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102-675: The Local Government Commission for England was the body responsible for reviewing the structure of local government in England from 1992 to 2002. It was established under the Local Government Act 1992 , replacing the Local Government Boundary Commission for England . The Commission could be ordered by the Secretary of State to undertake "structural reviews" in specified areas and recommend

204-505: A Mayor of London and 25-member London Assembly . The first mayoral and assembly elections took place in 2000. The former Leader of the Greater London Council , Ken Livingstone , served as the inaugural Mayor, until he was defeated by future Prime Minister Boris Johnson in 2008 . The incumbent, Sadiq Khan , was first elected in 2016 . The Mayor's functions include chairing Transport for London , holding

306-484: A hung parliament , with no single party having an overall majority. The parties campaigned on the familiar grounds of taxation and health care. Major became known for delivering his speeches while standing on an upturned soapbox during public meetings. Immigration was also an issue, with Home Secretary Kenneth Baker making a controversial speech stating that, under Labour, the floodgates would be opened for immigrants from developing countries. Some speculated that this

408-468: A non-metropolitan county council and two or more non-metropolitan district councils share responsibility for these services. In single-tier areas a unitary authority , London borough , or metropolitan borough provides all services. The City of London and Isles of Scilly have unique local authorities. The London boroughs, metropolitan boroughs, and some unitary authorities collaborate through regional authorities. The Greater London Authority (GLA)

510-493: A border with Greater London . Also, Hereford and Worcester was abolished and replaced by the unitary authority of Herefordshire and the shire county of Worcestershire . Berkshire was split into six unitary authorities, but not formally abolished. The local government reform did not affect police areas , or fire and rescue service areas, but resulted in the setting of many more joint boards for such authorities: previously county councils were represented on these bodies, and

612-483: A county council and a district council, which would share local authority functions. In May 2022, 21 non-metropolitan county councils and 164 non-metropolitan district councils remain. These are better known as simply county councils and district councils. The Local Government Act 1985 also abolished metropolitan county councils, but there are still 36 metropolitan district councils as of May 2022. There are also (as of April 2023) 62 unitary authorities. These carry out

714-547: A devolution deal, which are usually reserved to combined authorities for additional functions and funding. And, like some combined authorities and parish councils, local authorities do have a general power of competence . Separate to combined authorities, two or more local authorities can also work together through joint boards (for legally-required services: fire, public transport and waste disposal), joint committees (voluntarily) or through contracting out and agency arrangements. The Greater London Authority Act 1999 established

816-568: A factor in the high turnout. In Scotland , the Scottish National Party (SNP) hoped for a major electoral breakthrough in 1992 and had run a hard independence campaign with "Free by '93" as their slogan, urging voters to back a party which would deliver Scottish independence from the United Kingdom. Although the party increased its total vote by 50% compared to 1987, they only held onto the three seats they had won at

918-407: A landslide at the 1987 general election under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher , who had led the party back into power in 1979 and won a landslide majority in 1983, but her popularity and that of her government sharply declined due to internal divisions in the party and the unpopular Community Charge (also known as the 'poll tax') , as well as the fact that Britain was sliding into recession in

1020-460: A local authority. Ten currently exist, with more planned. Parish councils form the lowest tier of local government and govern civil parishes . They may also be called a 'community council', 'neighbourhood council', 'village council', 'town council' or (if the parish holds city status) 'city council', but these names are stylistic and do not change their responsibilities. As of December 2021 there are 10,475 parishes in England, but they do not cover

1122-538: A major Labour Party election rally in Sheffield . At the time of the event polls suggested Labour was well ahead of the Conservatives. Richards argues the rally "acquired a mythological status as fatal event" after Labour's defeat, but considers this theory to be "a red herring". He notes that prior to the result of the election becoming known, "there was no suggestion that Kinnock had made a terrible blunder" at

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1224-410: A mixed system, with large urban areas being covered by unitary authorities called county boroughs , and the rest of the country having administrative county councils and many smaller district councils, with different competences. The 1972 Act abolished county boroughs, making them districts in two-tier counties. This, and the consequent loss of education, social services and libraries to county control,

1326-562: A parish council must meet certain conditions of quality. Civil parishes developed in the nineteenth century and were based on the Church of England's parishes , which until then had both ecclesiastical and local government functions; parish councils were created by the Local Government Act 1894 ( 56 & 57 Vict. c. 73). The ecclesiastical parishes continue to exist, but neither they nor their parochial church councils have any local government role. There are 317 local authorities covering

1428-468: A pattern followed also in County Durham ( Darlington ), Devon ( Plymouth and Torbay ), East Sussex ( Brighton & Hove ), Essex ( Southend-on-Sea ), Nottinghamshire ( Nottingham ), Staffordshire ( Stoke-on-Trent ) and Wiltshire ( Thamesdown ). The Commission recommended the abolition of two county councils – Berkshire (which was to have five unitary authorities) and Dorset (which

1530-673: A unitary authority. The proposal for an entirely unitary structure had been strongly supported by the County Council earlier, though with time and a change in political composition of the Council, it changed its mind and took this decision to court, seeking to have the entire Order declared invalid. The High Court ruled in their favour, but the Court of Appeal quashed this decision. This led to the implementation of unitary authorities of Berkshire to be delayed from 1997 to 1998. In Hampshire,

1632-480: A very slim Labour majority. Of the 50 opinion polls published during the election campaign period, 38 suggested Labour had a narrow but clear lead. After the polls closed, the BBC and ITV exit polls still predicted that there would be a hung parliament and "that the Conservatives would only just get more seats than Labour". With opinion polls at the end of the campaign showing Labour and the Conservatives neck and neck,

1734-561: A whole has limited revenue-raising powers compared to other G7 countries. In the 20th century, local authorities found that the costs of providing services exceeded the revenues raised from local taxes and so grants from the UK Government (specifically the Treasury ) gradually increased. However, UK Government grants were cut by 40% in real terms between the financial years 2009/10 and 2019/20, although grant income did grow due to

1836-481: Is a public interest in disclosing information about local government investments which will generally outweigh any concerns about whether disclosure could affect an investment's performance or be protected by confidentiality requirements. Local authorities cannot borrow money to finance day-to-day spending and so must rely on yearly income or reserves for this type of expenditure, although they can borrow to fund capital expenditure. Local government in England as

1938-402: Is an irrational split of functions between the two tiers compounded by a confusing overlap of responsibilities ... We favour the creation in England and Wales of unitary authorities". Heseltine announced in 1991 that the government would be looking at the creation of unitary authorities in the non-metropolitan counties as part of a more general review of local government, including the abolition of

2040-517: Is clear both practically and democratically that the overly centralised arrangements of government in England are problematic" and that reform was also needed of funding structures. As of May 2024, the various combined authorities, county, district, and sui generis councils formed an administrative hierarchy as shown in the table below. Unitary authorities are legally either district councils which also perform county functions or county councils which also perform district functions; they therefore straddle

2142-634: Is the most recent in which the Conservatives won more seats than Labour in Greater London , at 48 to 35; in the 1997 election, the Conservatives would win only 11. For the Liberal Democrats their first election campaign was a reasonable success; the party had worked itself up from a "low base" during its troubled creation and come out relatively unscathed. It was Labour's second general election defeat under leader Neil Kinnock and deputy leader Roy Hattersley . Both resigned soon after

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2244-462: Is the regional authority for Greater London , with responsibility for transport, policing, fire and rescue, development and strategic planning. Combined authorities are statutory bodies which allow two or more local authorities to voluntarily pool responsibilities and negotiate a devolution deal with the UK Government for the area they cover, giving it powers beyond those typically held by

2346-563: The COVID-19 pandemic . Local government receives two types of grants: the Revenue Support Grant, which can be spent on any service according to the wishes of the local government body in question, and specific grants, which are usually 'ring fenced' to specifically defined service areas. Council tax was introduced in 1993 to replace the ' poll tax '. It is a domestic property tax, based on eight bands (A to H) depending on

2448-717: The Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police and London Fire Commissioner to account and keeping strategies up to date, including the London Plan . Meanwhile, it is the Assembly's role to regularly hold the Mayor and their key advisers to account and it can also amend the budget or a strategy by a two-thirds majority, though this has not ever happened as of March 2022. Combined authorities can be created at

2550-582: The Commons that the government would not fully accept the Commission's proposals and certain districts would be referred to the Commission for a further review. He also announced John Banham's resignation in protest at this. For Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire and Dorset the government did not accept the Commission's recommendations for an entirely unitary structure, and decided to only make Luton , Milton Keynes , Bournemouth and Poole unitary, with

2652-601: The Community Charge , or poll tax. Heseltine was replaced by Michael Howard in April 1992 after the 1992 general election . Whilst Heseltine had expressed a wish for most of the country to become unitary authorities, Howard issued revised guidance on the basis that the "two-tier structure may be appropriate in some areas", and that the costs of reorganisation might be too much for the recession-hit UK economy to take. The Commission, chaired by John Banham (named to

2754-547: The Council Tax . The Labour opposition made repeated calls for a general election to be held during 1991, but Major resisted these calls. As 1992 dawned, the recession had still not ended, unemployment now topped 2.5 million and the election loomed, with most opinion polls suggested that the election would produce a hung parliament or a narrow Labour majority, although the lead in the polls had shifted between Tory and Labour on several occasions since November 1990. Parliament

2856-803: The Isle of Wight , Humberside , Lincolnshire , North Yorkshire and Somerset was nearly done by the end of 1993. Banham had said that the Commission was expecting "early wins" in Cleveland, Humberside and Avon. The first recommendation, published in 1993, was the quite uncontroversial one to make Isle of Wight a unitary authority. The island had been split between South Wight and Medina boroughs, with an Isle of Wight County Council, since 1974. Three more final reports, for Cleveland, Derbyshire and Durham, were published in November 1993. In both Derbyshire and Durham, unitary authorities would be created covering

2958-548: The Localism Act 2011 . In every area, one local authority acts as the billing authority (the district council in two-tier areas), which prepares and collects council tax bills. Other parts of local government (like county councils in two-tier areas, police and crime commissioners, fire authorities, parish councils and combined authorities) act as precepting authorities, which notify the relevant billing authority of their decision on council tax and later receive this money from

3060-545: The Sheffield Arena , where Neil Kinnock famously cried out "We're all right!" three times. However, some analysts and participants in the campaign believed it actually had little effect, with the event only receiving widespread attention after the election. This was the first general election for the newly formed Liberal Democrats , a party formed by the formal merger of the SDP–Liberal Alliance following

3162-602: The previous election . They lost Glasgow Govan , which their deputy leader Jim Sillars had taken from Labour in a by-election in 1988 . Sillars quit active politics after the general election with a parting shot at the Scottish electorate as being "ninety-minute patriots", referring to their support of the Scotland football team only during match time. The election also saw a small change in Northern Ireland :

Local Government Commission for England (1992) - Misplaced Pages Continue

3264-636: The sui generis City of London Corporation . The other sui generis local authorities are the Council of the Isles of Scilly , Middle Temple and Inner Temple . Outside Greater London and the Isles of Scilly , the Local Government Act 1972 divided England into metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties, which would have one county council and multiple district councils each. That meant that each area would be covered by two tiers of local authorities - both

3366-445: The 1987 general election. Its formation had not been without its problems, but under the strong leadership of Paddy Ashdown , who proved to be a likeable and candid figure, the party went into the election ready to win votes and seats. They focused on education throughout the campaign, as well as a promise on reforming the voting system. The weather was largely dull for most of the campaign, but sunny conditions on 9 April may have been

3468-560: The April 2012 Leveson Inquiry , Rupert Murdoch claimed that the "infamous" headline was "both tasteless and wrong". Tony Blair also accepted this theory of Labour's defeat and put considerable effort into securing The Sun ' s support for New Labour , both as Leader of the Opposition before the 1997 general election and as Prime Minister afterwards. Steve Richards notes that one theory for Labour's defeat relates to Kinnock seeming triumphalist, "overconfident and cocky" at

3570-479: The BBC's coverage started five minutes before the polls closed and the result of the exit poll was announced live, accompanied by footage of Big Ben striking, at 10pm. This method of revealing the exit poll has been repeated in all subsequent BBC election night broadcasts. Coverage was, according to the Radio Times , supposed to end at 04:00 on Friday morning, but was extended. The BBC began construction of

3672-504: The Commission for consideration under the new guidance. Gummer accepted the Commission's proposal to abolish Cleveland, but asked the Commission to consider Durham and Derbyshire again under the new guidance. The Labour Party, while remaining broadly in favour of unitary authorities, attacked the Commission for inconsistency. The leader of the Labour-controlled Derbyshire County Council questioned

3774-812: The Commission had proposed unitary authorities for the cities of Portsmouth and Southampton , which were accepted by the government, and the larger and more rural New Forest district, which the government did not accept. In many counties that were to remain unchanged, the government had reservations about specific districts. Gummer identified as candidates on his 2 March statement the districts of Basildon , Blackburn , Blackpool , Broxtowe , Dartford , Exeter , Gedling , Gillingham , Gloucester , Gravesham , Halton , Huntingdonshire , Northampton , Peterborough , Rochester upon Medway , Rushcliffe , Thurrock , Warrington . Shadow Environment Secretary Frank Dobson suggested that Cambridge , Ipswich , Norwich , Oxford and The Wrekin be added to this list: Norwich and

3876-517: The Commission on Gloucestershire, and announced its intention to refer the county back. These changes were implemented in 1996. Reviews continued throughout 1994, with draft proposals published for consultation, outlining the Commission's preferred option and other options. The Commission made extensive usage of MORI polling in each of the local areas affected to determine which options were more popular locally. For example, in Cambridgeshire,

3978-952: The Commission outlined three options for a split of the county into unitary authorities, the preferred option being a three-way split between the "City & County of Cambridge" (consisting of Cambridge , South Cambridgeshire , East Cambridgeshire ), Huntingdonshire and Peterborough & Fenland . In final reports delivered in October 1994, the Commission recommended Buckinghamshire and Bedfordshire county councils be abolished and replaced with four and three unitary authorities respectively. In other counties, it backed down from more radical draft proposals, and it recommended no change in Cambridgeshire , Cheshire , Cumbria , Lancashire , Kent and Oxfordshire . In Hampshire it recommended that Southampton , Portsmouth and New Forest become unitary authorities. A further batch of reports

4080-567: The Commission was based strongly on local opinion, noting that although a fully unitary solution for much of the country would commend all-party support in the House of Commons, he thought it would cause "mayhem" when implemented. He also advocated the creation of more parish councils in unparished areas . In a letter to The Times in March 1994, he noted he had the attitude that "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". On 2 March 1995, Gummer announced to

4182-636: The Commission was concerned about the lack of "internal coherence of the area" and its size. While finding against a Basildon unitary authority, the Commission recommended the removal of Billericay and Wickford from Basildon district and their addition to Brentwood and Rochford districts, leaving Basildon district focused on the Basildon New Town. The boundary alterations proposed between Basildon, Rochford and Brentwood were never implemented. The Commission also recommended boundary revisions between Peterborough and Huntingdonshire to incorporate

Local Government Commission for England (1992) - Misplaced Pages Continue

4284-1198: The Conservatives organised and stood candidates in the constituent country for the first time since the Ulster Unionist Party had broken with them in 1972 over the Sunningdale Agreement . Although they won no seats, their best result was Laurence Kennedy achieving over 14,000 votes to run second to James Kilfedder in North Down . Former prime minister Margaret Thatcher stepped down at the general election, as did former cabinet minister Norman Tebbit , Labour veteran Denis Healey , former Conservative chancellor Nigel Lawson , Geoffrey Howe , former Labour leader Michael Foot , former SDP leader David Owen , Merlyn Rees , then- Speaker Bernard Weatherill , former Conservative Party chairman Cecil Parkinson , John Wakeham , Nicholas Ridley and Peter Morrison . Alan Clark also retired from Parliament, though he returned in 1997 as MP for Kensington and Chelsea , only to die two years later. The following newspapers endorsed political parties running in

4386-639: The Election 92 studio in October 1990, completing it in February 1991, due to speculation that an early election may be called in 1991. Rehearsals were held in the event of a Conservative and Labour victory. Although the election was not part of the storyline, there was much background chanting and campaigning in the BBC television soap opera EastEnders . On ITV, ITN produced their election night coverage from their studios in London, with Jon Snow anchoring

4488-573: The Electoral Commission has recommended that all authorities use whole council elections every 4 years. Local authorities have a choice of executive arrangements under the Local Government Act 2000 : mayor and cabinet executive, leader and cabinet executive, a committee system or bespoke arrangements approved by the Secretary of State. As of April 2023, just 15 local authorities have directly-elected mayors . Some functions are just

4590-601: The Exchequer , Denis Healey , Geoffrey Howe and Nigel Lawson , former Home Secretary Merlyn Rees , Francis Maude , Norman Tebbit , Rosie Barnes , Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams and Speaker of the House of Commons Bernard Weatherill left the House of Commons after this election, though Maude and Adams returned at the next election. Future Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith was elected to parliament in this election. The Conservatives had been re-elected in

4692-527: The Labour Party as of 2024 except for Tees Valley . Each combined authority's executive consists of a representative from each of its constituent local authorities, plus (if applicable) the mayor. Functions can be devolved directly to the mayor, to the combined authority as a whole, or have a different decision-making requirement. The budget and functions of each combined authority can be vastly different, but possible functions include responsibility for

4794-766: The Midlands, but achieved a slight increase in their vote in Scotland, where they had a net gain of one seat. Labour and Plaid Cymru strengthened in Wales, with Conservative support declining. However, in the South East, South West, London and Eastern England the Conservative vote held up, leading to few losses there: many considered Basildon to be indicative of a nouveau riche working-class element, referred to as Essex man , voting strongly Conservative. This election

4896-637: The Secretary of State the power to provide for a directly-elected combined authority mayor . And, as of May 2022, nine out of the 10 combined authorities have mayors, including Andy Burnham in Greater Manchester and Andy Street in the West Midlands . In the 2024 local elections , new Combined Authorities were elected; they were the new York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority , North East Mayoral Combined Authority , East Midlands Combined County Authority . They are all controlled by

4998-589: The UK since the end of the Second World War. The Conservative Party received what remains the largest number of votes at a United Kingdom general election in British history, breaking the previous record set by the Labour Party in 1951 . Former Conservative leader and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, former Labour Party leader Michael Foot , former SDP leader David Owen , three former Chancellors of

5100-601: The Wrekin were. Spelthorne was added at the request of the local MP, David Wilshire . The new commission was under the chairmanship of Sir David Cooksey , previously the chairman of the Audit Commission . The commission published draft proposals on the districts referred back to it in September 1995. It recommended unitary status for Blackpool, Blackburn, Halton, Northampton, Peterborough, Thurrock, Warrington and

5202-492: The Wrekin, and also that Rochester upon Medway and Gillingham should form a Medway Towns unitary authority. The final recommendations deleted Northampton from this list, deciding that "as with Exeter and Gloucester, the separation of Northampton from its county would have a significant and detrimental effect". The government announced its acceptance of these recommendations in March 1996, and these changes were implemented in 1998. The Commission decided against unitary status for

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5304-559: The actual election result was a surprise to many in the media and in polling organisations. The apparent failure of the opinion polls to come close to predicting the actual result led to an inquiry by the Market Research Society , and would eventually result in the creation of the British Polling Council a decade later. Following the election, most opinion polling companies changed their methodology in

5406-405: The agreement of the relevant local authorities, and under the Localism Act 2011 eligible parish councils can be granted a " general power of competence " (GPC) which allows them within certain limits the freedom to do anything an individual can do provided it is not prohibited by other legislation, as opposed to being limited to the powers explicitly granted to them by law. To be eligible for this

5508-581: The areas made part of unitary authorities. Local government in England Civil parishes are the lowest tier of local government, and primarily exist in rural and smaller urban areas. The responsibilities of parish councils are limited and generally consist of providing and maintaining public spaces and facilities. Local authorities cover the entirety of England, and are responsible for services such as education, transport, planning applications, and waste collection and disposal. In two-tier areas

5610-456: The belief that a ' Shy Tory factor ' affected the polling. The election turnout of 77.67% was the highest in 18 years. There was an overall Labour swing of 2.2%, which widened the gap between Labour and the Liberal Democrats. Although the percentage of Conservative votes was only 0.3% down on 1987, the Conservative overall majority in the House of Commons was reduced from 102 to 21. This number

5712-604: The billing authority. Between financial years 2009/10 and 2021/22, council tax rates increased by 30% in real terms, in light of reduced grants from the UK Government. Business rates is a tax on business premises. It is based on the rateable value of the premises (set by the Valuation Office Agency ) and a business rate multiplier. It is set and collected by billing authorities. Reforms in 2013 now mean that local authorities keep 50% of business rate revenues raised locally. The UK Government then distributes

5814-442: The counties of Avon , Cleveland , Hereford and Worcester and Humberside (created in 1974). Combined with a second wave of reviews in 1995, under the chairmanship of David Cooksey , the Commission's proposals led to the creation of unitary authorities covering many urban areas of England, including cities like Bristol , Kingston upon Hull , Leicester , Derby , Nottingham , Stoke-on-Trent and Plymouth . Reforms in

5916-434: The county and district columns. Metropolitan districts and London boroughs are also shown straddling the county and district columns. In much of the country there is also a lower tier of civil parishes . This administrative hierarchy differs from the ceremonial hierarchy . 1992 United Kingdom general election John Major Conservative John Major Conservative The 1992 United Kingdom general election

6018-405: The creation of unitary authorities in the two-tier shire counties of England. The Commission, chaired by John Banham , conducted a review of all the non-metropolitan counties of England from 1993 to 1994, making various recommendations on their future. After much political debate and several legal challenges, the Commission's proposals resulted in the abolition of Berkshire county council and

6120-486: The creation of new unitary authorities meant that the apportionment of representatives was adjusted. In addition to having their county councils abolished, Avon, Humberside and Cleveland were abolished as non-metropolitan counties. This, and the fact that many of the new unitary authorities were in themselves non-metropolitan counties, led to the concept of ceremonial counties for the Lieutenancy , which would include

6222-541: The election day had shown a narrow but consistent lead for the Labour Party under leader Neil Kinnock during a period of recession and declining living standards. John Major had won the leadership election in November 1990 following the resignation of Margaret Thatcher . During his first term leading up to the 1992 election he oversaw the British involvement in the Gulf War , introduced legislation to replace

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6324-547: The election in the following ways: In a move later described in The Observer as appalling to its City readership, the Financial Times endorsed the Labour Party in this general election. Almost every poll leading up to polling day predicted either a hung parliament with Labour the largest party, or a small Labour majority of around 19 to 23. Polls on the last few days before the country voted predicted

6426-774: The election, and were succeeded by John Smith and Margaret Beckett respectively. Sitting MPs Dave Nellist , Terry Fields , Ron Brown , John Hughes and Syd Bidwell , who had been expelled or deselected by the Labour Party and stood as independents, were all defeated, although in Nellist's case only very narrowly. Tommy Sheridan , fighting the election from prison, polled 19% in Glasgow Pollok . All parties with more than 500 votes shown. Plaid Cymru result includes votes for Green/Plaid Cymru Alliance. The BBC ran coverage from 21:55 till 06:00, and from 09:30 till 16:00 on Friday 10 April. Unlike most prior British elections,

6528-558: The electorate. This work was taken over by the Boundary Committee for England in 2002, and completed in 2004. † since the government rejected the Commission's proposal for a West Riding of Yorkshire authority to include parts of North Yorkshire and the Goole area of Humberside, Goole became part of the new East Riding of Yorkshire instead. Two small areas were ceded from Surrey and Buckinghamshire to Berkshire , giving it

6630-518: The entire southern township of Peterborough in the city, and also boundary changes between Spelthorne and Runnymede as a result of changes in the path of the River Thames . The Peterborough changes were implemented as part of the Order for Peterborough, coming into force in 1998, and the alterations to the boundary between Runnymede and Spelthorne were implemented on 1 April 1997. The Commission

6732-576: The event. Indeed, Richards notes that the BBC's political editor John Cole had indicated he had been impressed in his live reporting of the rally which Cole compared with similar events held by President Kennedy . Richards concluded that the party would have lost the election even if there had been no Sheffield Rally. This election continued the Conservatives' decline in Northern England, with Labour regaining many seats they had not held since 1979. The Conservatives also began to lose support in

6834-576: The financial year 2019/20, local authorities received 22% of their funding from grants, 52% from council tax and 27% from retained business rates. In the financial year 2023/24, 51% of revenue expenditure is expected to come from UK Government grants, 31% from council tax and 15% from retained business rates. Local government can also receive some money from fees and charges for the use of services, returns and interest from investments , commercial income, fixed penalty notices and capital receipts. The Information Commissioner's Office has ruled that there

6936-703: The functions of both county and district councils and have replaced two-tier local government in some areas. The creation of these first became possible under the Local Government Act 1992 , but now takes place under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 . In the 2023/24 financial year, 33% of budgeted service expenditure across local government as a whole is set to be on education , 19% on adult social care , 13% on police , 11% on children's social care and 24% on all other services. Notably, Cornwall Council has been subject to

7038-465: The highest total of votes for any political party in any UK general election, beating the previous largest total vote of 13.98 million achieved by Labour in 1951 (although this was from a smaller electorate and represented a higher vote share). Nine government ministers lost their seats in 1992, including party chairman Chris Patten . The Sun ' s analysis of the election results was headlined " It's The Sun Wot Won It ", though in his testimony to

7140-594: The historic North Riding of Yorkshire ). It recommended no change in Lincolnshire and Gloucestershire . The County Councils of Avon, Cleveland and Somerset sought judicial review to stop these proposals going forward, but the High Court found them within the law. The government accepted most of these recommendations, but also kept the status quo in Somerset ("after taking account of the number and strength of

7242-504: The impact of their calls for "Time for a Change". On 16 January 1991, Operation Desert Storm began the Gulf War , the Major ministry's first foreign affairs crisis. The quick and successful outcome on the conflict led to a boost in opinion polls for Major, in spite of the deepening recession and rising unemployment. Another boost in the polls for Major was his announcement that the unpopular community charge (poll tax) would be replaced with

7344-401: The inclusion of Derbyshire in the first tranche, which otherwise consisted mainly of counties newly created in 1974 and their neighbours. The revised guidance included wording as follows: In some areas the commission may wish to recommend a continuation of the existing two-tier structure. But the government expects that to be the exception, and that the result will be a substantial increase in

7446-724: The large urban areas, but the rest of the county would remain two-tier in structure. A new Secretary of State, John Gummer , had taken over in May, and he did not like these proposals, or the long time it took to produce them. Gummer sped-up the work plan and directed that all remaining reviews should start in December and be complete by the end of 1994. Gummer also issued new guidance, making it clear that wholly unitary solutions should be preferred, particularly ones smaller than existing counties but larger than existing districts. He further announced that Derbyshire and Durham would be referred back to

7548-437: The lights" if Labour won the election. The 50th Parliament of the United Kingdom sat for the last time on Monday 16 March, being dissolved on the same day. Under the leadership of Neil Kinnock , the Labour Party had undergone further developments and alterations since its 1987 general election defeat. Labour entered the campaign confident, with most opinion polls showing a slight Labour lead that if maintained suggested

7650-655: The number of unitary authorities in both urban and rural areas. Lancashire and Derbyshire County Councils, fearing their abolition under the new guidance, took a case to the High Court , seeking a judicial review that it was illegal. On 28 January, the High Court ruled in their favour, deleting the sentence in dispute, implying that the Commission should consider retaining the status quo, either in part or wholly, as an option as well. The commission recommended that Avon and Humberside should be abolished and broken up into four unitary authorities each. It also recommended that

7752-523: The people within government are unsure at times where powers and responsibility, and hence accountability, rest, this lack of clarity is magnified for individuals who have little knowledge or experience of the structures. This has the potential to leave individuals less likely to be able to access what they need from government, leaving them often unable to know who is responsible, and as a result are not properly able to hold their democratic representatives to account. The Committee also said that "[t]he evidence

7854-649: The post in November 1991, before the legislation had been passed to create the Commission), started the reviews in July 1992. The process was originally supposed to take some years, with the shire counties being considered in five waves, or "tranches", and it was hoped that the reforms would come into effect from 1994 to 1998. The process took longer than expected, with the Commission unable to recruit enough staff until November 1992. The first tranche, covering Avon , Cleveland , Derbyshire , County Durham , Gloucestershire ,

7956-773: The relevant police force and/or fire brigade , bus franchising and spatial strategy. Lower-tier of a two-tier system. Upper-tier of a two-tier system. De facto unitary authorities since abolition of metropolitan county councils . Metropolitan county councils were abolished in 1986 and most of their functions were devolved to the metropolitan boroughs making them unitary authorities in all but name. Some combined and regional authorities may assume responsibility for policing, e.g. South Yorkshire . Some combined and regional authorities may assume responsibility for policing, e.g. Greater Manchester . In England, local authorities have three main sources of funding: UK Government grants, council tax and business rates . In

8058-478: The remaining 50% of business rate revenues according to its own judgement. It was initially planned to increase the proportion of business rates that local authorities retain to 100%, but this was indefinitely delayed in 2021. In 2022, the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee said that it had "significant concerns about the current governance arrangements for England": If

8160-481: The representations which I received opposing the recommendations"), and in North Yorkshire retained a rump two-tier North Yorkshire without York ("in the light of the strong representations which I have received opposing the Commission's recommendations for North and West Riding") – both reportedly the subject of strong lobbying by local Conservative MPs. The government did not accept the recommendations of

8262-527: The request of two or more local authorities. Combined authorities do not replace the local authorities in question, but can receive separate functions and funding. As of May 2022, there are 10 combined authorities covering some of England. The Secretary of State was first granted the power to create combined authorities by the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009 . The Cities and Local Government Devolution Act 2016 gave

8364-513: The responsibility of the executive of a local authority, but local authorities must also have at least one overview and scrutiny committee to hold the executive to account. The London Government Act 1963 established 32 London borough councils. It also established the Greater London Council , covering the whole of Greater London , but this was later abolished by the Local Government Act 1985 . Greater London also includes

8466-585: The rest of Great Britain followed a different course. Following the structural review, the Commission then reviewed electoral arrangements in English local authorities, re-warding based on population changes. It was replaced by the Boundary Committee for England in 2002, which finished this review cycle in 2004. Local government was at the time organised under the Local Government Act 1972 , which had been passed during Edward Heath 's Conservative administration. Before this, local government in England had been

8568-469: The rest of those counties remaining two-tier. The proposal to abolish Berkshire County Council was accepted by the government. The Commission had recommended five unitary authorities in Berkshire, based on the districts of Newbury , Reading , Wokingham , Slough , with Bracknell Forest and Windsor and Maidenhead districts merging to form a "Royal East Berkshire". Gummer decided to make each district

8670-438: The rump Somerset be broken up into three unitary authorities (West, South and Mid). It suggested that North Yorkshire be split into three unitary authorities – one for York , and two others to be called "West Riding of Yorkshire" and "North Riding of Yorkshire" (the proposed West Riding would have taken in only a small part of the historic West Riding of Yorkshire , while the proposed North Riding would have included most of

8772-471: The run-up to her resignation in November 1990. Labour began to lead the Conservatives in the opinion polls by as much as 20 percentage points. Thatcher resigned following the party leadership ballot in November 1990 , initiated by Michael Heseltine , and was replaced by her Chancellor of the Exchequer John Major . This was well received by the public; Labour lost some momentum as it reduced

8874-412: The three districts around Nottingham: Gedling, Broxtowe and Rushcliffe. Of the three, only Rushcliffe Borough Council supported a change. It considered but came down against unifying Dartford and Gravesham as a unitary authority (supported by Dartford but rejected by Gravesham). Exeter was considered too small. The Commission noted that Gloucester 's proximity to Cheltenham would cause issues and that

8976-500: The truthfulness of a Labour party election broadcast concerning National Health Service (NHS) waiting lists. Labour seemingly recovered from the NHS controversy, and opinion polls on 1 April (dubbed "Red Wednesday") showed a clear Labour lead. But the lead fell considerably in the following day's polls. Observers blamed the decline on the Labour Party's triumphalist " Sheffield Rally ", an enthusiastic American-style political convention at

9078-563: The two towns should be governed together. The Commission rejected the case of Huntingdonshire (a historic county , and the constituency of the Prime Minister, John Major ), noting that there was "no exceptional county allegiance" and doubting the capacity of Huntingdonshire and the viability of the remaining Cambridgeshire. The Commission noted that tight boundaries for Norwich would cause a problem for unitary government, but that an extension would likely be strongly opposed. In Spelthorne

9180-497: The unpopular Community Charge with Council Tax , and signed the Maastricht Treaty . Britain was sliding into its second recession in a decade at the time of Major's appointment. Opinion polls in the run-up to the election had suggested that it would end in a hung parliament or a narrow Labour majority. The fact that it produced a Conservative majority meant that it was one of the most dramatic and memorable elections in

9282-411: The value of the property on 1 April 1991. Various discounts are set out in law and exist at the discretion of billing authorities. On a yearly basis, local government bodies review and consider whether to increase or decrease the level of council tax to fund their spending plans. The level at which a local authority can increase council tax each year without holding a local referendum is regulated by

9384-560: The whole of England. There are five main types of local authorities: London borough councils , two-tier county and district councils , metropolitan district councils and unitary authorities . Some local authorities have borough , city or royal borough status, but this is purely stylistic. All local authorities are made up of councillors , who represent geographical wards . There are 7,026 wards as of December 2021. Local authorities run on four year cycles and councillors may be elected all at once, by halves or by thirds; although

9486-430: The whole of the country as many urban parishes were abolished in 1974. The only specific statutory function of parish councils, which they must do, is establishing allotments . However, there are a number of other functions given by powers in the relevant legislation, which they can do, such as providing litter bins and building bus shelters . Their statutory functions are few, but they may provide other services with

9588-416: Was a bid by the Conservatives to shore up its support amongst its white working-class supporters. The Conservatives also pounded the Labour Party over the issue of taxation, producing a memorable poster entitled "Labour's Double-Whammy", showing a boxer wearing gloves marked "tax rises" and "inflation". An early setback for Labour came in the form of the " War of Jennifer's Ear " controversy, which questioned

9690-527: Was an enthusiast for unitary local government, and was also an early proponent of the idea of directly elected mayors , to be taken up by Tony Blair 's government in the 2000s. A wide range of political opinion had always favoured in principle the establishment of unitary authorities. The Labour Party had planned to implement the Redcliffe-Maud Report in the 1970s, and the party's 1982 statement of policy "Labour's Programme 1982" said "There

9792-434: Was delivered in December, recommending that Norfolk , Northamptonshire , Northumberland , Suffolk , Surrey , Warwickshire , West Sussex should remained unchanged. In Hereford and Worcester , Worcestershire would become a two-tier county whilst Herefordshire become a unitary authority. In Leicestershire , Leicester and Rutland would become unitary authorities, with the rest of the county remaining two-tier –

9894-659: Was directed in 1996 to review local government in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside , as a result of local demand for Southport to be removed from that borough. The final report recommended no change in the existing structure of local government in Sefton. In 1996, the Commission began a periodic electoral review of every local authority in England, reviewing the existing wards and electoral divisions and altering them to take into account changes in

9996-575: Was due to expire no later than 16 June 1992. Major called the election on 11 March, as was widely expected, the day after Chancellor of the Exchequer Norman Lamont had delivered the Budget . The Conservatives maintained strong support in many newspapers, especially The Sun , which ran a series of anti-Labour articles that culminated on election day with a front-page headline which urged "the last person to leave Britain" to "turn out

10098-531: Was held on Thursday 9 April 1992, to elect 651 members to the House of Commons . The governing Conservative Party led by the prime minister John Major won a fourth consecutive election victory, with a majority of 21. This would be the last time that the Conservatives would win an overall majority at a general election until 2015 and the last general election to be held on a day which did not coincide with any local elections until 2017 . This election result took many by surprise, as opinion polling leading up to

10200-470: Was reduced progressively during the course of Major's term in office due to defections of MPs to other parties, by-election defeats, and for a time in 1994–95 the suspension of the Conservative whip for some MPs who voted against the government on its European policy—by 1996, the Conservative majority had been reduced to just 1 seat, and they were in a minority going into 1997 until the 1997 general election . The Conservatives in 1992 received 14,093,007 votes,

10302-610: Was strongly regretted by the larger towns outside the new metropolitan counties , such as Bristol, Plymouth, Stoke, Leicester and Nottingham. Michael Heseltine , who had been a junior local government minister during the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, was appointed as Secretary of State for the Environment (and thus responsible for local government) in John Major 's first cabinet of 1990. Heseltine

10404-462: Was to have four). The final batch of recommendations was published in January 1995, slightly missing the deadline, and recommended no change for Cornwall, Gloucestershire, Hertfordshire and Shropshire. In Derbyshire it recommended the creation of a unitary city of Derby with the remainder of the county remaining two-tier. In a January 1995 interview, Banham explained the decision-making process of

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