County borough facts for kids

A county borough was a special kind of town in England. It was like a mini-government all on its own. These special towns existed until 1974.

What is Local Government?

Local government helps run our towns and cities. They make decisions about things that affect people every day. This includes services like roads, parks, and even schools. In England, there used to be different levels of local government.

How Local Government Used to Work

Before 1974, England had different types of local councils. There were large county councils. These councils looked after big areas called counties. They also had smaller groups called urban or rural districts. These districts looked after smaller areas like towns or villages.

Sharing the Jobs

Not all local government groups did the same jobs. For example, a small rural district might not have been able to maintain footpaths or street lighting. This was often because of their size. A bigger urban district, based in a town, could manage these jobs. Schools were usually handled by the larger county councils. This was because districts were often too small to run all types of schools themselves.

What Made a County Borough Special?

A county borough was different from other districts. It was a town that was big and important enough. It could handle all its own local government jobs. This meant the local county council had no power inside the county borough. It was like a town that ran itself completely.

When Did County Boroughs End?

County boroughs were abolished in 1974. This was part of a big change to local government in England. The aim was to make things simpler and more efficient. Now, local government works differently across the country.

Images for kids

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  Street nameplate on Rutland Road, Smethwick in April 2007, showing painted out "County Borough" lettering.

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  Map of County Boroughs Prior to Abolition in 1974