Volume 15: Government and Public Administration
9. Local government
Structure

9.5 Between 1986 and 1996 in England and Wales, what was generally known as a 'two-tier' system of local government was in place. ¹ Both countries were divided into counties, within each of which were a number of districts. County Councils were responsible for certain functions throughout the area of each county, and District Councils were responsible for other functions within each district. There were 39 counties and 297 districts in England; ² the smallest county, the Isle of Wight, had only two districts. In London and the six other metropolitan areas, ³ there was only one tier of authority, responsible in its area for both county and district level functions. ⁴ There were 32 London Borough Councils plus the Corporation of London, and 36 Metropolitan Borough Councils. In Wales, there were eight counties and 37 districts.

9.6 In Scotland, there was a similar two-tier structure, with nine Regional Councils, and 53 District Councils, although there were also three Island Councils that exercised both county and district level functions. In Northern Ireland there was a single-tier system, with 26 local authorities, variously entitled City Councils, Borough Councils and District Councils, but all having the same functions, which were similar to those of districts in the rest of the UK but also included certain safety functions and gas undertakings.