Difference between revisions of "Local Government Act 1972"
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'''Local Government Act 1972''' is an act of the [[UK Parliament|Parliament of the United Kingdom]] passed by the government of [[Edward Heath]] (1970-1974), which received royal assent from [[Elizabeth II]] on 26 October 1972, and came into effect on 1 April 1974. The Act is concerned with local government in England and Wales, and it established a new system of administrative areas. A popular myth persists that the Act abolished the [[British counties|counties]] of England and Wales, some of which had been in existence for around 1000 years at that point. This is incorrect however; the act actually abolished the county councils (of which some covered areas substantially different to the counties) established some 90 years prior, plus the various other administrative bodies established subsequently.<ref>[https://abcounties.com/news/the-strange-case-of-the-counties-that-didnt-change/ The Strange Case of the Counties That Didn’t Change]</ref> | '''Local Government Act 1972''' is an act of the [[UK Parliament|Parliament of the United Kingdom]] passed by the government of [[Edward Heath]] (1970-1974), which received royal assent from [[Elizabeth II]] on 26 October 1972, and came into effect on 1 April 1974. The Act is concerned with local government in England and Wales, and it established a new system of administrative areas. A popular myth persists that the Act abolished the [[British counties|counties]] of England and Wales, some of which had been in existence for around 1000 years at that point. This is incorrect however; the act actually abolished the county councils (of which some covered areas substantially different to the counties) established some 90 years prior, plus the various other administrative bodies established subsequently.<ref>[https://abcounties.com/news/the-strange-case-of-the-counties-that-didnt-change/ The Strange Case of the Counties That Didn’t Change]</ref> | ||
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| + | It established a two-tier system of local government areas; metropolitan and non-metropolitan 'county' council areas and district council areas. Many of the act's local government reforms survived for little more than 20 years, as the metropolitan 'county' councils were abolished in 1996 (although areas corresponding with them remain in use as [[counties for the purposes of lieutenancy]] and elected metro mayorships) | ||
==Evidence that the act did not alter county boundaries== | ==Evidence that the act did not alter county boundaries== | ||
Revision as of 08:02, September 19, 2024
Local Government Act 1972 is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom passed by the government of Edward Heath (1970-1974), which received royal assent from Elizabeth II on 26 October 1972, and came into effect on 1 April 1974. The Act is concerned with local government in England and Wales, and it established a new system of administrative areas. A popular myth persists that the Act abolished the counties of England and Wales, some of which had been in existence for around 1000 years at that point. This is incorrect however; the act actually abolished the county councils (of which some covered areas substantially different to the counties) established some 90 years prior, plus the various other administrative bodies established subsequently.[1]
It established a two-tier system of local government areas; metropolitan and non-metropolitan 'county' council areas and district council areas. Many of the act's local government reforms survived for little more than 20 years, as the metropolitan 'county' councils were abolished in 1996 (although areas corresponding with them remain in use as counties for the purposes of lieutenancy and elected metro mayorships)
Evidence that the act did not alter county boundaries
The Office of National Statistics (ONS) features a database Index of Place-Names of Great Britain which states "historic counties [...] have remained largely unchanged since the Middle Ages".