Metropolitan county

England showing the metropolitan counties

There are six metropolitan counties in England: (Greater Manchester, Merseyside, South Yorkshire, Tyne and Wear, West Midlands, and West Yorkshire. They cover the major English conurbations outside London. They came into existence under the Local Government Act 1972, and each originally had a county council and councils for each of the metropolitan boroughs. The county councils were abolished, along with the Greater London Council, in 1986, leaving the metropolitan boroughs effectively as unitary authorities. The county councils were not reintroduced when the Greater London Authority was created in 2000, however they continue as ceremonial counties.