20-449: Braintree District is a local government district in Essex , England. The district is named after the town of Braintree , where the council is based. The district also includes the towns of Halstead and Witham and surrounding rural areas. The neighbouring districts are Colchester , Maldon , Chelmsford , Uttlesford , South Cambridgeshire , West Suffolk , and Babergh . The district
40-434: A borough or district council. In these cases local government functions are divided between county and district councils, to the level where they can be practised most efficiently: Many districts have borough status , which means the local council is called a borough council instead of district council and gives them the right to appoint a mayor . Borough status is granted by royal charter and, in many cases, continues
60-425: A district will consist of a market town and its more rural hinterland. However districts are diverse with some being mostly urban such as Dartford, and others more polycentric such as Thurrock. Non-metropolitan districts are subdivisions of English non-metropolitan counties which have a two-tier structure of local government. Two-tier non-metropolitan counties have a county council and several districts, each with
80-500: A parish council may be set up. Where a parish council (whether the successor of a former borough or not) has resolved to style itself a town council, then its chair is entitled to the designation of town mayor, though in practice, the word "town" is often dropped. The right to appoint a lord mayor is a rare honour, even less frequently bestowed than city status . Currently, 23 cities in England have lord mayors: In May 2022, Southampton
100-457: A style enjoyed by a predecessor authority, which can date back centuries. Some districts such as Oxford or Exeter have city status , granted by letters patent , but this does not give the local council any extra powers other than the right to call itself a city council . By 1899, England had been divided at district level into rural districts , urban districts , municipal boroughs , county boroughs and metropolitan boroughs . This system
120-436: A type of local government district in England. As created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan counties (colloquially shire counties ) in a two-tier arrangement. Non-metropolitan districts with borough status are known as boroughs , able to appoint a mayor and refer to itself as a borough council. Some shire counties now have no sub divisions so are a single Non-metropolitan district such as Cornwall. Typically
140-505: A unitary authority or those that transferred from one county to another, including those that changed name. Nor does it include unitary authorities that have been abolished ( Bournemouth and Poole ). Mayors in England In England , the offices of mayor and lord mayor have long been ceremonial posts, with few or no duties attached to them. In recent years they have doubled as more influential political roles while retaining
160-558: Is in practice seldom used for a Town Mayor. These honorific styles are used only before the Mayoral title and not before the name, and are not retained after the term of office. A mayor can also be styled Mr Mayor and usually appoints a consort, usually a spouse, other family member or fellow councillor. In England (and the Commonwealth ) the designated female consort of a mayor is usually styled Mayoress or occasionally Mrs Mayor and accompanies
180-584: The District Councils' Network , special interest group which sits within the Local Government Association . The network's purpose is to "act as an informed and representative advocate for districts to government and other national bodies, based on their unique position to deliver for local people." This is a list of two-tier non-metropolitan counties and their districts. All unitary authorities are also non-metropolitan districts, which, with
200-511: The Sovereign, in their district, but they are not addressed as mayor. In England, where a borough or a city is a local government district or a civil parish , the mayor is elected annually by the council from their number and chairs meetings of the council with a casting vote . Where the mayoralty used to be associated with a local government district but that district has been abolished, charter trustees may be set up to provide continuity until
220-449: The areas for Wales and England had been enacted separately and there were no Welsh metropolitan areas, the term 'non-metropolitan district' does not apply to Wales. A similar system existed in Scotland , which in 1975 was divided into regions and districts, this was also abolished in 1996 and replaced with a fully unitary system . In England most of the district councils are represented by
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#1732858168849240-413: The ceremonial functions. A mayor's term of office denotes the municipal year . Traditionally mayors and provosts have been elected by town , borough and city councils. Since 2000, several districts now have directly elected mayors with extensive powers. The role of the chair of a district council is exactly the same as the mayor of a borough council; they have the same status as first citizen, after
260-482: The council since 1995 have been: Following the 2023 election , the composition of the council was: The Greens and independent councillors sit together as the "Independent and Green Group". The next election is due in 2027. The council has its headquarters at Causeway House on Bocking End in Braintree. The building was purpose-built for the council and opened in 1981. Since the last full review of boundaries in 2015,
280-625: The council has comprised 49 councillors representing 26 wards , with each ward electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years. The wards are: There are 63 civil parishes in the district. The former Braintree and Bocking Urban District, covering the town of Braintree itself, is an unparished area . The parish councils for Halstead and Witham are styled "town councils". 51°52′55″N 0°33′09″E / 51.8819°N 0.5525°E / 51.8819; 0.5525 Non-metropolitan district Non-metropolitan districts , or colloquially " shire districts ", are
300-433: The district is also covered by civil parishes , which form a third tier of local government. The council has been under Conservative control since 2007. The first election to the council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new arrangements came into effect on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows: The leaders of
320-487: The exception of those of Berkshire , are coterminous with non-metropolitan counties. For a full list of districts of all types including unitary authorities, metropolitan districts and London boroughs , see Districts of England . This is a list of former two-tier districts in England which have been abolished, by local government reorganisations such as the 2009 structural changes to local government in England . It does not include districts that still exist after becoming
340-526: The two-tier structure, but reforms in the 1990s and 2009 reduced their number to 192. A further 55 non-metropolitan districts are now unitary authorities, which combine the functions of county and borough/district councils. In Wales , an almost identical two-tier system of local government existed between 1974 and 1996 (see Districts of Wales ). In 1996, this was abolished and replaced with an entirely unitary system of local government, with one level of local government responsible for all local services. Since
360-673: Was abolished by the London Government Act 1963 and the Local Government Act 1972 . Non-metropolitan districts were created by this act in 1974 when England outside Greater London was divided into metropolitan counties and non-metropolitan counties. Metropolitan counties were sub-divided into metropolitan districts and the non-metropolitan counties were sub-divided into non-metropolitan districts. The metropolitan districts had more powers than their non-metropolitan counterparts. Initially, there were 296 non-metropolitan districts in
380-495: Was added to the list. The Lord Mayors of London and York are styled The Right Honourable . All other Lord Mayors, as well as the Mayors of cities and the original Cinque Ports ( Sandwich , Hythe , Dover , Romney and Hastings ), are styled The Right Worshipful . (Bristol styles its lord mayor "Right Honourable" instead, but this usage is without official sanction.) All other Mayors are styled The Worshipful , though this
400-460: Was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972 as one of 14 districts within Essex. The new district covered the area of five former districts, which were all abolished at the same time: The new district was named Braintree, after the area's largest town. Braintree District Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Essex County Council . Much of
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