The administrative structure in Great Britain and Northern Ireland is multilevel below the level of central government. Certain functions have been delegated from the British Parliament to the Regional Parliaments of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland and Wales these were elected on the basis of the 1997 referendums in 1999; Northern Ireland’s regional parliament was constituted in mid-1998, but the formation of a government was delayed until the end of 1999. England does not have a separate parliament; the administrative regionalization carried out there in 1994 (integrated Government Offices for the Regions, since 1999/2000 also Regional Development Agencies in 9 English regions, including London) serves regional economic development and renewal.
Major local government reforms took place in England and Wales in 1974 and in Scotland in 1975. This created two municipal levels in England and Wales - a total of 53 counties and 369 smaller districts. While the county councils were given responsibility for transport, planning, education, consumer protection, waste disposal, fire prevention, and so on, the counties were given, among other things. responsibility for housing and most local planning decisions, as well as garbage collection. For Greater London, the subdivision into 32 boroughs, introduced in 1965, existed – supplemented by the historic city districts of City of London and The Temples. In England were next to London Six Metropolitan Counties, divided into 36 Metropolitan Districts / Boroughs, introduced. The former General Council of London was dissolved together with the other councils of the Metropolitan Counties on April 1, 1986; most of their functions have been delegated to the London Boroughs and Metropolitan District Councils. – Scotland and Northern Ireland had their own comparable administrative systems. In Northern Ireland, the number of districts was reduced from 26 (as of 1973) to eleven in 2015.
Administrative division in Great Britain and Northern Ireland
| Administrative division (2015) | |||||
| Administrative unit | Administrative headquarters | Area(in km 2) | Population(in 1,000) | Residents(per km 2) | |
| England | London | 130 278 | 54 786.3 | 420 | |
| Greater London 1) | – | 1 572 | 8,673.7 | 5 517 | |
| Inner London | 318 | 3 140.5 | 9 876 | ||
| Outer London | 1 254 | 5,533.2 | 4 412 | ||
| North East | Newcastle upon Tyne | 8 592 | 2,624.6 | 305 | |
| Unitary Authorities | |||||
| County Durham | Durham | 2 226 | 519.7 | 234 | |
| Darlington | Darlington | 197 | 105.4 | 534 | |
| Hartlepool | Hartlepool | 94 | 92.5 | 985 | |
| Middlesbrough | Middlesbrough | 54 | 139.5 | 2,590 | |
| Northumberland | Morpeth | 5 013 | 315.3 | 63 | |
| Redcar and Cleveland | Redcar | 245 | 135.3 | 552 | |
| Stockton-on-Teas | Stockton-on-Teas | 204 | 194.8 | 955 | |
| Metropolitan County 2) | |||||
| Tyne and Wear 3) | – | 540 | 1 122.2 | 2,078 | |
| North West | Manchester | 14 115 | 7 173.8 | 508 | |
| Unitary Authorities | |||||
| Blackburn with Darwen | Blackburn | 137 | 146.8 | 1 072 | |
| Blackpool | Blackpool | 35 | 139.6 | 4 002 | |
| Cheshire East | Sandbach | 1 166 | 375.4 | 322 | |
| Cheshire West and Chester | Chester | 917 | 333.9 | 364 | |
| Halton | Widnes | 79 | 126.5 | 1 600 | |
| Warrington | Warrington | 181 | 207.7 | 1 150 | |
| Metropolitan Counties | |||||
| Greater Manchester 4) | – | 1 276 | 2,756.2 | 2 160 | |
| Merseyside 5) | – | 645 | 1,398.0 | 2 168 | |
| Counties | |||||
| Cumbria | Carlisle | 6 767 | 498.0 | 74 | |
| Lancashire | Preston | 2 903 | 1,191.7 | 410 | |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | Leeds | 15 420 | 5,390.6 | 350 | |
| Unitary Authorities | |||||
| East Riding of Yorkshire | Beverley | 2 408 | 336.7 | 140 | |
| Kingston upon Hull | Kingston upon Hull | 74 | 287.0 | 3 898 | |
| North East Lincolnshire | Grimsby | 192 | 159.6 | 832 | |
| North Lincolnshire | Scunthorpe | 846 | 169.8 | 201 | |
| York | York | 272 | 206.9 | 761 | |
| Metropolitan Counties | |||||
| South Yorkshire 5) | – | 1 552 | 1,374.7 | 886 | |
| West Yorkshire 6) | – | 2 029 | 2,281.7 | 1 124 | |
| county | |||||
| North Yorkshire | Northallerton | 8 038 | 602.3 | 75 | |
| East Midlands | Nottingham | 15 607 | 4,677.0 | 300 | |
| Unitary Authorities | |||||
| Derby | Derby | 78 | 254.3 | 3 258 | |
| Leicester | Leicester | 73 | 342.6 | 4 673 | |
| Nottingham | Nottingham | 75 | 318.9 | 4,274 | |
| Rutland | Oakham | 382 | 38.0 | 100 | |
| Counties | |||||
| Derbyshire | Matlock | 2,547 | 782.4 | 307 | |
| Leicestershire | Leicester | 2,083 | 675.3 | 324 | |
| Lincolnshire | Lincoln | 5 921 | 736.7 | 124 | |
| Northamptonshire | Northampton | 2,364 | 723.0 | 306 | |
| Nottinghamshire | West Bridgford | 2,085 | 805.8 | 386 | |
| West Midlands | Birmingham | 12 998 | 5,751.0 | 442 | |
| Unitary Authorities | |||||
| Herefordshire, County of | Hereford | 2 180 | 188.1 | 86 | |
| Shropshire | Shrewsbury | 3 197 | 311.4 | 97 | |
| Stoke-on-Trent | Stoke-on-Trent | 93 | 251.6 | 2,693 | |
| Telford and Wrekin | Telford | 290 | 171.2 | 590 | |
| Metropolitan county | |||||
| West Midlands 7) | – | 902 | 2,833.6 | 3 143 | |
| Counties | |||||
| Staffordshire | Stafford | 2 620 | 862.6 | 329 | |
| Warwickshire | Warwick | 1,975 | 554.0 | 280 | |
| Worcestershire | Worcester | 1 741 | 578.6 | 332 | |
| East | Cambridge | 19 102 | 6 076.5 | 318 | |
| Unitary Authorities | |||||
| Bedford | Bedford | 476 | 166.3 | 349 | |
| Central Bedfordshire | Chicksands | 716 | 274.0 | 383 | |
| Luton | Luton | 43 | 214.7 | 4 953 | |
| Peterborough | Peterborough | 343 | 194.0 | 565 | |
| Southend-on-Sea | Southend-on-Sea | 42 | 178.7 | 4,280 | |
| Thurrock | Thurrock | 163 | 165.2 | 1 011 | |
| Counties | |||||
| Cambridgeshire | Cambridge | 3 046 | 647.2 | 212 | |
| Essex | Chelmsford | 3,464 | 1,443.2 | 417 | |
| Hertfordshire | Hertford | 1 643 | 1,166.3 | 710 | |
| Norfolk | Norwich | 5 371 | 885.0 | 165 | |
| Suffolk | Ipswich | 3 800 | 741.9 | 195 | |
| South east | Southampton | 19 080 | 8,947.9 | 469 | |
| Unitary Authorities | |||||
| Bracknell Forest | Bracknell | 109 | 119.0 | 1,088 | |
| Brighton and Hove | Brighton | 83 | 285.3 | 3 451 | |
| Isle of Wight | Newport | 380 | 139.4 | 367 | |
| Medway | Rochester | 192 | 276.5 | 1 440 | |
| Milton Keynes | Milton Keynes | 309 | 261.8 | 848 | |
| Portsmouth | Portsmouth | 40 | 211.8 | 5 240 | |
| Reading | Reading | 40 | 161.7 | 4 004 | |
| Slough | Slough | 33 | 145.7 | 4,479 | |
| Southampton | Southampton | 50 | 249.5 | 5 002 | |
| West Berkshire | Newbury | 704 | 156.0 | 222 | |
| Windsor and Maidenhead | Maidenhead | 197 | 147.7 | 752 | |
| Wokingham | Wokingham | 179 | 160.4 | 896 | |
| Counties | |||||
| Buckinghamshire | Aylesbury | 1 565 | 528.4 | 338 | |
| East Sussex | Lewes | 1 709 | 544.1 | 318 | |
| Hampshire | Winchester | 3 679 | 1,353.0 | 368 | |
| Kent | Maidstone | 3,544 | 1,524.7 | 430 | |
| Oxfordshire | Oxford | 2 605 | 677.8 | 260 | |
| Surrey | Kingston upon Thames | 1 662 | 1,168.8 | 703 | |
| West Sussex | Chichester | 1,990 | 836.3 | 420 | |
| South west | Bristol | 23 819 | 5,471.2 | 230 | |
| Unitary Authorities | |||||
| Bath and North East Somerset | Bath | 346 | 184.9 | 535 | |
| Bournemouth | Bournemouth | 46 | 194.5 | 4 212 | |
| Bristol | Bristol | 110 | 449.3 | 4099 | |
| Cornwall | Truro | 3,546 | 549.4 | 155 | |
| Isle of Scilly | Hugh Town | 16 | 2.3 | 142 | |
| North Somerset | Weston-super-Mare | 374 | 209.9 | 562 | |
| Plymouth | Plymouth | 80 | 262.7 | 3 291 | |
| Poole | Poole | 65 | 150.6 | 2,325 | |
| South Gloucestershire | Thornbury | 497 | 274.7 | 553 | |
| Swindon | Swindon | 230 | 217.2 | 944 | |
| Torbay | Torbay | 63 | 133.4 | 2 121 | |
| Wiltshire | Trowbridge | 3 255 | 486.1 | 149 | |
| Counties | |||||
| Devon | Exeter | 6 564 | 773.1 | 118 | |
| Dorset | Dorchester | 2 542 | 420.6 | 166 | |
| Gloucestershire | Gloucester | 2,653 | 617.2 | 233 | |
| Somerset | Taunton | 3 451 | 545.4 | 158 | |
| Wales | Cardiff | 20 735 | 3,099.1 | 150 | |
| Unitary Authorities | |||||
| Blaenau Gwent | Ebb Vale | 109 | 69.5 | 639 | |
| Bridgend | Bridgend | 251 | 142.1 | 567 | |
| Caerphilly | Ystrad Mynach | 277 | 180.2 | 649 | |
| Cardiff | Cardiff | 140 | 357.2 | 2 544 | |
| Carmarthenshire | Carmarthen | 2,370 | 185.1 | 78 | |
| Ceredigion | Aberaeron | 1 785 | 74.6 | 42 | |
| Conwy | Conwy | 1 126 | 116.2 | 103 | |
| Denbighshire | Ruthin | 837 | 94.7 | 113 | |
| Flintshire | Mold | 438 | 154.1 | 352 | |
| Gwynedd | Caernarvon | 2,535 | 122.9 | 48 | |
| Isle of Anglesey | Llangefni | 711 | 70.0 | 98 | |
| Merthyr Tydfil | Merthyr Tydfil | 111 | 59.3 | 533 | |
| Monmouthshire | Cwmbran | 849 | 92.5 | 109 | |
| Neath Port Talbot | Port Talbot | 441 | 141.0 | 320 | |
| Newport | Newport | 191 | 147.8 | 776 | |
| Pembrokeshire | Haverfordwest | 1 619 | 123.5 | 76 | |
| Powys | Llandrindod Wells | 5 180 | 132.6 | 26th | |
| Rhondda Cynon Taff | Clydach Vale | 424 | 237.4 | 560 | |
| Swansea | Swansea | 380 | 242.4 | 638 | |
| Torfaen | Pontypool | 126 | 91.8 | 731 | |
| Vale of Glamorgan | Barry | 331 | 127.6 | 386 | |
| Wrexham | Wrexham | 504 | 136.6 | 271 | |
| Scotland | Edinburgh | 77 925 | 5,373.0 | 69 | |
| Council areas | |||||
| Aberdeen | Aberdeen | 186 | 230.4 | 1 238 | |
| Aberdeenshire | Aberdeen | 6 313 | 262.0 | 42 | |
| Angus | Forfar | 2 182 | 116.9 | 54 | |
| Argyll and Bute | Lochgilphead | 6 909 | 86.9 | 13th | |
| Clackmannanshire | Alloa | 159 | 51.4 | 323 | |
| Dumfries and Galloway | Dumfries | 6 426 | 149.7 | 23 | |
| Dundee | Dundee | 60 | 148.2 | 2 470 | |
| East Ayrshire | Kilmarnock | 1 262 | 122.1 | 97 | |
| East Dunbartonshire | Kirkintilloch | 175 | 107.0 | 611 | |
| East Lothian | Haddington | 679 | 103.0 | 152 | |
| East Renfrewshire | Giffnock | 174 | 92.9 | 534 | |
| Edinburgh | Edinburgh | 264 | 498.8 | 1 889 | |
| Eilean Siar (Western Isles) | Stornoway | 3 071 | 27.1 | 9 | |
| Falkirk | Falkirk | 297 | 158.5 | 534 | |
| Fife | Glenrothes | 1,325 | 368.1 | 278 | |
| Glasgow | Glasgow | 175 | 606.3 | 3,465 | |
| Highland | Inverness | 25 659 | 234.1 | 9 | |
| Inverclyde | Greenock | 160 | 79.5 | 497 | |
| Midlothian | Dalkeith | 354 | 87.4 | 247 | |
| Moray | Elgin | 2 238 | 95.5 | 43 | |
| North Ayrshire | Irvine | 885 | 136.1 | 154 | |
| North Lanarkshire | Motherwell | 470 | 338.3 | 720 | |
| Orkney Islands | Kirkwall | 990 | 21.7 | 22nd | |
| Perth and Kinross | Perth | 5 286 | 149.9 | 28 | |
| Renfrewshire | Paisley | 261 | 174.6 | 669 | |
| Scottish Borders | Newtown Saint Boswells | 4 732 | 114.0 | 24 | |
| Shetland Islands | Lerwick | 1 466 | 23.2 | 16 | |
| South Ayrshire | Ayr | 1 222 | 112.4 | 92 | |
| South Lanarkshire | Hamilton | 1 772 | 316.2 | 178 | |
| Stirling | Stirling | 2 187 | 92.8 | 42 | |
| West Dunbartonshire | Dumbarton | 159 | 89.6 | 564 | |
| West Lothian | Livingston | 427 | 178.6 | 418 | |
| Northern Ireland | Belfast | 13 562 | 1,851.6 | 136 | |
| Districts | |||||
| Antrim and Newtownabbey | 571 | 140.5 | 246 | ||
| Ards and North Down | 457 | 158.8 | 348 | ||
| Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon | 1 347 | 207.8 | 154 | ||
| Belfast | 134 | 338.9 | 2 529 | ||
| Causeway Coast and Glens | 1,980 | 143.1 | 72 | ||
| Derry and Strabane | 1 237 | 149.5 | 121 | ||
| Fermanagh and Omagh | 2,847 | 115.3 | 40 | ||
| Lisburn and Castlereagh | 503 | 140.2 | 279 | ||
| Mid and East Antrim | 1 046 | 137.1 | 131 | ||
| Mid Ulster | 1 821 | 144.0 | 79 | ||
| Newry, Morne and Down | 1 619 | 176.4 | 109 | ||
| 1) Divided into 32 London Boroughs and the City of London.2) No administrative function of its own since 1986 and divided into 36 Metropolitan Boroughs.
3) Gateshead, Newcastle, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, Sunderland. 4) Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan. 5) Knowsley, Liverpool, Saint Helens, Sefton, Wirral. 6) Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, Sheffield. 7) Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds, Wakefield. 8) Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall, Wolverhampton. |
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In April 1996, the administrative units in Scotland and Wales were reorganized. In Scotland 32 new, i. H. Administrative districts responsible for all municipal tasks (Council Areas) with 29 municipal councils at a local level (Single-Tier Councils) and the three councils of the island areas (Islands Areas: Orkney, Shetland, Western Isles). In Wales, 22 administrative districts (unitary authorities) with single-tier councils and 750 community councils (comparable to the English parish councils) have been created.
In England, from April 1, 1995, numerous counties were reorganized. The current administrative structure is as follows: There are 9 regions (including Greater London) with 27 counties with a two-tier administrative structure (counties). There are also 56 unitary authorities with single-level administration. There are also 6 Metropolitan Counties, which are subdivided into Metropolitan Boroughs. Below the district level, there are still over 8,000 parish councils in England. Since the dissolution of the Greater London Council, Greater London received a higher-level administration (Greater London Authority) with a directly elected Mayor and a separately elected assembly (Assembly of London) for the first time in 2000.
Regional and local self-government is complemented by a system of informal self-government, which is characterized by a network of institutions that are involved in the process of political decision-making and the performance of public tasks. In addition to voluntary institutions (e.g. school boards), these have been the »Quangos« (abbreviation for quasi-autonomous non-governmental organizations; e.g. British Council) since 1970.
