What are the different types of local government in England?

Some parts of England have two-tier authorities. They’ll be made up of a county council, and either a district, borough or city council.

County councils are responsible for services across an entire county, which means that they handle broader services such as education, social care and transport. District, borough and city councils are the counterpart to county councils, providing more localised services like waste collection and planning applications.

These types of council are led by councillors who are elected in local elections via First Past the Post. County council elections take place every four years. District, borough and city councillors are also elected for four-year terms, but the timing of the elections differ from council to council.

In late 2024, the Government set out a desire to end two-tier local government in England, replacing these types of council with new, single tier unitary authorities.

Some parts of England just have one council that’s responsible for all local services, meaning that the functions of both county and district council are combined. These are known as unitary authorities.

Some unitary authorities hold whole council elections every 4^th year. Others elect councillors in thirds. Councillors are elected via First Past the Post.

Greater London has 32 boroughs. Each of these is a single-tier council that’s responsible for all the services in that borough. London borough council elections take place every four years, with councillors being elected via First Past the Post.

Within London, there is also a further layer of government – The Greater London Authority (GLA). This is a unique authority within the government of the UK, as it is comprised of a directly-elected Mayor and a directly-elected Assembly. The GLA has a number of core functions: transport, policing, fire and rescue, planning and housing.

The London Assembly is elected through the Additional Member System (AMS), a type of Proportional Representation. London Mayor and Assembly elections take place at the same time, every four years.

The Mayor of London is now elected via First Past the Post, but it wasn’t always this way. The government used the Elections Act 2022 to change the way we elect our mayors, moving away from the fairer, Supplementary Vote.

First Past the Post removes the need for a candidate to win broad support to become the mayor, instead they can now win on any level of support.

Metropolitan district councils are another form of single-tier council. There are 36 metropolitan district councils in total, all situated in the north of England or the Midlands and covering large urban areas including Tyne and Wear, and South Yorkshire.

Metropolitan district councils are elected via First Past the Post. Like other councillors, those elected to these councils serve four-year terms.

Operating at a level below unitary authorities and district councils are town and parish councils. Some parts of England have these council, other areas do not.

These councils have fewer responsibilities and lower budgets than the ‘principal councils’ – such as county and district councils – and will work with them to agree on their responsibilities within more localised areas.

Parish and town councillors are elected to represent areas known as wards, or the parish or town council area as a whole.

Again, councillors are elected through First Past the Post, for four-year terms.

Some areas of England have a further layer of local government – combined authorities, where two or more local councils have come together to form a larger authority.

Some combined authorities have directly elected mayors, known as ‘metro mayors’; this type is called a mayoral combined authority. Mayors are elected through First Past the Post.

Combined authorities are legal bodies which have been established via national legislation, and are part of a wider plan for broader devolution across England.

The Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) is a combined mayoral authority and was the first of its kind. It’s run by the leaders of the 10 Greater Manchester councils, plus the Mayor of Greater Manchester.