Urban district (England and Wales) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Urban district |
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Map of urban districts, administrative counties, county boroughs, municipal boroughs and rural districts in England in 1931. Urban districts are shown in normal (rather than bold or italic) type.
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| Category | Local government district |
| Location | England and Wales |
| Found in | Administrative county |
| Created by | Local Government Act 1894 |
| Created | 1894 |
| Abolished by | Local Government Act 1972 |
| Abolished | 1974 |
| Government | Urban district council |
An urban district was a special type of local government area in England and Wales. It covered towns and other developed areas. Each urban district had its own elected group of people called an urban district council (often shortened to UDC). This council worked with a larger county council to manage local services and rules.
Contents
What Was an Urban District?
Urban districts were created in 1894 by a law called the Local Government Act 1894. They were set up as smaller parts of larger areas called administrative counties. At the same time, rural districts were also created for countryside areas. A similar system was also started in Ireland a few years later.
Why Were They Created?
Before 1894, there were "sanitary districts" that looked after public health. The new urban and rural district councils took over these jobs. They also gained more power to handle local things like:
- Parks
- Cemeteries
- Planning how towns would grow
Urban districts usually had just one main town or village. Rural districts, on the other hand, often included many smaller villages. People thought that towns had more public health issues than the countryside. Because of this, urban district councils usually had more money and more power than rural district councils.
How Many Urban Districts Were There?
When the 1894 law started, there were 753 urban districts. Most of these had been local government areas before. Some were new areas that were given urban powers in 1894.
Over time, the number of urban districts actually grew at first. More places wanted to become urban districts because it meant more local power. However, between 1932 and 1938, the number went down. This happened because of new rules from the Local Government Act 1929.
Some smaller urban districts were combined with the rural areas around them. This created new districts that covered both towns and countryside. Also, some larger urban districts became municipal boroughs. These boroughs had a slightly higher status and could even choose their own mayor.
The End of Urban Districts
The urban districts in the outer parts of London were changed in 1965. They became part of the new London Boroughs because of the London Government Act 1963.
All the other urban districts in England and Wales were officially ended in 1974. This was due to the Local Government Act 1972. They were replaced with a new, simpler system of larger districts. These new districts often included both urban and rural areas.
Today, many towns that used to be urban districts now have parish councils in England. In Wales, all areas are now covered by 870 communities. These communities are smaller parts of 22 larger local government areas.
See also
In Spanish: Distrito urbano para niños
