The different kinds of council
The nutshell
A council runs local services in one area, like schools, roads or bins. The UK has several kinds of council. In some places two councils share the work, and in other places one council does it all.
Every fact on this page comes from official guides and non-partisan explainers. Each source tag — like GOV — opens where a fact comes from.
The basics
What a council is
A council is the group that runs local services in one area. Different kinds of council exist across the UK. Which kind covers a place depends on where that place is.
Two councils, or one
Many parts of England have two tiers of council. A county council covers a large area and runs bigger services like schools, main roads and social care. A district, borough or city council covers a smaller area inside it and runs services like bin collections, housing and planning.GOV In other parts of England there is just one tier. A single council, called a unitary authority, runs every local service in its area.GOV
The most local councils
Below district and unitary councils sit parish, town and community councils. These are the most local kind. A parish or town council looks after smaller things like allotments, parks and community centres.EC
Cities and combined areas
Big cities each have a single-tier council. London is split into London boroughs, and other cities have metropolitan boroughs. Each one runs all local services in its own area.IfG Some areas also join together under a combined authority led by an elected mayor. A combined authority handles bigger jobs that cross several council areas, like regional transport.IfG
- Which kind of council covers a place depends on where it is, so two neighbouring areas can be run in different ways, according to GOV.UK
- In a two-tier area the county council runs the biggest services like schools and social care, while the smaller district council runs day-to-day services like bins, according to GOV.UK
- A unitary authority runs every local service in its area on its own, according to the House of Commons Library
- A parish, town or community council is the most local kind, and it does not run big services like schools, according to GOV.UK
- Local councils are a different level from the UK government and Parliament, which handle national matters, according to the Institute for Government
- A combined authority led by a mayor covers several council areas at once and does not replace the councils under it, according to the Institute for Government
The deep end6 min
The two-tier and single-tier split
The House of Commons Library records that English local government is made up of counties, districts and unitary authorities, alongside bodies such as combined authorities.HoC In a two-tier area, an upper-tier county council and several lower-tier district councils share the work, and a unitary authority carries out all of those functions on its own, according to the Institute for Government.IfG
The smaller councils and the city councils
Parish, town and community councils sit below district and unitary councils and cover the most local jobs, such as allotments, parks and community centres, according to the Electoral Commission.EC In big cities the single tier takes a different name. London is divided into London boroughs, and other large cities have metropolitan boroughs, each running every local service in its area, according to the Institute for Government.IfG
Combined authorities and metro mayors
The Institute for Government describes a metro mayor as a leader elected across several council areas who, with other local leaders, forms a combined authority for the region.IfG A combined authority takes on bigger jobs like transport across the whole region, and it sits above the councils rather than replacing those councils.
A system that is changing
The map of councils is not fixed. The House of Commons Library records that the government's English Devolution White Paper, published in December 2024, set out a plan for the remaining two-tier areas in England to be reorganised into single-tier unitary authorities over time.HoC The kinds of council that cover a given area can therefore change as that plan is carried out.