitan county councils, with increased powers, were created. The post of county alderman was abolished, and the entire council was thereafter directly elected every four years. In 1986 the six metropolitan county councils were abolished, with their functions transferred to
3538-640: Was created on 1 April 1889 under the Local Government Act 1888 , which established elected county councils across England and Wales to take over the local government functions previously performed by the Quarter Sessions . Certain large towns were made county boroughs , administering their own affairs independently from the county councils. When Cheshire County Council was established in 1889, three county boroughs were created in Cheshire: Birkenhead , Chester , and Stockport . The area of
3599-491: Was divided by the Local Government Board for Ireland into district electoral divisions , each returning a single councillor for a three-year term. In addition urban districts were to form electoral divisions: depending on population they could return multiple county councillors. The county councils were also to consist of "additional members": The first county council elections were held on 6 April 1899, and
3660-467: Was re-established. The reforms somewhat blurred the distinction between county and district council. The Isle of Wight county council became a unitary authority, renamed the "Isle of Wight Council". Conversely, two unitary district councils added the word "county" to their titles to become " Rutland County Council District Council" and "County of Herefordshire District Council". A further wave of local government reform took place in April 2009 under
3721-420: Was superseded by the changes made by the Localism Act 2011 and the renewed availability of the committee system to all local authorities. Under the Localism Act 2011, principal authorities (such as unitary authorities, county councils, and district councils) were allowed to return to decision-making by committees, the method of local government administration for all councils prior to 2000. Under this model power
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