Local government sector
Local government provides a huge array of services that impact on every member of society on a daily basis, from social services and education to housing, leisure, planning, transport, waste management and many more.
The sector is constantly adapting its services to meet the needs of its customers and following the findings of the 2004 Gershon Review, is regularly looking at the efficiency of its services and in some cases at alternative methods of delivery. These could include partnerships with the public, private or voluntary sectors, outsourcing or regional delivery.
Outlined below is a brief summary of the current structure of local government, although a forthcoming White Paper will be addressing the structure of the sector and potential reorganisation in order to further improve efficiency. In England, services are provided by two tiers of councils, outside of the major urban areas.
County Councils provide county wide services such as education, social services, transport, strategic planning, consumer protection, refuse disposal and libraries.
District or Borough Councils provide services that are more local to residents such as local planning, housing, local highways, building regulations, environmental health and refuse collection. Other services such as recreation and cultural matters are provided through a combination of both tiers.
In the 1990s, after local consultation, some areas of the country decided that a single tier model was considered to be more appropriate, which led to the creation of a number of Unitary Authorities (UAs).
A single tier model also exists in major urban areas and services are provided by Metropolitan District Councils or London Borough Councils in the capital.
