Non-metropolitan district council
| Non-metropolitan district | |
|---|---|
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Also known as: Shire district |
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| Category | Local authority districts |
| Location | England |
| Found in | Non-metropolitan county |
| Created by | Local Government Act 1972 |
| Created | 1 April 1974 |
| Number | 256 (as of 2009) |
| Possible types |
Two-tier (201) Unitary authority (55) |
| Possible status |
City Royal borough Borough |
Non-metropolitan districts, or colloquially "shire districts", are a type of local government district in England. As created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan counties (colloquially shire counties) in a two-tier arrangement. In the 1990s, several non-metropolitan counties were created that are unitary authorities and also have non-metropolitan district status. A third category is the districts of Berkshire, which are non-metropolitan districts that are unitary authorities, but without non-metropolitan county status.
Non-metropolitan districts are subdivisions of English non-metropolitan counties which have a two-tier structure of local government. Most non-metropolitan counties have a county council, and also have several districts, each with a borough or district council. In these cases local government functions are divided between county and district councils, to the level where they can be practised most efficiently:
Many districts have borough status, which means the local council is called a Borough Council instead of District Council and gives them the right to appoint a Mayor. Borough status is granted by royal charter and, in many cases, continues a style enjoyed by a predecessor authority, which can date back centuries. Some districts such as Oxford or Exeter have city status, granted by letters patent, but this does not give the local council any extra powers other than the right to call itself a City Council. Not all city or borough councils are non-metropolitan districts, many being Unitary Authorities - districts which are ceremonially part of a non-metropolitan county, but not run by the county council - or metropolitan districts - which were subdivisions of the Metropolitan Counties created in 1974, but whose county councils were abolished in the 1980s and are effectively unitary authorities and have the same powers.
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