Brief guide to Breckland District Council

The Local Government Act 1972 reformed the structure of local government in England and Wales, dividing England into county and district councils. In total there are 333 local authorities in England made up of five different types:

• County councils
• District councils
• Unitary authorities
• Metropolitan districts
• London boroughs

The Local Government Act 2000 reformed local government in England and Wales, principally providing for:

• local authorities to promote economic, social and environmental well-being within their areas;
• local authorities to move away from a committee-based system of decision-making to an executive model;
• backbench councillors to fulfil an overview and scrutiny role.
• the introduction of a revised ethical framework for local authorities, including the adoption of codes of conduct for elected members and the establishment of standards committees.

The present structure of local government in England is:

• Greater London Authority (created May 2000)
• 32 London Boroughs
• 1 City of London Corporation
• 1 Isles of Scilly
• 36 Metropolitan District Councils in urban towns/cities
• 58 Unitary Authorities
• 24 County Councils
• 181 District Councils
• 10 combined authorities
• 9,000 (approx) town and parish councils