NCTJ PUBLIC AFFAIRS STUDY GUIDE #2
Local government - types of council - correct answer 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 - correct answer 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 - correct answer 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 - correct answer Structure of local government
Integrated approach to governance, they run all local services
Mergers after 1990's led to creation of these
Combined authority - correct answer 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 - correct answer 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 - correct answer 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 - correct answer Structure of local government
Govern metropolitan (city) areas
Effectively unitary authorities
E.g. Greater Manchester, Merseyside
Responsibilities of county councils - correct answer 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 - correct answer 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 - correct answer 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 - correct answer 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 - correct answer 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 - correct answer 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 - correct answer 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 - correct answer 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 - correct answer Electorate chooses councillors (i.e. 'Members')
Councillors make decisions (set policy)
Officers implement policy (run services)
Local government / central government equivalents - correct answer 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 - correct answer Election was in 2017
Lib Dems and Independents control
Leader = Julian German, Independent
Deputy Leader = Adam Paynter, Lib Dem
'Old-style' committee system - correct answer 'Alternative arrangements'
Committees make policy decisions and they are approved by the full council
Local Government Act 2000 - correct answer 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
Local government - types of council - correct answer 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 - correct answer 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 - correct answer 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 - correct answer Structure of local government
Integrated approach to governance, they run all local services
Mergers after 1990's led to creation of these
Combined authority - correct answer 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 - correct answer 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 - correct answer 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 - correct answer Structure of local government
Govern metropolitan (city) areas
Effectively unitary authorities
E.g. Greater Manchester, Merseyside
Responsibilities of county councils - correct answer 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 - correct answer 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 - correct answer 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 - correct answer 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 - correct answer 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 - correct answer 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 - correct answer 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 - correct answer 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 - correct answer Electorate chooses councillors (i.e. 'Members')
Councillors make decisions (set policy)
Officers implement policy (run services)
Local government / central government equivalents - correct answer 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 - correct answer Election was in 2017
Lib Dems and Independents control
Leader = Julian German, Independent
Deputy Leader = Adam Paynter, Lib Dem
'Old-style' committee system - correct answer 'Alternative arrangements'
Committees make policy decisions and they are approved by the full council
Local Government Act 2000 - correct answer 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
