County boroughis a term introduced in 1889 in theUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,to refer to aboroughor acityindependent ofcounty councilcontrol, similar to theunitary authoritiescreated since the 1990s. An equivalent term used in Scotland was acounty of city.They were abolished by theLocal Government Act 1972inEngland and Wales,but continue in use forlieutenancyandshrievaltyinNorthern Ireland.In theRepublic of Irelandthey remain in existence but have been renamedcitiesunder the provisions of theLocal Government Act 2001.[1]TheLocal Government (Wales) Act 1994re-introduced the term for certain "principal areas"in Wales. Scotland did not have county boroughs but instead hadcounties of cities.These were abolished on 16 May 1975. All four Scottish cities of the time—Aberdeen,Dundee,Edinburgh,andGlasgow—were included in this category. There was an additional category oflarge burghin the Scottish system (similar to amunicipal boroughin England and Wales), which were responsible for all services apart from police, education and fire.
| County borough | |
|---|---|
 Map of county boroughs in 1971 (named in boldface capitals), alongside administrative counties, municipal boroughs, urban districts, rural districts | |
| Category | Borough |
| Location | England and WalesandIreland |
| Found in | Counties |
| Created by | Local Government Act 1888 Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 Local Government (Wales) Act 1994 |
| Created | |
| Abolished by | |
| Abolished |
|
| Number | 11 (as of 2008) |
| Possible types |
|
England and Wales
editHistory
editInitial creation
editWhencounty councilswere 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 theadministrative countyit would otherwise come under. Some cities and towns were already independentcounties corporate,and most were to become county boroughs. Originally ten county boroughs were proposed;Bristol,Hull,Newcastle upon TyneandNottingham,which were already counties, andBirmingham,Bradford,Leeds,Liverpool,Manchester,andSheffield,which were not. TheLocal Government Act 1888as eventually passed required a population of over 50,000 except in the case of existing counties corporate.[2]This resulted in 61 county boroughs in England and two in Wales (CardiffandSwansea). Several exceptions were allowed, mainly for historic towns, includingBathandDudley,which would still remain below the 50,000 limit by the time of the 1901 census. Some of the smaller counties corporate—Berwick upon Tweed,Lichfield,Poole,CarmarthenandHaverfordwest—did not become county boroughs, althoughCanterbury,with a population under 25,000, did.
Growth
editThe county councils and county borough councils came into operation on 1 April 1889. Just seven months later, on 9 November 1889, the city ofOxfordwas the first borough which had not been made a county borough by the 1888 Act to be elevated to county borough status.[3]Various other new county boroughs were constituted in the following decades, generally as more boroughs reached the 50,000 minimum and then promoted Acts to constitute them county boroughs. The granting of county borough status was the subject of much disagreement between the largemunicipal boroughsand the county councils. The population limit provided county councils with a disincentive to allow mergers or boundary amendments to districts that would create authorities with large populations, as this would allow them to seek county borough status and remove the tax base from the administrative county.
County boroughs to be constituted in this era were a mixed bag, including some towns that would continue to expand such asBournemouthandSouthend-on-Sea.Other towns such asBurton upon TrentandDewsburywere not to increase in population much past 50,000. 1913 saw the attempts ofLutonandCambridgeto gain county borough status defeated in theHouse of Commons,despite the approval of theLocal Government Board– the removal of Cambridge from Cambridgeshire would have reduced the income of Cambridgeshire County Council by over half.
Slowdown
edit
Upon recommendation of a commission chaired by theEarl of Onslow,the population threshold was raised to 75,000 in 1926, by theLocal Government (County Boroughs and Adjustments) Act 1926,which also made it much harder to expand boundaries. The threshold was raised to 100,000 by theLocal Government Act 1958.
The viability of the county borough ofMerthyr Tydfilcame into question in the 1930s. Due toa decline in the heavy industriesof the town, by 1932 more than half the male population was unemployed, resulting in very high municipal rates in order to make public assistance payments. At the same time the population of the borough was lower than when it had been created in 1908.[4]Aroyal commissionwas appointed in May 1935 to"investigate whether the existing status of Merthyr Tydfil as a county borough should be continued, and if not, what other arrangements should be made".[5]The commission reported the following November, and recommended that Merthyr should revert to the status of a non-county borough, and that public assistance should be taken over by central government. In the event county borough status was retained by the town, with the chairman of the Welsh Board of Health appointed as administrative adviser in 1936.[6]
After theSecond World Warthe creation of new county boroughs inEngland and Waleswas effectively suspended, pending a local government review. A governmentwhite paperpublished in 1945 stated that"it is expected that there will be a number of Bills for extending or creating county boroughs"and proposed the creation of a boundary commission to bring coordination to local government reform. The policy in the paper also ruled out the creation of new county boroughs inMiddlesex"owing to its special problems".[7]TheLocal Government Boundary Commissionwas appointed on 26 October 1945, under the chairmanship ofSir Malcolm Trustram Eve,[8]delivering its report in 1947.[9]The commission recommended that towns with a population of 200,000 or more should become one-tier "new counties", with "new county boroughs" having a population of 60,000 – 200,000 being "most-purpose authorities", with the county council of the administrative county providing certain limited services. The report envisaged the creation of 47 two-tiered "new counties", 21 one-tiered "new counties" and 63 "new county boroughs". The recommendations of the commission extended to a review of the division of functions between different tiers of local government, and thus fell outside its terms of reference, and its report was not acted upon.
Partial reform
editThe next attempt at reform was by the Local Government Act 1958, which established theLocal Government Commission for Englandand theLocal Government Commission for Walesto carry out reviews of existing local government structures and recommend reforms. Although the Commissions did not complete their work before being dissolved, a handful of new county boroughs were constituted between 1964 and 1968.Luton,Torbay,andSolihullgained county borough status. Additionally, theTeessidewas formed from a merger of the existing county borough ofMiddlesbrough,and themunicipal boroughsofStockton-on-Tees,RedcarandThornaby;Warleywas formed from the county borough ofSmethwickand the non-county boroughs ofOldburyandRowley Regis;andWest Hartlepoolwas merged withHartlepool.Following these changes, there was a total of 79 county boroughs in England. The Commission also recommended the downgrading ofBarnsleyto be a non-county borough, but this was not carried out.
Abolition
editThe county boroughs ofEast Ham,West HamandCroydonwere abolished in 1965 with the creation ofGreater Londonand went on to form parts ofLondon boroughs.The remaining county boroughs were abolished in 1974 under theLocal Government Act 1972,and replaced withnon-metropolitan districtsandmetropolitan districts,all beneathcounty councilsin a two-tier structure. In Greater London and the metropolitan counties the lower tier districts retained a wider range of powers than in the non-metropolitan counties.
Revival
editThis situation did not persist long. In 1986 the metropolitan county councils and theGreater London Councilwere abolished, returning the metropolitan boroughs to a status equivalent to the former county boroughs, but sharing some powers (police and transport for example). In the 1990s, many of the nonmetropolitan former county boroughs were reformed again asunitary authorities– essentially the same as a county borough. As a result, by 2015, most former county boroughs were either metropolitan boroughs or unitary authorities with a status similar to the old county boroughs. In England, most of those former county boroughs that did not gain unitary authority status—Barrow-in-Furness,Burnley,Canterbury,Carlisle,Chester,Eastbourne,Gloucester,Great Yarmouth,Hastings,Ipswich,Lincoln,Northampton,Norwich,Oxford,Preston,andWorcester—have given their names to non-unitarylocal government districts(in some cases coterminous with the old county borough, in other cases much larger).Burton upon Trentbecame an unparished area in theEast Staffordshireborough, and has now been divided into several parishes.
In Wales, severalprincipal areasare county boroughs:[10]
- Newport(acquiredcity statusin 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 otherprincipal areas of Walescalled "counties"(including"cities and counties") as all these areas are run byunitary authorities(i.e.: have the functions of bothboroughsand counties). Although unitary authorities are functionally equivalent to county boroughs, only in Wales is the title given official recognition by Act of Parliament.[10]
English county boroughs in 1973
edit
The map depicts the county boroughs in England immediately prior to their abolition in 1974. County boroughs in Wales and Northern Ireland are not shown.
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).
| County borough | From | Associated county | 1971 census pop | Successors in 1974 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barnsley | 1913 | Yorkshire, West Riding | 75,439 | Barnsley MB(part) | South Yorkshire |
| Barrow-in-Furness | 1889 | Lancashire | 64,039 | Barrow-in-Furness(part) | Cumbria |
| Bath | 1889 | Somerset | 84,686 | Bath | Avon |
| Birkenhead | 1889 | Cheshire | 137,889 | Wirral MB(part) | Merseyside |
| Birmingham | 1889 | Warwickshire | 1,014,773 | BirminghamMB (part) | West Midlands |
| Blackburn | 1889 | Lancashire | 101,802 | Blackburn(part) | Lancashire |
| Blackpool | 1904 | Lancashire | 151,871 | Blackpool | Lancashire |
| Bolton | 1889 | Lancashire | 154,223 | Bolton MB(part) | Greater Manchester |
| Bootle | 1889 | Lancashire | 74,304 | Sefton MB(part) | Merseyside |
| Bournemouth | 1900 | Hampshire | 153,861 | Bournemouth | Dorset |
| Bradford | 1889 | Yorkshire, West Riding | 294,164 | Bradford MB(part) | West Yorkshire |
| Brighton | 1889 | Sussex | 161,350 | Brighton | East Sussex |
| Bristol | 1889 | Gloucestershire[a] | 426,653 | Bristol | Avon |
| Burnley | 1889 | Lancashire | 76,489 | Burnley(part) | Lancashire |
| Burton upon Trent | 1901 | Staffordshire | 50,211 | East Staffordshire(part)[b] | Staffordshire |
| Bury | 1889 | Lancashire | 67,870 | Bury MB(part) | Greater Manchester |
| Canterbury | 1889 | Kent[a] | 33,155 | Canterbury(part) | Kent |
| Cardiff | 1889 | Glamorgan | 279,046 | Cardiff(part) | South Glamorgan |
| Carlisle | 1915 | Cumberland | 71,580 | Carlisle(part) | Cumbria |
| Chester | 1889 | Cheshire[a] | 62,923 | Chester(part) | Cheshire |
| Coventry | 1889 | Warwickshire | 335,260 | CoventryMB (part) | West Midlands |
| Darlington | 1915 | Durham | 85,916 | Darlington(part) | Durham |
| Derby | 1889 | Derbyshire | 219,578 | Derby | Derbyshire |
| Dewsbury | 1913 | Yorkshire, West Riding | 51,354 | Kirklees MB(part) | West Yorkshire |
| Doncaster | 1927 | Yorkshire, West Riding | 82,671 | Doncaster MB(part) | South Yorkshire |
| Dudley | 1889 | Worcestershire to 1966 then Staffordshire |
185,592 | Dudley MB(part) | West Midlands |
| Eastbourne | 1911 | Sussex | 70,949 | Eastbourne | East Sussex |
| Exeter | 1889 | Devon[a] | 95,711 | Exeter | Devon |
| Gateshead | 1889 | Durham | 94,464 | Gateshead MB(part) | Tyne and Wear |
| Gloucester | 1889 | Gloucestershire[a] | 90,223 | Gloucester | Gloucestershire |
| Grimsby | 1891 | Lincolnshire | 95,502 | Grimsby | Humberside |
| Halifax | 1889 | Yorkshire, West Riding | 91,263 | Calderdale MB(part) | West Yorkshire |
| Hartlepool | 1967 | Durham | 97,082 | Hartlepool(part) | Cleveland |
| Hastings | 1889 | Sussex | 72,414 | Hastings | East Sussex |
| Huddersfield | 1889 | Yorkshire, West Riding | 131,188 | Kirklees MB(part) | West Yorkshire |
| Ipswich | 1889 | Suffolk | 123,297 | Ipswich | Suffolk |
| Kingston upon Hull | 1889 | Yorkshire, East Riding[a] | 285,965 | Kingston upon Hull | Humberside |
| Leeds | 1889 | Yorkshire, West Riding | 496,036 | Leeds MB(part) | West Yorkshire |
| Leicester | 1889 | Leicestershire | 284,208 | Leicester | Leicestershire |
| Lincoln | 1889 | Lincolnshire[a] | 77,077 (1961) | Lincoln | Lincolnshire |
| Liverpool | 1889 | Lancashire | 610,114 | Liverpool MB | Merseyside |
| Luton | 1964 | Bedfordshire | 161,400 | Luton | Bedfordshire |
| Manchester | 1889 | Lancashire | 543,741 | ManchesterMB (part) | Greater Manchester |
| Merthyr Tydfil | 1908 | Glamorgan | 55,283 | Merthyr Tydfil | Mid Glamorgan |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | 1889 | Northumberland[a] | 222,172 | Newcastle upon TyneMB (part) | Tyne and Wear |
| Newport | 1891 | Monmouthshire | 112,298 | Newport | Gwent |
| Northampton | 1889 | Northamptonshire | 126,597 | Northampton(part) | Northamptonshire |
| Nottingham | 1889 | Nottinghamshire[a] | 300,675 | Nottingham | Nottinghamshire |
| Norwich | 1889 | Norfolk[a] | 122,093 | Norwich | Norfolk |
| Oldham | 1889 | Lancashire | 105,922 | Oldham MB(part) | Greater Manchester |
| Oxford | 1889 | Oxfordshire | 108,834 | Oxford | Oxfordshire |
| Plymouth | 1889 | Devon | 239,467 | Plymouth | Devon |
| Portsmouth | 1889 | Hampshire | 197,453 | Portsmouth | Hampshire |
| Preston | 1889 | Lancashire | 98,091 | Preston(part) | Lancashire |
| Reading | 1889 | Berkshire | 132,978 | Reading | Berkshire |
| Rochdale | 1889 | Lancashire | 91,461 | Rochdale MB(part) | Greater Manchester |
| Rotherham | 1902 | Yorkshire, West Riding | 84,800 | Rotherham MB(part) | South Yorkshire |
| St Helens | 1889 | Lancashire | 104,326 | St Helens MB(part) | Merseyside |
| Salford | 1889 | Lancashire | 131,006 | Salford MB(part) | Greater Manchester |
| Sheffield | 1889 | Yorkshire, West Riding | 520,308 | Sheffield MB(part) | South Yorkshire |
| Solihull | 1964 | Warwickshire | 107,086 | Solihull MB(part) | West Midlands |
| Southampton | 1889 | Hampshire[a] | 215,131 | Southampton | Hampshire |
| Southend-on-Sea | 1914 | Essex | 162,735 | Southend-on-Sea | Essex |
| Southport | 1905 | Lancashire | 84,524 | Sefton MB(part) | Merseyside |
| South Shields | 1889 | Durham | 100,676 | South Tyneside MB(part) | Tyne and Wear |
| Stockport | 1889 | Cheshire | 139,598 | Stockport MB(part) | Greater Manchester |
| Stoke on Trent | 1910 | Staffordshire | 265,258 | Stoke-on-Trent | Staffordshire |
| Sunderland | 1889 | Durham | 217,075 | Sunderland MB(part) | Tyne and Wear |
| Swansea | 1889 | Glamorgan | 173,355 | Swansea(part) | West Glamorgan |
| Teesside | 1968 | Yorkshire, North Riding | 396,233 | Middlesbrough(part) Stockton(part) Langbaurgh(part) |
Cleveland |
| Torbay | 1968 | Devon | 109,260 | Torbay | Devon |
| Tynemouth | 1904 | Northumberland | 69,339 | North Tyneside MB(part) | Tyne and Wear |
| Wakefield | 1915 | Yorkshire, West Riding | 59,591 | Wakefield MB(part) | West Yorkshire |
| Wallasey | 1913 | Cheshire | 97,216 | Wirral MB(part) | Merseyside |
| Walsall | 1889 | Staffordshire | 184,734 | Walsall MB(part) | West Midlands |
| Warley | 1966 | Worcestershire | 163,567 | Sandwell MB(part) | West Midlands |
| Warrington | 1900 | Lancashire | 68,322 | Warrington(part) | Cheshire |
| West Bromwich | 1889 | Staffordshire | 166,592 | Sandwell MB(part) | West Midlands |
| Wigan | 1889 | Lancashire | 81,144 | Wigan MB(part) | Greater Manchester |
| Wolverhampton | 1889 | Staffordshire | 269,112 | Wolverhampton MB | West Midlands |
| Worcester | 1889 | Worcestershire[a] | 73,454 | Worcester(part) | Hereford and Worcester |
| Yarmouth | 1889 | Norfolk | 50,236 | Great Yarmouth(part) | Norfolk |
| York | 1889 | Yorkshire, West Riding[a] | 104,783 | York | North Yorkshire |
Only four districts with more than one county borough were formed:Wirral,Sandwell,SeftonandKirklees.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 namedCalderdale,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
editCounty 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 | County Borough of Plymouth |
| East Ham | Essex | 1915 | 1965 | Greater London:London Borough of Newham |
| Hanley | Staffordshire | 1889 | 1910 | County Borough of Stoke on Trent |
| Middlesbrough | Yorkshire, North Riding | 1889 | 1968 | County Borough of Teesside |
| Smethwick | Staffordshire | 1907 | 1966 | County Borough of Warley |
| West Ham | Essex | 1889 | 1965 | Greater London:London Borough of Newham |
| West Hartlepool | Durham | 1902 | 1967 | County Borough of Hartlepool |
Northern Ireland
editThe county boroughs ofBelfastandDerrywere created by theLocal Government (Ireland) Act 1898.
InNorthern Ireland,local government has not used county boroughs since 1973, but they remain in use forlieutenancy.
For administrative purposes the two county boroughs in Northern Ireland were replaced with two larger districts (BelfastandLondonderry).
Republic of Ireland
editTheLocal Government (Ireland) Act 1898created county boroughs in Ireland. Under the Act, four former counties corporate (Cork,Dublin,LimerickandWaterford) became county boroughs.
Galwaybecame a county borough in 1986.
In theRepublic of Ireland,the relevant legislation remained in force (although amended), and county boroughs on the original model existed until 2001. Under theLocal 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" ). HoweverKilkenny,while a traditional city, was never a county borough. Under theLocal Government Reform Act 2014,the borough of Kilkenny was abolished, but themunicipal districtcontaining the administrative area of the former borough of Kilkenny would be known as the Municipal District of Kilkenny City.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^Local Government Act, 2001, with particular reference to section 10 (2) and 10 (4) (b).http://www.environ.ie/en/LocalGovernment/LocalGovernmentAdministration/RHLegislation/FileDownLoad,1963,en.pdfArchived20 March 2012 at theWayback Machine
- ^Local Government Act 1888, s.31
- ^Annual Report of the Local Government Board.London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office. 1890. p. 324.Retrieved21 December2022.
- ^Census data on population of Merthyr Tydfil
- ^"No. 34159".The London Gazette.1 May 1935. p. 3041.
- ^Report of the Royal Commission on the status of the County Borough of Merthyr Tydfil (Cmd.5039)
- ^Local government in England and Wales during the period of reconstruction(Cmd.6579)
- ^"No. 37325".The London Gazette.26 October 1945. p. 5238.
- ^Report of the Local Government Boundary Commission for the year 1947
- ^abLocal Government (Wales) Act 1994, Schedule 1, Part II
- ^Arnold-Baker, Charles(2001).The Companion to British History(2 ed.).Routledge.p. 368.ISBN9780415185837.