UK Local and Regional Government
Devolution, the Scottish Government, and English Local Authorities
Oct 28, 2008
Britain has 410 local authorities which are governed by local councillors and, across England and Wales, there are more than 21,000 of these individuals who stand and are elected by local constituencies. It is these individuals, and the professional local authority officers who run local government on a day-to-day basis, as much as the House of Commons and the House of Lords, who allow the UK to call itself a democratic society.
Types of Local Authority in England and Wales
Within England and Wales (Scotland and Northern Ireland have different local government systems), outside the parish system, there are three types of local authority, County Councils, District Councils and Unitary Authorities.
In areas where there are two levels of local government (where there are County and District Councils), County Councils are responsible for:
- education
- highways and transport
- libraries
- social services
- strategic land-use planning
- trading standards
- waste disposal
District Councils are responsible for:
- arts and entertainment
- council tax and housing benefits
- electoral registration and administration, including holding elections
- environmental health
- housing
- land-use planning permissions
- parks sports
- street cleaning
- waste collection and recycling
In most cities and large urban areas, there are Unitary Authorities which are responsible for all of the above functions.
Regional or National and Local Government in Scotland
Scotland has always had a high degree of devolution guaranteed by the Act of Union, passed in 1707. That degree of devolution was increased by the establishment in 1999 of the Scottish Parliament and the Scottish Executive. The Scottish Executive is effectively the Scottish equivalent of the UK Cabinet which meets at 10 Downing Street under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister. It leads the Scottish Government which is responsible for most Scottish issues outwith defence and foreign affairs such as health, education, justice, rural affairs, and transport. In 2007-8, its annual budget was more than £30 billion.
There are also devolved regional or national governments in Wales and Northern Ireland, but the powers of these two bodies are much less than those granted to Scotland.
The Powers Which Are Devolved To The Scottish Government
- community care
- culture, tourism and sport
- education
- enterprise
- environment and rural development
- finance
- health
- justice
- local government
- social justice
- transport
Powers Over Scotland Which Are Reserved To The UK Parliament
- abortion, genetics and medicines
- broadcasting
- constitution and civil service
- drugs
- defence and national security
- employment and equal opportunities
- energy regulation
- financial and economic matters
- foreign affairs and international development
- immigration and nationality
- social security
- trade and industry
Scottish Local Government
Scotland’s local government is organised around 32 unitary authorities ranging in size from Glasgow which has more than 600,000 people living there to Orkney which has less than 20,000.
The Future Of Local Governance In The UK
The last 10 years have seen significant differences develop in the way Scotland and the rest of the UK are governed. As Scotland has become responsible for more of its own governance, there has been an increased level of demand for full Scottish independence. It remains to be seen whether these demands will become generalised across the UK.
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