County council
A county council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries.
Ireland
The county councils created under British rule in 1899 continue to exist in Ireland, although they are now governed under legislation passed by the Oireachtas, with the principal act being the Local Government Act 2001.
History
1899–1922
The
The Irish county councils differed in constitution from those in Great Britain. Most of the council was directly elected: each county was divided by the
- The chairman of each rural district council in the county was to be an ex officiomember. Where the chairman had already been elected to the council or was disqualified, the RDC was to appoint another member of their council to be an additional member.
- The council could also co-opt one or two additional members for a three-year term.
The first county council elections were held on 6 April 1899, and the first business of their inaugural meetings being the appointment of additional members.[2] The triennial elections were postponed in 1914 on the outbreak of World War I.
The Local Government (Ireland) Act 1919 introduced proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote to county councils, elected from multi-member electoral areas.[3] Only one election was under the new system before independence, held in January 1920 (in urban areas) and on 2 June 1920 (in rural areas), during the Irish War of Independence.
1922 to present
The Irish Free State inherited the local authorities created by the United Kingdom legislation. The first elections after independence were held on 23 June 1925, following amendments by the Local Government Act 1925. The act abolished rural district councils (except in County Dublin) and passed their powers to the county councils. At the following election all county councils were to be increased: the number of extra councillors was to be twice the number of abolished rural districts. The act set out the powers and duties of county councils and also gave the Minister for Local Government the power to dissolve councils if he was satisfied that "the duties of a local council are not being duly and effectually discharged". He could order new elections to be held, or transfer the power and properties of the council "to any body or persons or person he shall think fit".[4] The power was widely used by ministers of all parties. For example, Kerry County Council was dissolved from 1930 to 1932, and from 1945 to 1948, with commissioners appointed to perform the council's function.[5]
The number of county councils was increased from 27 to 29 in 1994 when County Dublin was split under the Local Government (Dublin) Act 1993 into three new counties: Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, Fingal and South Dublin.[6]
In 2014, under the Local Government Reform Act 2014, the number of county councils was again reduced: a merger of North Tipperary and South Tipperary County Councils created a single Tipperary County Council; and the city and county councils of Limerick and Waterford were merged to create Limerick City and County Council and Waterford City and County Council.
Taiwan
In Taiwan, a county council is the legislative body of each
1950 to 1999
The Outline for Implementing Local Autonomy for Cities and Counties was promulgated in April 1950. County councils were established in 1951.
1999 to present
In 1999 the Local Government Act was enacted. As stipulated in the Act, duties of the county councils include approving the county budget, levying local taxes and enacting local ordinances.
United Kingdom
County councils were formed in the late 19th century. In the various
England
In England county councils were introduced in 1889, and reformed in 1974. Since the mid-1990s a series of local government reorganisations has reduced the number of county councils as unitary authorities have been established in a number of areas. County councils are very large employers with a great variety of functions including education (schools and youth services), social services, highways, fire and rescue services, libraries, waste disposal, consumer services and town and country planning. Until the 1990s they also ran colleges of further education and the careers services. That decade also saw the privatisation of some traditional services, such as highway maintenance, cleaning and school meals.
History
County councils were created by the
In 1965 there was a reduction in the number of county councils. The
21st-century reforms
A further wave of local government reform took place in April 2009 under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007. Following invitations from central government in 2007, a number of county councils and their associated districts examined ways in which local government provision could be rationalised, mainly in the form of abolishing the existing county and district councils and establishing one-tier authorities for all or parts of these existing counties. As a result, the status of some of these (mainly) more rural counties changed. Cornwall, Durham, Northumberland, Shropshire and Wiltshire became unitary authorities providing all services. Some of these councils have dropped the word "county" from their titles. Bedfordshire and Cheshire county councils were abolished with more than one unitary council established within the boundaries of the abolished council. Other county councils remained unchanged, particularly in the heavily populated parts of England such as the south-east. Further minor local government reforms took place in 2019–20, which led to Dorset and Buckinghamshire also becoming unitary authorities providing all services.
Northern Ireland
County councils existed in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 1973.
Following partition, six administrative counties remained within the United Kingdom as part of
Scotland
In
History
In Scotland, control of county administration was in the hands of
In 1930 the Scottish county councils were completely reconstituted. Their powers were increased in
Wales
Since 1996 Wales has been divided into unitary principal areas. Principal councils were designated by the legislation that created them as either "county councils" or "county borough councils".[23] County and county borough councils have identical powers.
History
Prior to 1996 local government in Wales was similar to that in England. Thus the county councils introduced in 1889 were identical to their English counterparts. The Local Government Commission for Wales appointed under the Local Government Act 1958 recommended a reduction in the number of county councils in Wales and Monmouthshire from thirteen to seven, but reform did not take place until 1974.[24]
From 1 April 1974 the number of counties and county councils was reduced to eight in number. Like the county councils introduced in England at the same time, the whole council was elected every four years. There was a slightly different division of powers between county and district councils, however. The county and district councils were abolished twenty-two years later, when the present system of principal areas was introduced.
United States
A county council is a type of local government that is responsible for providing services to a specific county or region. It is typically composed of elected officials who are responsible for making decisions about the county's budget, infrastructure, and services. County councils are responsible for providing services such as education, health care, public safety, transportation, and social services. They also have the power to levy taxes and fees to fund these services. County councils are typically responsible for maintaining roads, bridges, and other infrastructure within their county. They also have the power to pass laws and regulations that affect the county. County councils are typically responsible for providing services to their constituents, such as libraries, parks, and other recreational facilities. County councils are also responsible for providing services to the elderly, disabled, and other vulnerable populations. County councils are typically responsible for providing services to the environment, such as water and air quality, and for protecting natural resources. County councils are also responsible for providing services to businesses, such as economic development and job training.
Other countries
The term county council is sometimes used in English for regional municipal bodies in other countries.
- County council (Norway) (fylkesting)
- County Councils of Sweden(landsting)
- County councils of Romania (consilii județene)
Both Swedish and Norwegian county councils are directly elected by their inhabitants as it is also the case in Romania during local elections. There are some differences between them in responsibilities.
References
- ^ Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898, s. 83: Officers of county (61 & 62 Vict., c. 37 of 1898, s. 83). Enacted on 12 August 1898. Act of the UK Parliament. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book.
- ^ "Ireland". The Times. 7 April 1899. p. 8.
- ^ Local Government (Ireland) Act 1919, c.19
- ^ Local Government Act 1925, s. 72: Power to dissolve a local authority (No. 5 of 1925, s. 72). Enacted on 26 March 1925. Act of the Oireachtas. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 2 February 2009.
- ^ Quirke, Michael P (1999). "Centenary of Local Government – Kerry County Council". The Kerry Magazine. 1 (10): 4–6.
- ^ Local Government (Dublin) Act 1993, s. 11: Establishment of councils of administrative counties (No. 31 of 1993, s. 11), "(1) On the establishment day a council shall stand established in each of the administrative counties established by section 9 and each such council shall consist of a cathaoirleach and councillors". Enacted on 21 December 1993. Act of the Oireachtas. Retrieved from Irish Statute Book on 8 January 2022.
- ^ a b Edwards, John (1955). 'County' in Chambers's Encyclopedia. LONDON: George Newnes. pp. 189–191.
- ^ a b Local Government Act 1888 c.41
- ^ "The County Council Elections". The Times. 14 January 1889. p. 10.
- ^ "The County Councils". The Times. 21 January 1889. p. 10.
- ^ Education Act 1902, c.42
- ^ Local Government Act 1929, c.17
- ^ London Government Act 1963, c.33
- ^ The Cambridgeshire and Isle of Ely Order (SI 1964/366), The Huntingdon and Peterborough Order 1964 (SI 1964/367)
- ^ Local Government Act 1985, c.51
- ^ The Isle of Wight (Structural Change) Order 1994, accessed January 9, 2011
- ^ "Rutland County Council District Council Constitution, accessed March 10, 2008" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 March 2009. Retrieved 11 March 2008.
- ^ County of Herefordshire District Council, accessed March 10, 2008[permanent dead link]
- ISBN 1-902448-93-6.
- ^ "Scotch County Council Elections". The Times. 7 February 1890. p. 7.
- ^ Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889, c.50
- ^ Local Government (Scotland) Act 1929, c.25
- ^ "Schedule I: The New Principal Areas". Local Government (Wales) Act 1994 (c. 19). The National Archives. 1994. Retrieved 9 January 2011.
- ^ "Plan to Merge Welsh Counties into Five Areas". The Times. 25 May 1961.