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Dorset is a unitary authority area, existing since 1 April 2019, in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. It covers all of the ceremonial county except for Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole.
- Dorset Council (UK)
2 May 2024. Meeting place. County Hall, Colliton Park,...
- Unitary authorities of England
In 2017, it was proposed that two unitary authority areas be...
- Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) is a unitary...
- Dorset Council (UK)
2 May 2024. Meeting place. County Hall, Colliton Park, Dorchester, DT1 1XJ. Website. www .dorsetcouncil .gov .uk. Dorset Council is a unitary local authority for the district of Dorset, encompassing almost all of the county of the same name ( Dorset) except for the district of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole.
- Val Pothecary, Conservative, since September 2020
- Unitary authority
- 1 April 2019
Local government in Dorset consists of two unitary authorities (UA); Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council, which governs the major conurbation comprising the three towns, and Dorset Council which serves the more rural remainder of the county.
- History
- Restructuring
- Functions
- Criticism
- Electoral Arrangements
- Current List
- Similar Authorities
- Combined Authorities
- See Also
Background
The term "unitary authority" was first used in the Redcliffe-Maud Report in 1969 in its current sense of a local government authority which combines the functions of a county council and a district council. Strictly speaking, the term does not necessarily mean a single level of local government within an area, because in some cases there are also parish councilsin the same area. Although the term was not applied to them, county boroughs between 1889 and 1974 were effectively unitary authority...
1990s reform
A review in the 1990s was initiated to select non-metropolitan areas where new unitary authorities could be created. The resulting structural changes were implemented between 1995 and 1998. Bristol, Herefordshire, the Isle of Wight and Rutland were established as counties of a single district; the district councils of Berkshire became unitary; the counties of Avon, Humberside and Cleveland were broken up to create several unitary authorities; and a number of districts were split off from thei...
2009 changes
A further review was initiated in 2007 and was enacted in 2009. The review established Cornwall and Northumberland as counties of a single district; established unitary authorities in County Durham, Shropshire and Wiltshire covering the part of the county that was not already split off in the 1990s review; and divided the remainder of Bedfordshire and Cheshireinto two unitary authority areas. The review caused nine unitary authorities to be created.
The process of changing from a two-tier local government to a structure based on unitary authorities is called 'restructuring'. The Secretary of State responsible for local government invites proposals from local areas to restructure into unitary authorities, and the Secretary decides whether or not the change should be implemented. The restructuri...
Unitary authorities combine the powers and functions that are normally delivered separately by the councils of non-metropolitan counties and non-metropolitan districts. These functions are housing, waste management, waste collection, council tax collection, education, libraries, social services, transport, planning, consumer protection, licensing, ...
Unitary government has been criticised for damaging local democracy. Opponents to unitary authority criticise the 'bigger is better' assumption and highlight that larger councils breed mistrust of councillors and reduction in public engagement and voter turnout. Outside the UK, multi-level local governmentis the prevailing system, with major towns ...
Most unitary authority areas are divided into a number of multiple member wardsfrom which councillors are elected in the same way as in two-tier district council elections. The exceptions, which are divided into electoral divisions as in county council elections, are Cornwall, County Durham, the Isle of Wight, Northumberland, Shropshire and Wiltshi...
Districts are usually named after a town, city, geographical area or county (historic and or ceremonial). With no effect on powers or functions, districts can have the status of royal borough, borough or city. A district having a charter is dependent on the charter's wording: as a charter trusteeto a place in the district; having joint charter to t...
The Council of the Isles of Scilly is a sui generis single-tier authority, created in 1890 and since 1930 has held the "powers, duties and liabilities" of a county council. It thus is not a unitary authority as those are such authorities created under the Local Government Act 1992. The 36 metropolitan borough councils are also the sole elected loca...
Unitary authorities should not be confused with another formation in English local government, the combined authority.
- England
- 40,000–600,000
- 62 (as of 2023)
- Local authority districts
People also ask
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Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) is a unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. It was created on 1 April 2019 by the merger of the areas that were previously administered by the unitary authorities of Bournemouth and Poole, and the non-metropolitan district of Christchurch.
Dorset is a unitary authority area, existing since 1 April 2019, in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. It covers all of the ceremonial county except for Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole.
A unitary authority is a local authority responsible for all local government functions within its area or performing additional functions that elsewhere are usually performed by a higher level of sub-national government or the national government.
