Metropolitan borough
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Metropolitan district | |
|---|---|
 Metropolitan counties shown within England |
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| Also known as | Metropolitan borough |
| Category | Districts |
| Location | England |
| Found in | Metropolitan county |
| Created by | Local Government Act 1972 |
| Created | 1 April 1974 |
| Number | 36 (as at 2008) |
| Possible status | City |
| Borough | |
| Populations | 0.1–2.5 million |
A metropolitan borough is a type of local government district in England, and is a subdivision of a metropolitan county. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972, metropolitan boroughs are defined in English law as metropolitan districts, however all of them have been granted or regranted royal charters to give them borough status (as well as some with city status).[1] Metropolitan boroughs are effectively unitary authority areas, since the abolition of metropolitan county councils by the Local Government Act 1985.[2]
The term "metropolitan borough" was previously used from 1900 to 1965, for the subdivisions of the County of London created by the London Government Act 1899.[3]
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[edit] Current metropolitan boroughs (post 1974)
The current metropolitan boroughs were created in 1974 as subdivisions of the new metropolitan counties which were created to cover the six largest urban areas in England outside Greater London. The new districts replaced the previous system of county boroughs, municipal boroughs, urban and rural districts. The districts typically have populations of 174,000 to 1.1 million.
Metropolitan districts were originally part of a two-tier structure of local government, and shared power with the metropolitan county councils (MCCs). They differed from non-metropolitan districts, in the division of powers between district and county councils. Metropolitan districts were Local Education Authorities and were responsible for social services and libraries; in non-metropolitan counties these services were the responsibility of county councils.[4]
In 1986 the metropolitan county councils were abolished by the Local Government Act 1985 and most of their functions were devolved to the boroughs, making them to a large extent unitary authorities. Some of the functions of the abolished county councils were taken over by joint bodies such as Passenger Transport Authorities, and joint fire, police and waste disposal authorities.[2]
The 36 metropolitan boroughs are:
| Metropolitan County | Metropolitan Boroughs |
|---|---|
| Greater Manchester | Manchester, Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan |
| Merseyside | Liverpool, Knowsley, Sefton, St Helens, Wirral |
| South Yorkshire | Sheffield, Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham |
| Tyne and Wear | Newcastle upon Tyne, Gateshead, South Tyneside, North Tyneside, Sunderland |
| West Midlands | Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall, Wolverhampton |
| West Yorkshire | Leeds, Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Wakefield |
[edit] Metropolitan boroughs of London (1900-1965)
The first metropolitan boroughs were created in 1900 by the London Government Act 1899 which created 28 metropolitan boroughs as sub-divisions of the County of London. They replaced vestries as the second tier of local government. They were the following:
In 1965 the County of London was abolished by the London Government Act 1963 and replaced with the much larger Greater London. The 28 metropolitan boroughs were also abolished and merged to create 12 of 32 larger London boroughs.[5]
[edit] References
- ^ Local Government Act 1972, Schedule I, Part I, Metropolitan Counties and Metropolitan Districts
- ^ a b Local Government Act 1985 c.51
- ^ London Government Act 1899 c.14, s.1: "Establishment of metropolitan boroughs in London"
- ^ Local government in England and Wales: A Guide to the New System. London: HMSO. 1974. p. 7. ISBN 0117508470.
- ^ London Government Act 1963 c.33, s.3: "the following administrative areas and their councils (and, in the case of a borough, the municipal corporation thereof) shall cease to exist, that is to say, the counties of London and Middlesex, the metropolitan boroughs, and any existing county borough, county district or parish the area of which falls wholly within Greater London"
[edit] See also
- Borough
- Non-metropolitan district
- County borough
- Subdivisions of England
- Passenger Transport Executive
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