British Isles

In the British Isles, a county council is a council that governs a county. Location of the British Isles The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe consisting of Great Britain, Ireland, and several thousand smaller surrounding islands and islets. ... Local governments are administrative offices of an area smaller than a state or province. ... This does not cite its references or sources. ...

The first county councils were introduced in 1889 in England and Wales by the Local Government Act 1888, largely taking over the administrative functions of the unelected Quarter Sessions. The system was soon extended to Scotland, by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889, and the island of Ireland by the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898. Except in Scotland, the areas they covered were termed administrative counties and did not necessarily align with the traditional counties. The new system was a major modernisation, which reflected the increasing range of functions carried out by local government in late Victorian Britain. 1889 (MDCCCLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... The Local Government Act 1888 (51 & 52 Vict. ... The Courts of Quarter Sessions or Quarter Sessions were periodic courts held in each county and county borough in England and Wales until 1972, when together with the Assize courts they were abolished by the Courts Act 1971 and replaced by a single permanent Crown Court of England and Wales. ... Motto: (Latin for No one provokes me with impunity)1 Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow Official language(s) English, Gaelic, Scots 2 Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen of the UK Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister of the UK Tony Blair MP  - First Minister Jack McConnell MSP Unification... The Local Government (Scotland) Act 1888 (52 & 53 Vict. ... The Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 a piece of legislation passed as an Act of Parliament by the Parliament of the United Kingdom in 1898, to establish a system of local government in Ireland on lines similar that had been recently created in Great Britain at the time. ... Motto: (Latin for No one provokes me with impunity)1 Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow Official language(s) English, Gaelic, Scots 2 Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen of the UK Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister of the UK Tony Blair MP  - First Minister Jack McConnell MSP Unification... An administrative county is an administrative area in the British Isles. ... Traditional counties are unofficial, informal and non-administrative divisions of the British Isles which are based on previous administrative divisions. ...

County councils were responsible for more strategic services in a region, with smaller urban district councils and rural district councils responsible for other activities. In the British Isles an urban district was a type of local government district which covered an urbanised area. ... In local government on the British Isles, a rural district was a predominantly rural area used for local government. ...

The writ of the county councils did not extend everywhere: county boroughs were independent of the council for the county in which they were geographically situated, and county borough councils exercised the functions of both county councils and district councils. County borough was a term introduced in 1889 in the United Kingdom to refer to a borough or a city independent of county administration. ...

In England and Wales, local government was reformed in 1974. County boroughs were abolished and all of the country (apart from Greater London) was placed in a two-tier arrangement with county councils and district councils. 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... Greater London is the top level administrative subdivision covering London, England. ... The districts of England are a level of subnational division of England used for the purposes of local government. ...

Another form in 1986 abolished the Greater London Council (which was similar but not identical to a county council) and the councils of the six metropolitan counties abolished. Their functions were transferred to the metropolitan boroughs. 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Arms of the Greater London Council The Greater London Council (GLC) was the top-tier local government administrative body for Greater London from 1965 to 1986. ... The six metropolitan counties shown within England The metropolitan counties are a type of county-level subnational entity in current use in England. ... A Metropolitan Borough (or Metropolitan District) is a type of local government district in England, covering urban areas within metropolitan counties. ...

In 1996 in Wales another local government reform replaced the two-tier system with an arrangement of unitary authorities, known as the principal areas of Wales. Some of these have the styling of "county council" and some have the styling "county borough council". 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... Motto: (Welsh for Wales forever) Anthem: Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau Capital Cardiff Largest city Cardiff Official language(s) English, Welsh Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister Tony Blair MP  - First Minister Rhodri Morgan AM Unification    - by Gruffudd ap Llywelyn 1056  Area    - Total 20,779 km² (3rd in... A unitary authority is a type of local authority, which has a single tier and is responsible for all local government functions within its area. ... For local government purposes, Wales is divided into 22 unitary authorities. ...

The 1990s in England saw the reestablishment of county boroughs in all but name, as unitary authorities. As a result of this, a further county council, that of Berkshire, was abolished, whilst others saw their territory decrease. Most of these unitary authorities were boroughs or districts, but two, Rutland and Herefordshire, correspond to traditional counties, and so their councils are known as county councils. See also 1990s, the band Germans dancing on the Berlin Wall in late 1989, the symbol of the cold war divide falls down as the world unites in the 1990s. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2005 est. ... Berkshire (IPA: or  ; sometimes abbreviated to Berks) is a county in England and forms part of the South East England region. ... Oakham Castle Rutland is traditionally Englands smallest county and is bounded on the west and north by Leicestershire, northeast by Lincolnshire, and southeast by Northamptonshire. ... Herefordshire is a historic and ceremonial county and unitary district (known as County of Herefordshire) in the West Midlands region of England. ...

In Scotland a major reform took place in 1975. This resulted in bodies identical in function and structure to the England and Welsh county councils; but called 'regional councils', because they covered regions instead of counties. In 1996 a further reorganisation saw the regions and districts replaced by 32 unitary council areas. Motto: (Latin for No one provokes me with impunity)1 Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow Official language(s) English, Gaelic, Scots 2 Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen of the UK Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister of the UK Tony Blair MP  - First Minister Jack McConnell MSP Unification... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... The local government regions and districts of Scotland were established under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 as a two-tier system of local government in Scotland. ... An administrative county is an administrative area in the British Isles. ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... For local government purposes, Scotland is divided into 32 areas designated as Council Areas which are all governed by unitary authorities designated as Councils. They have been in use since April 1, 1996, under the provisions of the Local Government etc. ...

In the Republic of Ireland, the county councils are still around in their original form, though they have taken on the powers of rural districts after they were abolished. See Local government in the Republic of Ireland. In local government on the British Isles, a rural district was a predominantly rural area used for local government. ... Local government in the Republic of Ireland is governed by the Local Government Acts, the most recent of which (Local Government Act 2001) established a two-tier structure of local government. ...

United States

In the United States, most of the individual states have counties as a form of local government; in nine states, they are headed by a county council. In other states, each county is headed by a county commission or a county board of supervisors. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... In local government in the United States, a county commission is a group of elected officials charged with adminstering the county government. ... The Board of Supervisors is the body governing counties in Arizona, California, Iowa, Mississippi, Virginia, and Wisconsin. ...