NCTJ Public Affairs Exam With Verified
Solutions
Local government - types of council
201 District councils (e.g. North Devon District Council)
27 County councils (e.g. Devon County Council)
55 Unitary authorities (e.g. Cornwall)
36 Metropolitan districts (e.g. Salford City Council)
32 London boroughs (E.g. Camden Council)
+2 (City of London and Isles of Scilly)
353 major councils in England
(excluding Parish/ Town councils - there are 9,000/ 10,000 of them)
Two-tier authority
Structure of local government
Two-tiers of governance - county and district/ borough
Each tier has different responsibilities
Most councils had this structure up until 1990
After 1990, loads of mergers took place and unitary authorities were created
Hybrid authority
Structure of local government
In areas where two-tier and unitary authorities co-exist
e.g. Brighton and Hove City Council (unitary) exists alongside a two-tier structure of East Sussex
County Council and several lower tier authorities, including Lewes district council
Unitary authority
Structure of local government
Integrated approach to governance, they run all local services
Mergers after 1990's led to creation of these
Combined authority
Structure of local government
New tier of local government
In nine areas (e.g. Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region)
Resources of two or more existing councils are 'pooled'
Allows neighbouring councils to collaborate and make collective decisions (e.g. on transport which
spans across multiple council areas)
Get additional funding
Powers of combined authority
Integrated transport authority
Economic prosperity board
Can borrow money on open market
Elected mayors (e.g Burnham)
In Manchester, this authority controls the NHS budget and policing
,Cornwall Council
Created a unitary authority in 2009
Merger of one county and six district councils
123 members
Boundary Commission proposed to reduce member numbers to 87
Budget = £1 billion +
Metropolitan districts
Structure of local government
Govern metropolitan (city) areas
Effectively unitary authorities
e.g. Greater Manchester, Merseyside
Responsibilities of county councils
Education (schools, FE)
Social services
Highways
Refuse disposal (landfill)
Emergency planning
Culture and leisure
Strategic planning
Passenger transport
Unitary authorities run all of these
Responsibilities of district/ borough councils
Environmental health
Development control
Housing and homeless
Refuse collection and recycling
Council tax collection
Car parks
Strategic planning
Licensing
Unitary authorities run all of these
Local government services and Whitehall
For each service provided by a local authority, the authority works closely with the appropriate
Whitehall department(s)
Local: Highways
Central: Dept. for Transport
Local: Council Tax
Central: Treasury and Dept. for Housing, Communities and Local Government
Parish and Town councils
9,000/ 10,000 of these in England
Beneath district/ borough or unitary councils
Often have mayors (ceremonial)
,Towns with more than 150 residents must have a council
Towns with less than 150 must meet annually
Known as community councils in Wales and Scotland
e.g. Falmouth Town Council
Role of Parish and Town councils
Voice of the community
Low-level, minor local facilities (e.g. benches, bus-shelters, burial grounds)
Must be consulted on planning applications
Different systems of local governance
Executive arrangements/ executive style models:
-Directly elected mayor (DEM) and Cabinet model (e.g. Greater London Authority
-Leader and Cabinet model (e.g. Cornwall Council)
Alternative arrangements:
-Old-style committee system (more debating in the chamber)
Leader and Cabinet model
Leader:
-Elected by councillors
Cabinet:
-Leader selects members, allocating portfolios
-Cabinet members have signif powers to implement decisions
-Doesn't always have to meet in public
Committees:
-Overview and Scrutiny committees - groups of councillors reflecting portfolios of cabinet and can
challenge/ advise cabinet members
-Non-executive committees - oversee regulatory decisions (e.g. planning) and can make lesser
decisions independently
Full council:
-Meets regularly to formally confirm decisions
-Less public debate than in past, just a 'rubber stamp'
Directly elected mayor and cabinet model
Mayor:
-Not a councillor
-Elected in separate ballots run alongside council elections
-More presidential
-Introduces policy but must gain approval from an elected assembly (cabinet)
-Individual borough councils continue to provide day-to-day services
Cabinet:
-Elected mayor selects members, allocating portfolios
-Cabinet members have signif powers to implement decisions
-Doesn't always have to meet in public
Committees:
, -Overview and Scrutiny committees - groups of councillors reflecting the portfolios of the cabinet and
can challenge or advise cabinet members
-Non-executive committees - oversee regulatory decisions (e.g. planning) and can make lesser
decisions independently
All devolution deals require a DEM (except Cornwall) - the role gives clearer accountability over the
powers, funding and function that is devolved from national to local level
Six DEMs were elected to combined authorities in 2017
Democratic chain
Electorate chooses councillors (i.e. 'members')
Councillors make decisions (set policy)
Officers implement policy (run services)
Local government / central government equivalents
Central Government v. Local Government
Member of Parliament = Councillor
Constituency = District or 'ward'
Civil servant = Officer
Cabinet secretary = Chief executive
House of Commons = Council Chamber
Prime Minister = No perfect equivalent (Leader or DEM similar)
MPs are salaried/ Councillors are not salaried
MPs hold office for 5 years/ Councillors hold position for 4 years
Cornwall Council pelliptically
Election was in 2017
Lib Dems and Independents control
Leader = Julian German, Independent
Deputy Leader = Adam Paynter, Lib Dem
'Old-style' committee system
'Alternative arrangements'
Committees make policy decisions and they are approved by the full council
Local Government Act 2000
Prior to this Act being passed, all councillors took part in council decisions - there was more debate in
the chamber
Old-style committee arrangement for governance was replaced in most places by executive
arrangements, either by a Leader and cabinet model or a DEM and cabinet model
Executive style decision making
-Leader and Cabinet model or DEM and cabinet model
-Policies are devised by 'front-bench' councillors in Cabinet
-Then scrutinised by overview and scrutiny committees and non-exec committees
-Then approved by full council
Solutions
Local government - types of council
201 District councils (e.g. North Devon District Council)
27 County councils (e.g. Devon County Council)
55 Unitary authorities (e.g. Cornwall)
36 Metropolitan districts (e.g. Salford City Council)
32 London boroughs (E.g. Camden Council)
+2 (City of London and Isles of Scilly)
353 major councils in England
(excluding Parish/ Town councils - there are 9,000/ 10,000 of them)
Two-tier authority
Structure of local government
Two-tiers of governance - county and district/ borough
Each tier has different responsibilities
Most councils had this structure up until 1990
After 1990, loads of mergers took place and unitary authorities were created
Hybrid authority
Structure of local government
In areas where two-tier and unitary authorities co-exist
e.g. Brighton and Hove City Council (unitary) exists alongside a two-tier structure of East Sussex
County Council and several lower tier authorities, including Lewes district council
Unitary authority
Structure of local government
Integrated approach to governance, they run all local services
Mergers after 1990's led to creation of these
Combined authority
Structure of local government
New tier of local government
In nine areas (e.g. Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region)
Resources of two or more existing councils are 'pooled'
Allows neighbouring councils to collaborate and make collective decisions (e.g. on transport which
spans across multiple council areas)
Get additional funding
Powers of combined authority
Integrated transport authority
Economic prosperity board
Can borrow money on open market
Elected mayors (e.g Burnham)
In Manchester, this authority controls the NHS budget and policing
,Cornwall Council
Created a unitary authority in 2009
Merger of one county and six district councils
123 members
Boundary Commission proposed to reduce member numbers to 87
Budget = £1 billion +
Metropolitan districts
Structure of local government
Govern metropolitan (city) areas
Effectively unitary authorities
e.g. Greater Manchester, Merseyside
Responsibilities of county councils
Education (schools, FE)
Social services
Highways
Refuse disposal (landfill)
Emergency planning
Culture and leisure
Strategic planning
Passenger transport
Unitary authorities run all of these
Responsibilities of district/ borough councils
Environmental health
Development control
Housing and homeless
Refuse collection and recycling
Council tax collection
Car parks
Strategic planning
Licensing
Unitary authorities run all of these
Local government services and Whitehall
For each service provided by a local authority, the authority works closely with the appropriate
Whitehall department(s)
Local: Highways
Central: Dept. for Transport
Local: Council Tax
Central: Treasury and Dept. for Housing, Communities and Local Government
Parish and Town councils
9,000/ 10,000 of these in England
Beneath district/ borough or unitary councils
Often have mayors (ceremonial)
,Towns with more than 150 residents must have a council
Towns with less than 150 must meet annually
Known as community councils in Wales and Scotland
e.g. Falmouth Town Council
Role of Parish and Town councils
Voice of the community
Low-level, minor local facilities (e.g. benches, bus-shelters, burial grounds)
Must be consulted on planning applications
Different systems of local governance
Executive arrangements/ executive style models:
-Directly elected mayor (DEM) and Cabinet model (e.g. Greater London Authority
-Leader and Cabinet model (e.g. Cornwall Council)
Alternative arrangements:
-Old-style committee system (more debating in the chamber)
Leader and Cabinet model
Leader:
-Elected by councillors
Cabinet:
-Leader selects members, allocating portfolios
-Cabinet members have signif powers to implement decisions
-Doesn't always have to meet in public
Committees:
-Overview and Scrutiny committees - groups of councillors reflecting portfolios of cabinet and can
challenge/ advise cabinet members
-Non-executive committees - oversee regulatory decisions (e.g. planning) and can make lesser
decisions independently
Full council:
-Meets regularly to formally confirm decisions
-Less public debate than in past, just a 'rubber stamp'
Directly elected mayor and cabinet model
Mayor:
-Not a councillor
-Elected in separate ballots run alongside council elections
-More presidential
-Introduces policy but must gain approval from an elected assembly (cabinet)
-Individual borough councils continue to provide day-to-day services
Cabinet:
-Elected mayor selects members, allocating portfolios
-Cabinet members have signif powers to implement decisions
-Doesn't always have to meet in public
Committees:
, -Overview and Scrutiny committees - groups of councillors reflecting the portfolios of the cabinet and
can challenge or advise cabinet members
-Non-executive committees - oversee regulatory decisions (e.g. planning) and can make lesser
decisions independently
All devolution deals require a DEM (except Cornwall) - the role gives clearer accountability over the
powers, funding and function that is devolved from national to local level
Six DEMs were elected to combined authorities in 2017
Democratic chain
Electorate chooses councillors (i.e. 'members')
Councillors make decisions (set policy)
Officers implement policy (run services)
Local government / central government equivalents
Central Government v. Local Government
Member of Parliament = Councillor
Constituency = District or 'ward'
Civil servant = Officer
Cabinet secretary = Chief executive
House of Commons = Council Chamber
Prime Minister = No perfect equivalent (Leader or DEM similar)
MPs are salaried/ Councillors are not salaried
MPs hold office for 5 years/ Councillors hold position for 4 years
Cornwall Council pelliptically
Election was in 2017
Lib Dems and Independents control
Leader = Julian German, Independent
Deputy Leader = Adam Paynter, Lib Dem
'Old-style' committee system
'Alternative arrangements'
Committees make policy decisions and they are approved by the full council
Local Government Act 2000
Prior to this Act being passed, all councillors took part in council decisions - there was more debate in
the chamber
Old-style committee arrangement for governance was replaced in most places by executive
arrangements, either by a Leader and cabinet model or a DEM and cabinet model
Executive style decision making
-Leader and Cabinet model or DEM and cabinet model
-Policies are devised by 'front-bench' councillors in Cabinet
-Then scrutinised by overview and scrutiny committees and non-exec committees
-Then approved by full council
