Local Government Act 1972 facts for kids
The Local Government Act 1972 was an important law passed in the United Kingdom. It changed how local areas were governed in England and Wales. This big change officially started on April 1, 1974.
Before this Act, local government was set up differently. The 1972 Act created a new system with two main levels of councils: larger "county councils" and smaller "district councils." These councils were responsible for different services in their areas. While some parts of this system have changed over time, especially with the creation of "unitary authorities" (single councils managing all local services), the basic idea of two-tier councils is still used in many parts of England today. In Wales, the system created by this Act was later fully replaced by unitary authorities.
Elections for these new councils happened in 1973, before the Act officially began. The newly elected councils acted as "shadow authorities," meaning they prepared to take over their duties on the handover date. Elections for county councils were held on April 12, while elections for district councils in metropolitan areas and Wales were on May 10. Non-metropolitan district council elections were on June 7.
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England's New Local Map
The Act completely redrew the map of local government in England. It created new types of areas to make services more efficient.
Metropolitan Counties
Six new large areas called "metropolitan counties" were created around major cities. These were:
Each metropolitan county included several large towns and cities that used to be separate "county boroughs." For example, Greater Manchester brought together places like Manchester, Salford, and Bolton. These metropolitan county councils were later abolished in 1986, but the districts within them continued to exist.
Metropolitan Districts
Inside each metropolitan county, smaller areas called "metropolitan districts" were formed. These districts were the main local councils for people living in those urban areas. For example, within Greater Manchester, districts like Bolton, Salford, and Stockport were created. Each district was made up of several former towns or parts of older counties.
Non-Metropolitan Counties
Outside the big city areas, the Act created 39 new "non-metropolitan counties." These were generally less urban and covered wider areas. Some of these new counties were similar to the old ones, but many had their borders changed or were formed by combining parts of older counties. For example, Avon was a new county formed from parts of Gloucestershire and Somerset. Humberside was another new county, bringing together parts of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.
Non-Metropolitan Districts
Within these non-metropolitan counties, a total of 296 "non-metropolitan districts" were established. These were the local councils responsible for day-to-day services in their areas. The creation of these districts often involved combining or splitting existing smaller areas to create more balanced and effective local government units. For instance, in Devon, new districts like Torridge and North Devon were formed.
Wales' New Local Map
The Local Government Act 1972 also changed the local government map of Wales. It replaced the old system with eight new counties and 37 districts within them.
| New county | Main areas it included |
|---|---|
| Clwyd | Mostly Flintshire and Denbighshire |
| Dyfed | Combined Cardiganshire, Carmarthenshire, and Pembrokeshire |
| Gwent | Mainly Monmouthshire and parts of Breconshire |
| Gwynedd | Included Anglesey, Caernarvonshire, and most of Merionethshire |
| Mid Glamorgan | Formed from parts of Glamorgan, Breconshire, and Monmouthshire |
| Powys | Combined Montgomeryshire, Radnorshire, and most of Breconshire |
| South Glamorgan | Included Cardiff and other parts of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire |
| West Glamorgan | Included Swansea and other parts of Glamorgan |
These new Welsh counties and districts were later replaced by a system of unitary authorities in 1996, meaning each area has one main council responsible for all local services.
Isles of Scilly
The Act had a special rule for the Council of the Isles of Scilly. It allowed the existing local government setup for these islands to continue. Even though the Isles of Scilly are close to Cornwall, they were not officially part of Cornwall before or after 1974. Cornwall County Council still provides some services to the islands, as decided by a special government order.
How Elections Worked
When the new councils were set up in 1973, elections were held on three different Thursdays. Each new county and district was divided into smaller areas called "electoral divisions" or "wards."
- For county councils, each electoral division usually elected one council member.
- For metropolitan district councils, each ward elected three members.
- For non-metropolitan districts, wards could elect a different number of members.
Because there wasn't much time to plan, a temporary system was used for the first elections. In some county councils, electoral divisions elected more than one councillor.
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