Rutland County Council is a unitary authority responsible for local government in the historic county of Rutland in the East Midlands of England. The current Council was created in April 1997.

Formally it is a unitary district with the full legal title of Rutland County Council District Council. As a unitary authority, the council is responsible for running local services in Rutland, with the exception of the Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service and Leicestershire Constabulary which are run by joint boards with Leicestershire County Council and Leicester City Council.

The unitary is seen as a re-creation of the Rutland County Council that was established in 1889 by the Local Government Act 1888 and ended in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 when Rutland was reconstituted as a district of Leicestershire. The Local Government Commission for England in 1994 recommended that Rutland District (and Leicester City) should become unitaries and leave the two-tier Leicestershire^[1]. Rutland unitary authority came into existence on 1 April 1997^[2].

The Council consists of 26 councillors, representing 16 wards in the county. The Council has all-out elections on a four year cycle and follows a district pattern with elections in May 2007^[3] and again in 2011.

The ceremonial or civic head of the Council is the Chairman and the executive follows the leader and cabinet model.

The current council as of 2008 is led by the Conservative party with the Liberal Democrats and several independents in opposition.

The political composition is as follows.

Wards[link]

Rutland wards

The county is divided into electoral wards, returning one, two or three councillors. The current wards were first adopted for the 2003 local elections.

References[link]

1. ^ LGCE. Final Recommendations for the Future Local Government of Leicestershire. December 1994.
2. ^ The Leicestershire (City of Leicester and District of Rutland) (Structural Change) Order 1996 SI 1996/507
3. ^ 2007 Local Election results for RCC
4. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/special/election2011/council/html/fp.stm

External links[link]

• Rutland County Council

v t e Unitary authorities of England Districts Bath and North East Somerset Bedford Borough Blackburn with Darwen Blackpool Bournemouth Bracknell Forest Brighton and Hove Bristol Central Bedfordshire Cheshire East Cheshire West and Chester Cornwall County Durham Borough of Darlington Derby East Riding of Yorkshire Borough of Halton Borough of Hartlepool Herefordshire Isle of Wight Kingston upon Hull Leicester Luton Medway Middlesbrough Borough of Milton Keynes North East Lincolnshire North Lincolnshire North Somerset Northumberland Nottingham Peterborough Plymouth Poole Portsmouth Reading Redcar and Cleveland Rutland Shropshire Slough Southampton Southend-on-Sea South Gloucestershire Borough of Stockton-on-Tees Stoke-on-Trent Borough of Swindon Telford and Wrekin Thurrock Torbay Warrington West Berkshire Wiltshire Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead Wokingham Borough York Councils Bournemouth Cornwall Herefordshire Isle of Wight Kingston upon Hull Leicester Middlesbrough Northumberland Nottingham Poole Rutland Shropshire Slough Thurrock Wiltshire

Rutland County, Vermont
Location in the state of Vermont
Vermont's location in the U.S.
Founded	1781
Shire Town	Rutland
Largest city	Rutland
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	945 sq mi (2,448 km²) 933 sq mi (2,416 km²) 12 sq mi (31 km²), 1.30%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	61,642 66/sq mi (25.51/km²)

Rutland County is a county located in the U.S. state of Vermont. As of 2010, the population was 61,642. Its shire town is Rutland^[1].

Rutland County is the second most-populous county in Vermont, although it is one of a few Vermont counties to have lost population between the censuses of 2000 and 2010.^{[citation needed]}

Geography[link]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 945 square miles (2,450 km²), of which 933 square miles (2,420 km²) is land and 12 square miles (31 km²) (1.30%) is water. The primary stream of the county is Otter Creek, which runs through the county from the south to the north.

Adjacent counties[link]

• Addison County, Vermont - north
• Windsor County, Vermont - east
• Bennington County, Vermont - south
• Washington County, New York - west

National protected areas[link]

There are two national protected areas:

• Green Mountain National Forest (part)
• White Rocks National Recreation Area (part)

Demographics[link]

As of the census^[5] of 2000, there were 63,400 people, 25,678 households, and 16,742 families residing in the county. The population density was 68 people per square mile (26/km²). There were 32,311 housing units at an average density of 35 per square mile (13/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 90.07% White, 0.98% Black or African American, 0.23% Native American, 0.39% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.17% from other races, and 0.73% from two or more races. 0.70% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 15.8% were of Irish, 13.8% English, 13.2% French, 9.9% American, 9.6% Italian, 6.3% German, 5.8% Polish and 5.3% French Canadian ancestry according to Census 2000. 95.6% spoke English, 1.4% French and 1.2% Spanish as their first language.

There were 25,678 households out of which 29.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.30% were married couples living together, 10.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.80% were non-families. 27.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.92.

In the county, the population was spread out with 23.20% under the age of 18, 8.30% from 18 to 24, 27.70% from 25 to 44, 25.80% from 45 to 64, and 15.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 94.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $36,743, and the median income for a family was $44,742. Males had a median income of $31,094 versus $23,964 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,874. About 7.10% of families and 10.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.30% of those under age 18 and 8.80% of those age 65 or over.

Politics[link]

Cities and towns[link]

• Benson
• Brandon
• Castleton
• Chittenden
• Clarendon
• Danby
• Fair Haven
• Hubbardton
• Ira
• Killington
• Mendon
• Middletown Springs
• Mount Holly
• Mount Tabor
• Pawlet
• Pittsfield
• Pittsford
• Poultney (town)
  • Poultney (village)
• Proctor
• Rutland town
• Rutland city
• Shrewsbury
• Sudbury
• Tinmouth
• Wallingford
• Wells
• West Haven
• West Rutland

See also[link]

• List of counties in Vermont
• List of towns in Vermont
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Rutland County, Vermont

References[link]

External links[link]

• Rutland County Chamber of Commerce
• National Register of Historic Places listing for Rutland Co., Vermont
• National Association of Counties for Rutland Co., Vermont
• Census Bureau Quick Facts for Rutland Co., Vermont

		Addison County
	Washington County, New York		Windsor County
		Rutland County, Vermont    East
		Bennington County

v t e Municipalities and communities of Rutland County, Vermont, United States Shire town: Rutland City Rutland Towns Benson Brandon Castleton Chittenden Clarendon Danby Fair Haven Hubbardton Ira Killington Mendon Middletown Springs Mount Holly Mount Tabor Pawlet Pittsfield Pittsford Poultney Proctor Rutland Shrewsbury Sudbury Tinmouth Wallingford Wells West Haven West Rutland Village Poultney CDPs Brandon Fair Haven Wallingford Other communities Belmont Florence

v t e  State of Vermont Montpelier (capital) Regions Champlain Valley Green Mountains Mount Mansfield Northeast Kingdom Counties Addison Bennington Caledonia Chittenden Essex Franklin Grand Isle Lamoille Orange Orleans Rutland Washington Windham Windsor Metropolitan areas Burlington-South Burlington metropolitan area Cities Barre Burlington Montpelier Newport Rutland St. Albans South Burlington Vergennes Winooski Festivals Vermont State Fair Green Mountain Film Festival Topics Delegations Constitution Culture Geography Government History Images People Politics Towns Villages Visitor Attractions

Coordinates: 43°34′N 73°02′W / 43.57°N 73.04°W / 43.57; -73.04

Coordinates: 52°39′20.00″N 0°39′30.00″W / 52.65556°N 0.65833°W / 52.65556; -0.65833

Rutland
Flag of Rutland
Motto of County Council: “Multum in parvo” (“Much in little”)
Geography
Status	Unitary district Ceremonial county
Origin	Historic
Region	East Midlands
Area - Total - Admin. council	Ranked 45th 382 km2 (147 sq mi) Ranked 105th
Admin HQ	Oakham
ISO 3166-2	GB-RUT
ONS code	00FP
NUTS 3	UKF22
Demography
Population - Total (2010 est.) - Density - Admin. council	Ranked 47th 38,600 101 /km2 (260 /sq mi) Ranked 323rd
Ethnicity	98.1% White
Politics
Rutland County Council http://www.rutland.gov.uk
Executive
Members of Parliament	Alan Duncan (C)
Districts
N/A

Oakham Castle

Rutland Water

Rutland ( /ˈrʌtlənd/) is a landlocked county in central England, bounded on the west and north by Leicestershire, northeast by Lincolnshire and southeast by Peterborough (a unitary authority ceremonially in Cambridgeshire) and Northamptonshire.

Its greatest length north to south is only 18 miles (29.0 km), greatest breadth east to west, 17 miles (27.4 km). It is the smallest (in terms of population) normal unitary authority in mainland England (only the City of London is smaller in terms of area), and is 348th of the 354 districts in terms of population. It is the smallest historic English county, leading to the adoption of the Latin motto Multum In Parvo or "much in little" by the county council in 1950.^[1] Among modern ceremonial counties the Isle of Wight, City of London and City of Bristol are all smaller. The former County of London, in existence 1889 to 1965, also had a smaller area.

The only towns in Rutland are Oakham, the county town, and Uppingham. At the centre of the county is the large artificial reservoir, Rutland Water, with a similar surface area to Windermere. It is an important nature reserve serving as an overwintering site for wildfowl and a breeding site for ospreys. The town of Stamford is just over the border in a protruding part of Lincolnshire.

Rutland's older cottages are built from limestone or ironstone and many have roofs of Collyweston stone slate or thatch.

Etymology[link]

The origin of the name of the county is unclear. In a 1909 edition of Notes and Queries Harriot Tabor suggested "that the name should be Ruthland, and that there is a part of Essex called the Ruth, and that the ancient holders of it were called Ruthlanders, since altered to Rutland";^[2] however, responses suggest "that Rutland, as a name, was earlier than the Norman Conquest. Its first mention, as "Roteland", occurs in the will of King Edward the Confessor; in Domesday it is "the King's soc of Roteland", not being then a shire; and in the reign of John it was assigned as a dowry to Queen Isabella.^[3]

The northwestern part of the county was recorded as Rutland, a detached part of Nottinghamshire, in Domesday Book; the south-eastern part as the wapentake of Wicelsea in Northamptonshire. It was first mentioned as a separate county in 1159, but as late as the 14th century it was referred to as the 'Soke of Rutland'. Historically it was also known as Rutlandshire, but in recent times only the shorter name is common.

Rutland may be from Old English hryþr/ hrythr "cattle" and land "land", as a record from 1128 as Ritelanede shows. However, A Dictionary of British Place-Names by A D Mills gives an alternative etymology, "Rota's land", from the Old English (Anglo-Saxon) personal name and land land.^[4]

History[link]

Earl of Rutland and Duke of Rutland are titles in the peerage of England, derived from the historic county of Rutland. The Earl of Rutland was elevated to the status of Duke in 1703 and the titles were merged. The family seat is Belvoir Castle.

The office of High Sheriff of Rutland was instituted in 1129, and there has been a Lord Lieutenant of Rutland since at least 1559.

By the time of the 19th century it had been divided into the hundreds of Alstoe, East, Martinsley, Oakham and Wrandike.

Rutland covered parts of three poor law unions and rural sanitary districts: those of Oakham, Uppingham and Stamford. The registration county of Rutland contained the entirety of Oakham and Uppingham RSDs, which included several parishes in Leicestershire and Northamptonshire – the eastern part in Stamford RSD was included in the Lincolnshire registration county.

In 1894 under the Local Government Act 1894 the rural sanitary districts were partitioned along county boundaries to form three rural districts. The part of Oakham and Uppingham RSDs in Rutland formed the Oakham Rural District and Uppingham Rural District, with the two parishes from Oakham RSD in Leicestershire becoming part of the Melton Mowbray Rural District, the nine parishes of Uppingham RSD in Leicestershire becoming the Hallaton Rural District, and the six parishes of Uppingham RSD in Northamptonshire becoming Gretton Rural District. Meanwhile, that part of Stamford RSD in Rutland became the Ketton Rural District.

Oakham was split out from Oakham Rural District in 1911 as an urban district.^[5]

Rutland was included in the "East Midlands General Review Area" of the 1958–67 Local Government Commission for England. Draft recommendations would have seen Rutland split, with Ketton Rural District going along with Stamford to a new administrative county of Cambridgeshire, and the western part added to Leicestershire. The final proposals were less radical and instead proposed that Rutland become a single rural district within the administrative county of Leicestershire.^[6]

This action was to prove only temporary, with Rutland being included in the new non-metropolitan county of Leicestershire under the Local Government Act 1972, from 1 April 1974. Under proposals for non-metropolitan districts Rutland would have been paired with what now constitutes the Melton district – the revised and implemented proposals made Rutland a standalone non-metropolitan district (breaking the 40,000 minimum population barrier).

In 1994, the Local Government Commission for England, which was conducting a structural review of English local government, recommended that Rutland become a unitary authority. This was implemented on April 1, 1997, with Rutland regaining a separate Lieutenancy and shrievalty as well as its council regaining control of county functions such as education and social services.

Royal Mail included Rutland in the Leicestershire postal county in 1974. After a lengthy and well organised campaign,^[7] and despite a code of practice which excludes amendments to former postal counties,^[8] the Royal Mail agreed to create a postal county of Rutland in 2007. This was achieved in January 2008 by amending the former postal county for all of the Oakham (LE15) post town and a small part of the Market Harborough (LE16) post town.^[9]

The council remained formally a non-metropolitan district council, with wards rather than electoral divisions, but has renamed the district to 'Rutland County Council' to allow it to use that name. This means the full legal name of the council is Rutland County Council District Council.

Under the Poor Laws, Oakham Union workhouse was built in 1836–37 at a site to the north-east of the town, with room for 100 paupers. The building later operated as the Catmose Vale Hospital, and now forms part of the Oakham School.^[10]

Politics[link]

There are 26 councillors representing 16 wards on Rutland County Council (unitary authority).

Rutland formed a Parliamentary constituency on its own until 1918, when it became part of the Rutland and Stamford constituency, along with Stamford in Lincolnshire. Since 1983 it has formed part of the Rutland and Melton constituency along with Melton borough and part of Harborough district from Leicestershire.

Alan Duncan has been the Conservative Member of Parliament for Rutland and Melton since 1992.

Demographics[link]

The population in the 2001 Census was 34,560, a rise of 4% on the 1991 total of 33,228. This is a population density of 87 people per square kilometre. 1.9% of the population are from ethnic minority backgrounds^[11] compared to 9.1% nationally.

In 2006 it was reported that Rutland has the highest fertility rate of any English county - the average woman having 2.81 children, compared with only 1.67 in Tyne and Wear.^[12]

In December 2006, Sport England published a survey which revealed that residents of Rutland were the 6th most active in England in sports and other fitness activities. 27.4% of the population participate at least 3 times a week for 30 minutes.^[13]

Geography[link]

The particular geology of the area has given its name to the Rutland Formation which was formed from muds and sand carried down by rivers and occurring as bands of different colours, each with many fossil shells at the bottom. At the bottom of the Rutland Formation is a bed of dirty white sandy silt. Under the Rutland Formation is a formation called the Lincolnshire Limestone. The best exposure of this limestone (and also the Rutland Formation) is at the Castle Cement quarry just outside Ketton.^[14]

Rutland is dominated by Rutland Water, a large artificial lake formerly known "Empingham Reservoir", in the middle of the county, which is almost bisected by a large spit of land. The west part is in the Vale of Catmose. Rutland Water, when construction started in 1971, became Europe's largest man-made lake; construction was completed in 1975, and filling the lake took a further four years. This has now been voted Rutland's favourite tourist attraction.

The highest point of the county is at Flitteris: Flitteriss Park (a farm east of Cold Overton Park) at 197 m (646 ft) above sea level. Grid Reference: SK8271708539 The lowest point is a section of secluded farmland near Belmesthorpe, 17 m (56 feet) above sea level. Grid Reference: TF056611122

Rivers[link]

• River Chater
• Eye Brook
• River Gwash
• River Welland

Economy[link]

There are 17,000 people of working age in Rutland, of which the highest percentage (30.8%) work in Public Administration, Education and Health, closely followed by 29.7% in Distribution, Hotels and Restaurants and 16.7% in Manufacturing industries. Significant employers include Lands' End in Oakham and Castle Cement in Ketton. Other employers in Rutland include two Ministry of Defence bases - the former RAF Cottesmore (now a non-flying and much reduced satellite of RAF Wittering, and due for complete closure on 31 March 2012 and St George's Barracks (previously RAF North Luffenham), two public schools - Oakham and Uppingham - and one prison Stocken. The former Ashwell prison closed at the end of March 2011 after a serious riot and government review. The county used to supply iron ore to Corby steel works but these quarries closed in the 1960s and early 1970s resulting in the famous walk of "Sundew" (the Exton quarries' large walking dragline) from Exton to Corby, which even featured on the children's TV series Blue Peter. Agriculture thrives with much wheat farming on the rich soil. Tourism continues to grow. The Ruddles brewery was Langham's biggest industry until it was closed in 1997. Rutland bitter is one of only three UK beers to have achieved Protected Geographical Indication status; this followed an application by Ruddles. Greene King, the owners of Ruddles, closed the Langham brewery and were unable to take advantage of the registration.^[15] However in 2010 a Rutland Bitter was launched by Oakham's Grainstore Brewery.^[16]

It is 348th out of 354 on the Indices of Deprivation for England, showing it to be one of the least economically deprived areas in the country.^[11]

In March 2007, Rutland became only the fourth Fairtrade County.

This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of the non-metropolitan county of Leicestershire and Rutland at current basic prices with figures in millions of British Pounds Sterling.^[17]

^ includes hunting and forestry

^ includes energy and construction

^ includes financial intermediation services indirectly measured

^ Components may not sum to totals due to rounding

Transportation[link]

Rutland was the last county in England without a direct rail service to London (apart from the Isle of Wight and several administrative counties which are unitary authorities). East Midlands Trains commenced a single service to London St Pancras via Corby on 27 April 2009.^[18]

The Rutland Electric Car Project, run by regional partnership Uppingham First, is installing four charging points in the county in 2012, with Larkfleet Homes installing one at its showhome in Oakham, and three more located at the Falcon Hotel in Uppingham, Greetham Valley Hotel and Golf Club and Barnsdale Lodge Hotel. Rutland is the first county to offer region-wide coverage ^[19]

In popular culture[link]

• Rutland's small size has led to a number of humorous references such as Rutland Weekend Television, a television comedy sketch series hosted by Eric Idle.
• The county is the supposed home of the parody rock band The Rutles, who first appeared on Rutland Weekend Television.
• The events in several Peter F. Hamilton books (like Misspent Youth and Mindstar Rising) are situated in Rutland, where the author lives.

Traditions[link]

Rutland has many varied traditions.

• Letting of the Banks (Whissendine): Banks are pasture land, this traditionally occurs on the third week of March
• Rush Bearing & Rush Strewing (Barrowden): Reeds are gathered in the church meadow on the eve of St Peter’s Day and placed on the church floor (late June, early July)
• Uppingham Market was granted by Charter in 1281 by Edward I.
• Nurdling - see above section for a description of this ancient sport.

Schools[link]

• Oakham School (public school)
• Uppingham School (public school)
• Catmose College
• Uppingham Community College
• Casterton Business and Enterprise College

The above colleges are for pupils in years 7-11 (ages 11–16). Rutland County College provides post-16 education.

Places of interest[link]

• The Jackson Stops Inn, Stretton
• The Grainstore Brewery, Oakham
• Barnsdale Gardens
• Burley on the Hill
• Clipsham Hall
• Lyddington Bede House
• Normanton Hall
• Oakham Buttercross
• Oakham Castle
• Rutland County Museum, Oakham
• Rutland Railway Museum, Ashwell
• Rutland Water
• Stapleford Miniature Railway, Nr Whissendine
• Tolethorpe Hall
• Wardley Wood
• Whissendine Windmill

See also[link]

• Flag of Rutland
• Lord Lieutenant of Rutland
• High Sheriff of Rutland
• List of birds of Leicestershire and Rutland

References[link]

1. ^ Scott-Giles, C Wilfrid (1953). Civic Heraldry of England and Wales, 2nd edition. London: J M Dent & Sons. p. 318. 
2. ^ Tabor, Harriot (February 1909). "Rutland: Origin of the Name". Notes and Queries: 170. 
3. ^ W.B.H. (April 1909). "Rutland: Origin of the Name". Notes and Queries: 294. 
4. ^ A D Mills (2003). "Rutland". A Dictionary of British Place-Names. Oxford University Press. http://www.oxfordreference.com/views/ENTRY.html?subview=Main&entry=t40.e11276. Retrieved 24 April 2010. 
5. ^ http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/relationships.jsp?u_id=10106620
6. ^ Little Rutland To Go It Alone - No Merger with Leicestershire. The Times, 2 August 1963.
7. ^ Stamford Mercury, MP wins seven-year postal address battle, 5 November 2007.
8. ^ Royal Mail, Postcode Address File Code of Practice, (2004)
9. ^ AFD Software - Latest PAF Data News
10. ^ Workhouses website
11. ^ ^{a b} "Geographical Statistical Information". Government Office for the East Midlands. http://www.go-em.gov.uk/geography-skin.php. Retrieved 2006-10-03. 
12. ^ http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_population/Table_5_Area_Local_Authority.xls.
13. ^ Sports England
14. ^ "The Geology of the Peterborough Area". Peterborough RIGS. http://web.apu.ac.uk/geography/rigs/peterboro.html. Retrieved 2006-10-03. ^{[dead link]}
15. ^ "Commission Regulation (EC) No 1107/96 of 12 June 1996 on the registration of geographical indications and designations of origin under the procedure laid down in Article 17 of Council Regulation (EEC) No 2081/92". EUR-LEX Access to European Law. European Commission. 12 June 1996. http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:31996R1107:EN:HTML. Retrieved 24 April 2010. 
16. ^ "Rutland Bitter resurrected" Leicester Mercury 1 Oct 2010
17. ^ National Accounts Co-ordination Division (21 December 2005). "Regional Gross Value Added". Office for National Statistics. pp. 240–253. http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_economy/RegionalGVA.pdf. Retrieved 24 April 2010. 
18. ^ "Corby train delays labelled 'shambolic'". Northants Evening Telegraph. 25 November 2008. http://www.northantset.co.uk/corby/Corby-train-delays-labelled-39shambolic39.4675913.jp. 
19. ^ "Electric car charging points". http://www.evfleetworld.co.uk/news/2012/Mar/Rutland-establishes-public-EV-charging-network/0438004845/. Retrieved 9 March 2012. 

Bibliography[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Rutland

• Rutland at the Open Directory Project
• Official Tourism website for Rutland
• Rutland Community Website
• Rutland County Council
• Rutland Local History & Record Society

Neighbouring counties

	Leicestershire	Lincolnshire	Lincolnshire
	Leicestershire		Lincolnshire Cambridgeshire
		Rutland    East
	Leicestershire Northamptonshire	Northamptonshire	Cambridgeshire

v t e Districts of the East Midlands Derbyshire Amber Valley • Bolsover • Chesterfield • Derby • Derbyshire Dales • Erewash • High Peak • North East Derbyshire • South Derbyshire Leicestershire Blaby • Charnwood • Harborough • Hinckley and Bosworth • Leicester • Melton • North West Leicestershire • Oadby and Wigston Lincolnshire Boston • East Lindsey • Lincoln • North Kesteven • South Holland • South Kesteven • West Lindsey Nottinghamshire Ashfield • Bassetlaw • Broxtowe • Gedling • Mansfield • Newark and Sherwood • Nottingham • Rushcliffe Northamptonshire Corby • Daventry • East Northamptonshire • Kettering • Northampton • South Northamptonshire • Wellingborough Rutland Rutland

v t e Unitary authorities of England Districts Bath and North East Somerset Bedford Borough Blackburn with Darwen Blackpool Bournemouth Bracknell Forest Brighton and Hove Bristol Central Bedfordshire Cheshire East Cheshire West and Chester Cornwall County Durham Borough of Darlington Derby East Riding of Yorkshire Borough of Halton Borough of Hartlepool Herefordshire Isle of Wight Kingston upon Hull Leicester Luton Medway Middlesbrough Borough of Milton Keynes North East Lincolnshire North Lincolnshire North Somerset Northumberland Nottingham Peterborough Plymouth Poole Portsmouth Reading Redcar and Cleveland Rutland Shropshire Slough Southampton Southend-on-Sea South Gloucestershire Borough of Stockton-on-Tees Stoke-on-Trent Borough of Swindon Telford and Wrekin Thurrock Torbay Warrington West Berkshire Wiltshire Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead Wokingham Borough York Councils Bournemouth Cornwall Herefordshire Isle of Wight Kingston upon Hull Leicester Middlesbrough Northumberland Nottingham Poole Rutland Shropshire Slough Thurrock Wiltshire

A county council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries.

United Kingdom[link]

County councils were formed in the United Kingdom in the late 19th century. In the various constituent countries of the United Kingdom councils had different powers and different memberships. Following local government reforms in the 1970s, county councils no longer exist in Scotland or Northern Ireland. In England they generally form the top level in a two-tier system of administration; in Wales they are unitary authorities.

England[link]

In England county councils were introduced in 1889, and reformed in 1974. Since the mid 1990s a series of local government reorganisations has seen a reduction in the number of county councils as unitary authorities have been established in a number of areas. County councils are very large employers with a great variety of functions including education (schools and youth services), social services, highways, fire and rescue services, libraries, waste disposal, consumer services and town and country planning. Until the 1990s they also ran colleges of further education and the careers services. That decade also saw the privatisation of some traditional services, such as highway maintenance, cleaning and school meals.

History[link]

County councils were created by the Local Government Act 1888, largely taking over the administrative functions of the unelected county courts of quarter sessions.^[1] County councils consisted of councillors, directly elected by the electorate; and county aldermen, chosen by the council itself. There was one county alderman for every three councillors (one for every six in the London County Council).^[2] The first elections to the councils were held at various dates in January 1889, and they served as "provisional" or shadow councils until 1 April, when they came into their powers.^[3][4] Elections of all councillors and half of the aldermen took place every three years thereafter.^[2] The areas over which the councils had authority were designated as administrative counties. The writ of the county councils did not extend everywhere: large towns and some historic counties corporate were constituted county boroughs by the same act. County borough councils were independent of the council for the county in which they were geographically situated, and exercised the functions of both county and district councils.^[1] The new system was a major modernisation, which reflected the increasing range of functions carried out by local government in late Victorian Britain. A major accretion of powers took place when education was added to county council responsibilities in 1902.^[5] County councils were responsible for more strategic services in a region, with (from 1894) smaller urban district councils and rural district councils responsible for other activities. The Local Government Act 1929 considerably increased the powers of county councils, who took charge of highways in rural districts.^[6]

In 1965 there was a reduction in the number of county councils. The London Government Act 1963 abolished those of London and Middlesex and created the Greater London Council. Greater London was declared to be an "area" and not to lie in any county.^[7] In addition two pairs of administrative counties were merged to become Cambridgeshire and Isle of Ely and Huntingdon and Peterborough under recommendations made by the Local Government Commission for England.^[8] The Local Government Act 1972 completely reorganised local authorities in England and Wales. County boroughs were abolished and the whole of England (apart from Greater London) was placed in a two-tier arrangement with county councils and district councils. In the six largest conurbations metropolitan county councils, with increased powers, were created. The post of county alderman was abolished, and the entire council was thereafter directly elected every four years. In 1986 the six metropolitan county councils were abolished, with their functions transferred to the metropolitan boroughs and joint boards.^[9] The Local Government Act 1992 established a new Local Government Commission whose remit was to conduct a review of the structure of local administration, and the introduction of unitary authorities where appropriate. Accordingly the number of county councils was reduced: Avon, Berkshire, Cleveland, Hereford and Worcester and Humberside were abolished, while Worcestershire County Council was re-established. The reforms somewhat blurred the distinction between county and district council. The Isle of Wight county council became a unitary authority, renamed the "Isle of Wight Council".^[10] Conversely, two unitary district councils added the word "county" to their titles to become "Rutland County Council District Council" and "County of Herefordshire District Council".^[11][12]

2009 reforms[link]

A further wave of local government reform took place in April 2009 under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007. Following invitations from central government in 2007, a number of County Councils and their associated districts examined ways in which local government provision could be rationalised, mainly in the form of abolishing the existing County and District councils and establishing one-tier authorities for all or parts of these existing counties. As a result, the status of some of these (mainly) more rural counties changed. Cornwall, Durham, Northumberland, Shropshire and Wiltshire became unitary authorities providing all services. Some of these councils have dropped the word "county" from their titles. Bedfordshire and Cheshire County Councils were abolished with more than one unitary council established within the boundaries of the abolished council. Other county councils remained unchanged, particularly in the heavily populated parts of England such as the south east.

Wales[link]

Since 1996 Wales has been divided into unitary principal areas. Councils were designated by the legislation that created them as either "county councils" or "county borough councils".^[13] County and county borough councils have identical powers.

History[link]

Prior to 1996 local government in Wales was similar to that in England. Thus the county councils introduced in 1889 were identical to their English counterparts. The Local Government Commission for Wales appointed under the Local Government Act 1958 recommended a reduction in the number of county councils in Wales and Monmouthshire from thirteen to seven, but reform did not take place until 1974.^[14]

From 1 April 1974 the number of counties and county councils was reduced to eight in number. Like the county councils introduced in England at the same time, the whole council was elected every four years. There was a slightly different division of powers between county and district councils, however. The county and district councils were abolished twenty-two years later, when the present system of principal areas was introduced.

Scotland[link]

In Scotland county councils existed from 1890 to 1975. They were created by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889 and reconstituted forty years later by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1929. County councils were abolished in 1975 when a system of large regional councils was introduced. Regions were themselves abolished in 1996 and replaced by the current unitary council areas.

History[link]

In Scotland control of county administration was in the hands of Commissioners of Supply. This was a body of the principal landowners liable to pay land tax, and was unelected. The first elections to Scottish county councils took place in February 1890.^[15] Only the councillors for the "landward" part of the county were elected however. The remainder of the council were co-opted by the town councils of the burghs in the county. Scottish county councils also differed from those in England and Wales as they were required to divide their county into districts. A district committee of the county councillors elected for the area were an independent local authority for some administrative purposes.^[16]

In 1930 the Scottish county councils were completely reconstituted. Their powers were increased in small burghs. On the other hand large burghs became independent of the county for most purposes. The district committees created in 1890 were abolished and replaced by district councils, partly consisting of county councillors and partly of directly elected district councillors. Two joint county councils were created, for Perthshire and Kinross-shire and Moray and Nairnshire. The county councils also gained the duties of the abolished education authorities.^[17]

Ireland (1899 - 1922)[link]

The Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 introduced county councils to Ireland. The administrative and financial business carried by county grand juries and county at large presentment sessions were transferred to the new councils. Principal among these duties were the maintenance of highways and bridges, the upkeep and inspection of lunatic asylums and the appointment of coroners. The new bodies also took over some duties from poor law boards of guardians in relation to diseases of cattle and from the justices of the peace to regulate explosives.^[18]

The Irish county councils differed in constitution from those in Great Britain. Most of the council was directly elected: each county was divided by the Local Government Board for Ireland into electoral divisions, each returning a single councillor for a three-year term. In addition urban districts were to form electoral divisions: depending on population they could return multiple county councillors. The county councils were also to consist of "additional members":

• The chairman of each rural district council in the county was to be an ex officio member. Where the chairman had already been elected to the council or was disqualified, the RDC was to appoint another member of their council to be an additional member.
• The council could also co-opt one or two additional members for a three-year term.

The first county council elections were held on 6 April 1899, and the first business of their inaugural meetings being the appointment of additional members.^[19] The triennial elections were postponed in 1914 on the outbreak of World War I.

The Local Government (Ireland) Act 1919 introduced proportional representation to county councils: all councillors were to be elected by single transferable vote from multi-member electoral areas.^[20] There was only one election under the new system, held in January 1920 (in urban areas) and on 2 June 1920 (in rural areas), during the Irish War of Independence.

Northern Ireland[link]

County councils existed in Northern Ireland from 1922 - 1973.

Following partition, six administrative counties remained within the United Kingdom as part of Northern Ireland. Local government came under the control of the Parliament of Northern Ireland, who quickly introduced the Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 1922, abolishing proportional representation. Electoral districts were redrawn, and a property qualification for voters introduced, ensuring Unionist controlled councils in counties with Nationalist majorities.^[21] In 1968 Fermanagh County Council was reconstituted as a unitary authority. County councils were abolished under the Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 1972 in 1973. The only local authorities since that date have been district councils.

Republic of Ireland[link]

The county councils created under British rule in 1899 continue to exist in the Republic of Ireland, although they are now governed under legislation passed by Oireachtas Éireann, principally the Local Government Act 2001.

History[link]

The Irish Free State inherited the local authorities created by the United Kingdom legislation of 1898 and 1919, and elections were held on 23 June 1925. The first native legislation was the Local Government Act 1925. The act abolished rural district councils (except in County Dublin) and passed their powers to the county councils. At the following election all county councils were to be increased: the number of extra councillors was to be twice the number of abolished rural districts. The act set out the powers and duties of county councils and also gave the Minister for Local Government the power to dissolve councils if he was satisfied that "the duties of a local authority are not being duly and effectually discharged". He could order new elections to be held, or transfer the power and properties of the council to "to any body or persons or person he shall think fit".^[22] The power was widely used by ministers of all parties. For example Kerry County Council was dissolved from 1930 to 1932, and from 1945 to 1948, with commisssioners appointed to perform the council's function.^[23]

The number of county councils was increased from twenty-seven to twenty-nine in 1994 when the Local Government (Dublin) Act 1993 split County Dublin into three counties: Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, Fingal and South Dublin.^[24]

United States[link]

In the United States, most of the individual states have counties as a form of local government; in nine states, they are headed by a county council. In other states, each county is headed by a county commission or a county board of supervisors or a board of chosen freeholders.

References[link]