Local government

Local governance and democracy

The structure of local government varies from area to area in England. In some there are two layers or tiers - a district council and a county council. In others there is just one - a unitary authority.

In London each borough is a unitary authority, with the Greater London Authority - the Mayor and Assembly - providing strategic, city-wide government.

In addition there could be a town or parish council, covering a much smaller area.

Councils are also run in different ways. You might have a directly elected Mayor, for example, with a cabinet.

All councillors are expected to keep up certain standards of behaviour.

In many areas, citizens take part in running their neighbourhood or in working with the council in some way. We are encouraging this to happen everywhere.

Nowadays people often keep in touch with their council by email or via the internet. You can apply for schools and renew your library books online for example. We support the local e-government programme. You can find out which services your council offers on line through DirectGov (external link).

We also keep up to date with the best ideas in local government around the world.

Find out more by visiting the local governance and democracy pages of this policy site.

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Connect to your council

Encouraging people to use the online services offered by their own local authority.

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