Unitary authority facts for kids

A unitary authority is a type of local government that handles all the important jobs for its area. Imagine it like one big team that takes care of everything, instead of different teams handling different things.

These authorities usually look after large towns or cities. These places are big enough to manage themselves without needing help from a larger county or regional government. Sometimes, a whole small county can be a unitary authority too, if it doesn't have smaller local governments underneath it.

Unitary Authorities in the United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, "Unitary Authorities" are councils in England that are in charge of almost all local government tasks in their area.

This is different from how most of England works. In many places, local government jobs are split between county councils and smaller district councils.

Scotland and Wales used to have a similar split system until 1996. Now, they both have a fully unitary system. Northern Ireland has also had a unitary system since 1973. This means that one council handles all the local services.

England's Unitary Authorities

Some big cities and towns, or groups of towns, are unitary authorities. They work independently from county councils. Also, some smaller English counties, like Rutland, Herefordshire, and the Isle of Wight, are so small that the entire county acts as one unitary authority.

Even though they are called "unitary," most of these authorities in the UK still work with other councils for some services. This often includes things like policing, fire services, and sometimes even rubbish collection or public transport. Also, some unitary authorities have small local areas called civil parishes, which handle a few very local services.

When some big city councils were removed in 1986, their jobs were given to smaller local areas called boroughs. These boroughs then became like unitary authorities, even if they weren't officially called that.

Unitary Authorities in Other Countries

Other countries have similar types of local governments. They might not use the exact name "unitary authority," but they work in a similar way.

United States

In the United States, an Independent city or a consolidated city-county is a lot like a unitary authority. An independent city, like those in Virginia, is separate from any county government. A consolidated city-county, like San Francisco, California, means the city and county governments have joined together. This is also common in Florida.

Another example is a county that doesn't have any smaller city or township governments inside it. This is the case in Arlington County, Virginia, and Baltimore County, Maryland.

Canada

In Canada, unitary authorities are called single-tier municipalities. They are the only level of local government in a province that usually has two levels. It's important not to confuse these with provinces that only have one level of local government everywhere. Single-tier municipalities are special because they exist in provinces where other areas have two levels of government.

Germany

In Germany, a kreisfreie Stadt is the same idea. This term means a city that is responsible for both the local city administration and the larger Kreis (district) administration.

Images for kids

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  This tree at Bournemouth Town Hall was planted on April 1, 1997. It marked the day Bournemouth council became a unitary authority. This change meant that Dorset County Council no longer provided services for Bournemouth residents.

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  Districts of Northern Ireland

ru:Унитарные единицы Англии

See also

In Spanish: Autoridad unitaria para niños