County borough
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County borough is a term introduced in 1889 in the United Kingdom (excluding Scotland), to refer to a borough or a city independent of county council control. They were abolished by the Local Government Act 1972 in England and Wales, but continue in use for lieutenancy and shrievalty in Northern Ireland. In the Republic of Ireland they remain in existence but have been renamed cities under the provisions of the Local Government Act 2001. The Local Government (Wales) Act 1994 re-introduced the term for certain "principal areas" in Wales. Scotland did not have county boroughs but instead counties of cities. These were abolished on 16 May 1975. All four Scottish cities of the time were included in this category. There was an additional category of large burgh in the Scottish system, which were responsible for all services apart from police, education and fire.
Contents
Origins
When county councils were first created in 1889, it was decided that to let them have authority over large towns or cities would be impractical, and so any large incorporated place would have the right to be a county borough, and thus independent from the administrative county it would otherwise come under. Some cities and towns were already independent counties corporate, and most were to become county boroughs. Originally ten county boroughs were proposed; Bristol, Hull, Newcastle upon Tyne and Nottingham, which were already counties, and Birmingham, Bradford, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, and Sheffield, which were not. The Local Government Act 1888 as eventually passed required a population of over 50,000 except in the case of existing counties corporate.[1] This resulted in 61 county boroughs in England and two in Wales. Several exceptions were allowed, mainly for historic towns: Bath, Dudley and Oxford were all under the 50,000 limit in the 1901 census. Some of the smaller counties corporate — Berwick upon Tweed, Lichfield, Lincoln, Poole, Carmarthen and Haverfordwest — did not become county boroughs, although Canterbury, with a population under 25,000, did.
England
This table shows those county boroughs that existed in England and Wales between the Local Government Acts of 1888 (that created them) and 1972 (that abolished them from 1974).
Only four districts with more than one county borough were formed: Wirral, Sandwell, Sefton and Kirklees. Elsewhere, county boroughs usually formed the core or all of a district named after the county borough - with the exceptions of Halifax, whose metropolitan district was named Calderdale, Burton upon Trent, which became part of the East Staffordshire district, and Teesside, which was split up between three non-metropolitan districts.
Previous county boroughs
County boroughs to be abolished prior to 1974 were:
| County borough | County | Created | Abolished | Successor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Croydon | Surrey | 1889 | 1965 | Greater London: London Borough of Croydon |
| Devonport | Devon | 1889 | 1914 | Plymouth |
| East Ham | Essex | 1915 | 1965 | Greater London: London Borough of Newham |
| Hanley | Staffordshire | 1889 | 1910 | Stoke on Trent |
| Middlesbrough | Yorkshire, North Riding | 1889 | 1968 | Teesside |
| Smethwick | Staffordshire | 1907 | 1966 | Warley |
| West Ham | Essex | 1889 | 1965 | Greater London: London Borough of Newham |
| West Hartlepool | Durham | 1902 | 1967 | Hartlepool |
Wales
| Cardiff | 1889 | Glamorgan | 279,046 | Cardiff (part) | South Glamorgan |
| Merthyr Tydfil | 1908 | Glamorgan | 55,283 | Merthyr Tydfil | Mid Glamorgan |
| Newport | 1891 | Monmouthshire | 112,298 | Newport | Gwent |
| Swansea | 1889 | Glamorgan | 173,355 | Swansea (part) | West Glamorgan |
In Wales, several principal areas are now county boroughs:[2]
- Newport (acquired city status in 2002)
- Merthyr Tydfil
- Caerphilly
- Blaenau Gwent
- Torfaen
- Vale of Glamorgan
- Bridgend
- Rhondda Cynon Taf
- Neath Port Talbot
- Wrexham
- Conwy
For all practical purposes, county boroughs are exactly the same as the other principal areas of Wales called "counties", as all these areas are run by unitary authorities (i.e.: have the functions of both boroughs and counties). Although unitary authorities are functionally equivalent to county boroughs, only in Wales is the title given official recognition by Act of Parliament.[3]
Northern Ireland
The county boroughs of Belfast and Londonderry were created by the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898. For administrative purposes they were replaced with two larger districts (Belfast and Londonderry, subsequently renamed Derry).
Republic of Ireland
The Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 created county boroughs in Ireland. Under the Act, four former counties corporate (Cork, Dublin, Limerick and Waterford) became county boroughs. Galway became a county borough in 1986.
Under the Local Government Act 2001 (which replaced most existing local government legislation in Ireland), the term "County Borough" was abolished and replaced with "City" (and hence, "Corporation" with "City Council"). However Kilkenny, while a city, is instead administered as a town (and part of the county council area) for local government purposes. It is allowed to use the title "Borough Council" instead of "Town Council" however.
See also
References
- ↑ Local Government Act 1888, s.31
- ↑ Local Government (Wales) Act 1994, Schedule 1, Part II
- ↑ Local Government (Wales) Act 1994, Schedule 1, Part II
