Unitary authority facts for kids
A unitary authority is a special kind of local government that handles all the local services in an area. Imagine it as a single team doing everything, instead of different teams for different jobs. These authorities usually look after big towns or cities that are large enough to manage their own services. They act like a single, independent council for that area.
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Unitary Authorities in New Zealand
In New Zealand, a unitary authority is like a city or district council that also does the work of a larger regional council. This means one council manages everything from local parks to environmental planning.
There are five unitary authorities in New Zealand:
- Gisborne District Council (started in 1989)
- Tasman District Council (started in 1992)
- Nelson City Council (started in 1992)
- Marlborough District Council (started in 1992)
- Auckland Council (started in 2010)
The Chatham Islands, which are east of the South Island, have their own special council. It was set up in 1995 and has powers similar to a regional authority.
Unitary Authorities in the United Kingdom
Each of the four countries in the United Kingdom has its own way of describing unitary authorities. However, the Office for National Statistics uses the term 'unitary administration' for all of them.
England's Unitary Authorities
In England, "unitary authorities" are local councils that manage almost all local government jobs in their area. They were created to have a single level of local government in specific places.
This is different from the "two-tier" system that still exists in most of England. In the two-tier system, local services are split between county councils (the upper level) and district or borough councils (the lower level).
Before 1996, Scotland and Wales also had two-tier systems. Now, they have single-tier systems, where one council handles most services. Northern Ireland has had a single-tier system since 1973.
Northern Ireland's Districts
Northern Ireland is divided into eleven districts for local government. These local councils handle things like:
- Waste and recycling services
- Leisure and community services
- Building control
- Local economic and cultural development
Since 2015, councils in Northern Ireland also manage planning. However, they are not in charge of education, road building, or housing.
Scotland's Local Councils
Local councils in Scotland are unitary, even if they are not called "unitary authorities." The Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act of 1994 created a single level of local government across Scotland. On April 1, 1996, 32 local government areas, each with a council, replaced the older two-tier system.
Wales' Principal Councils
Local councils in Wales are also unitary in nature. They are called "principal councils," and their areas are known as "principal areas." Each council for a county is called a "County Council" or "Cyngor Sir" in Welsh. Councils for a County Borough are called "County Borough Council" or "Cyngor Bwrdeistref Sirol."
Similar Ideas in Other Countries
Many other countries have similar ways of organizing their local governments, where one council handles most services.
- In Canada, some provinces like Alberta and Nova Scotia have only one level of local government. In Ontario, they use the term single-tier municipalities.
- In Germany, a "kreisfreie Stadt" (meaning "circle-free city") is a city that acts as both a municipality and a district.
- In France, the city of Paris works like both a department council and a city council.
- In Poland, a "City with powiat rights" is a city that also manages district-level services. Examples include Kraków and Wrocław.
- In Taiwan, most cities have only one level of local government. They are independent of their surrounding counties.
- In the United States, some states like Connecticut and Rhode Island have removed county governments, so municipalities are the only level below the state. In Virginia, all cities are independent from any county. Washington, D.C. has also had only one level of government since 1871.
See also
In Spanish: Autoridad unitaria para niños
