The differences between County and District Councils

The difference between County and District Councils is a confusing matter, even to those who live in the UK. In England, County Councils generally form the top level in a two-tier system of administration. In most areas of England there is a County Council. This is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a County. County Councils are responsible for bigger, more wide-spread services effecting wider communities such as education and strategic planning within a county. A County Council has several district councils which are responsible for smaller local services within their district, for example, local planning and waste collection.

County Councils were formed in the United Kingdom in the late 19^th century. They are very large employers with a variety of functions. More than two million people are employed by local authorities. These include school teachers, social services, the police, fire fighters and many other office and manual workers. Education is the largest locally provided service.

 In Hampshire, seventy-eight County Councillors are elected once every four years by voters in the county to represent the people of Hampshire at County level. To manage and deliver services the County Council staff work from the headquarters in Winchester and in workplaces over the County doing a wide variety of work.

The responsibilities of County Councils include education including schools and youth services, fire and rescue services, libraries, Care and support for older people and adults with mental health problems, libraries, public transport, roads, pavements and rights of way, waste disposal (including that collected by District Councils), strategic planning, trading standards and registrars for births, deaths and marriage. The County Council must provide some of these services by law; others are discretionary.

 Money for the services the County Council provides come from income from fees and charges, government specific grants, government general grant, surplus on District Councils’ collection funds, council tax and council tax benefit contribution.

In comparison to the responsibilities of the County Council, the responsibilities of the District Councils focus on services which affect a smaller area and community within that county. These include housing, waste collection, council tax collection, local planning, licensing, cemeteries and crematoria, homelessness services, public car parks, public toilets and street cleaning and leisure facilities. District councils with borough or city status may be called borough councils or city councils instead of district councils, but their role is exactly the same.

During a Hampshire County Council cabinet meeting in Winchester, discussions that came up were based upon the way adult social is paid, for example, and public transport including bus services. These are both larger topics affecting wider areas within Hampshire.

However, after attending a Safer Neighbourhood meeting in Winchester, the difference in issues and proposals discussed in a County Council meeting and District Council meeting were clear. The Safer Neighbourhood meeting raised issues affecting only Winchester, and the different areas, known as bands, within Winchester. They discussed issues such as homelessness in Winchester’s high street and speed cameras which were set to be placed in different bands of Winchester.

Although County Councils and District Council have different responsibilities, they both work together to deliver services to their local areas.

Radio Bulletin

I've had a nightmare with internet access recently, hence the lack of blogs, but now i'm back on track I'll be sure to keep you all updated.

I've now finished my radio bulletin. The following is a link to the bulletin on SoundCloud, the only possible way I could think of publishing it onto my blog so if any of you know of a better way please do let me know.

http://soundcloud.com/zoelouisex/bulletin1-mixdown

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