UK - Metropolitan Districts & London Borough Council Contact Telephone Numbers and Addresses from Contact Them

Borough Council Meaning

In the Middle Ages, boroughs were settlements in England that were granted some self-government; burghs were the Scottish equivalent. In medieval England, boroughs were also entitled to elect members of parliament. The use of the word borough probably derives from the burghal system of Alfred the Great. Alfred set up a system of defensive strong points (Burhs); in order to maintain these particular settlements, he granted them a degree of autonomy. After the Norman Conquest, when certain towns were granted self-governance, the concept of the burh/borough seems to have been reused to mean a self-governing settlement.

Borough Council Powers

Many parts of England have 2 tiers of local government:

- county councils

- district, borough or city councils

In some parts of the country, there’s just 1 (unitary) tier of local government providing all the local services. The 3 main types are:

- unitary authorities in shire areas

- London boroughs

- metropolitan boroughs

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County councils

These are responsible for services across the whole of a county, like:

- education

- transport

- planning

- fire and public safety

- social care

- libraries

- waste management

- trading standards

District, borough and city councils

These cover a smaller area than county councils. They’re usually responsible for services like:

- rubbish collection

- recycling

- Council Tax collections

- housing

- planning applications

- Unitary authorities and London and metropolitan boroughs

In some parts of the country, 1 tier of local government provides all the local services listed above.

In London and metropolitan areas some services, like fire, police and public transport, are provided through ‘joint authorities’ (in London by the Greater London Authority).

Parish, community and town councils

These operate at a level below district and borough councils and in some cases, unitary authorities.

They’re elected and can help on a number of local issues, like providing:

- allotments

- public clocks

- bus shelters

- community centres

- play areas and play equipment

- grants to help local organisations

- consultation on neighbourhood planning

Find all the information and Metropolitan Districts & London Borough Council Contact Telephone Numbers and Addresses here:contactthem.co.uk/metropolitan-districts-london-borough-council-telephone-numbers/