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51-429: Norfolk County Council is the upper-tier local authority for Norfolk , England. Below it there are seven second-tier district councils: Breckland , Broadland , Great Yarmouth , North Norfolk , Norwich , King's Lynn and West Norfolk , and South Norfolk . The council has been under Conservative majority control since 2017. It is based at County Hall, Norwich . Elected county councils were created in 1889 under

102-495: A Mayor of London and 25-member London Assembly . The first mayoral and assembly elections took place in 2000. The former Leader of the Greater London Council , Ken Livingstone , served as the inaugural Mayor, until he was defeated by future Prime Minister Boris Johnson in 2008 . The incumbent, Sadiq Khan , was first elected in 2016 . The Mayor's functions include chairing Transport for London , holding

153-468: A non-metropolitan county council and two or more non-metropolitan district councils share responsibility for these services. In single-tier areas a unitary authority , London borough , or metropolitan borough provides all services. The City of London and Isles of Scilly have unique local authorities. The London boroughs, metropolitan boroughs, and some unitary authorities collaborate through regional authorities. The Greater London Authority (GLA)

204-483: A county council and a district council, which would share local authority functions. In May 2022, 21 non-metropolitan county councils and 164 non-metropolitan district councils remain. These are better known as simply county councils and district councils. The Local Government Act 1985 also abolished metropolitan county councils, but there are still 36 metropolitan district councils as of May 2022. There are also (as of April 2023) 62 unitary authorities. These carry out

255-547: A devolution deal, which are usually reserved to combined authorities for additional functions and funding. And, like some combined authorities and parish councils, local authorities do have a general power of competence . Separate to combined authorities, two or more local authorities can also work together through joint boards (for legally-required services: fire, public transport and waste disposal), joint committees (voluntarily) or through contracting out and agency arrangements. The Greater London Authority Act 1999 established

306-510: A local authority. Ten currently exist, with more planned. Parish councils form the lowest tier of local government and govern civil parishes . They may also be called a 'community council', 'neighbourhood council', 'village council', 'town council' or (if the parish holds city status) 'city council', but these names are stylistic and do not change their responsibilities. As of December 2021 there are 10,475 parishes in England, but they do not cover

357-416: A more ceremonial role, with political leadership provided instead by the leader of the council . The leaders since 1974 have been: Following the 2021 election and subsequent by-elections and changes of allegiance up to December 2023, the composition of the council was: Of the five independent councillors, two sit together as the "Independent Group"; the others do not belong to any group. The next election

408-620: A parish council must meet certain conditions of quality. Civil parishes developed in the nineteenth century and were based on the Church of England's parishes , which until then had both ecclesiastical and local government functions; parish councils were created by the Local Government Act 1894 ( 56 & 57 Vict. c. 73). The ecclesiastical parishes continue to exist, but neither they nor their parochial church councils have any local government role. There are 317 local authorities covering

459-458: A school finder for parents to find children a school. The primary school curriculum is set by the government, and recorded on Directgov . The secondary (high) school curriculum is set by the government, and recorded on Directgov . There are compulsory subjects which are needed to be followed in Norfolk and England . In Year 9 (sometimes Year 8), children are required to pick their GCSE options for

510-503: A triple window on the first floor and a shield above the window; there were polygon -shaped turrets at roof level. Important cases at the Shirehall included the trial and conviction of James Bloomfield Rush for the murders of Isaac Jermy and his son, Isaac Jermy Jermy, at Stanfield Hall in April 1849. The building continued to be used as a facility for dispensing justice but, following

561-549: A whole has limited revenue-raising powers compared to other G7 countries. In the 20th century, local authorities found that the costs of providing services exceeded the revenues raised from local taxes and so grants from the UK Government (specifically the Treasury ) gradually increased. However, UK Government grants were cut by 40% in real terms between the financial years 2009/10 and 2019/20, although grant income did grow due to

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612-481: Is a public interest in disclosing information about local government investments which will generally outweigh any concerns about whether disclosure could affect an investment's performance or be protected by confidentiality requirements. Local authorities cannot borrow money to finance day-to-day spending and so must rely on yearly income or reserves for this type of expenditure, although they can borrow to fund capital expenditure. Local government in England as

663-517: Is clear both practically and democratically that the overly centralised arrangements of government in England are problematic" and that reform was also needed of funding structures. As of May 2024, the various combined authorities, county, district, and sui generis councils formed an administrative hierarchy as shown in the table below. Unitary authorities are legally either district councils which also perform county functions or county councils which also perform district functions; they therefore straddle

714-472: Is due in 2025 . Since the last boundary changes in 2005 Norfolk has been divided into 84 electoral divisions , each electing one councillor . Elections are held every four years. New division boundaries have been drawn up to take effect from the 2025 elections . The council is based at County Hall on Martineau Lane in Norwich. The building was purpose-built for the council and opened in 1968. Prior to 1968

765-455: Is the regional authority for Greater London , with responsibility for transport, policing, fire and rescue, development and strategic planning. Combined authorities are statutory bodies which allow two or more local authorities to voluntarily pool responsibilities and negotiate a devolution deal with the UK Government for the area they cover, giving it powers beyond those typically held by

816-549: The COVID-19 pandemic . Local government receives two types of grants: the Revenue Support Grant, which can be spent on any service according to the wishes of the local government body in question, and specific grants, which are usually 'ring fenced' to specifically defined service areas. Council tax was introduced in 1993 to replace the ' poll tax '. It is a domestic property tax, based on eight bands (A to H) depending on

867-687: The Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police and London Fire Commissioner to account and keeping strategies up to date, including the London Plan . Meanwhile, it is the Assembly's role to regularly hold the Mayor and their key advisers to account and it can also amend the budget or a strategy by a two-thirds majority, though this has not ever happened as of March 2022. Combined authorities can be created at

918-418: The Local Government Act 1888 , taking over many administrative functions that had previously been performed by unelected magistrates at the quarter sessions . The boroughs of Norwich and Great Yarmouth were both considered large enough to provide their own county-level services, so they became county boroughs , independent from the county council. The county council was elected by and provided services to

969-542: The Localism Act 2011 . In every area, one local authority acts as the billing authority (the district council in two-tier areas), which prepares and collects council tax bills. Other parts of local government (like county councils in two-tier areas, police and crime commissioners, fire authorities, parish councils and combined authorities) act as precepting authorities, which notify the relevant billing authority of their decision on council tax and later receive this money from

1020-623: The sui generis City of London Corporation . The other sui generis local authorities are the Council of the Isles of Scilly , Middle Temple and Inner Temple . Outside Greater London and the Isles of Scilly , the Local Government Act 1972 divided England into metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties, which would have one county council and multiple district councils each. That meant that each area would be covered by two tiers of local authorities - both

1071-817: The Director of Planning and Transportation. Many historic buildings in the county are protected by the Norfolk Historic Buildings Trust , established in 1977, which is under the guidance of the county council. Similarly, the council has operated the Norfolk Museums Service since 1974. Between 1995 and 2000, the Trust played a major role in restoring the Denver Mill site, at a cost of over £1 million. Local government in England Civil parishes are

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1122-559: The Electoral Commission has recommended that all authorities use whole council elections every 4 years. Local authorities have a choice of executive arrangements under the Local Government Act 2000 : mayor and cabinet executive, leader and cabinet executive, a committee system or bespoke arrangements approved by the Secretary of State. As of April 2023, just 15 local authorities have directly-elected mayors . Some functions are just

1173-521: The Labour Party as of 2024 except for Tees Valley . Each combined authority's executive consists of a representative from each of its constituent local authorities, plus (if applicable) the mayor. Functions can be devolved directly to the mayor, to the combined authority as a whole, or have a different decision-making requirement. The budget and functions of each combined authority can be vastly different, but possible functions include responsibility for

1224-622: The Secretary of State the power to provide for a directly-elected combined authority mayor . And, as of May 2022, nine out of the 10 combined authorities have mayors, including Andy Burnham in Greater Manchester and Andy Street in the West Midlands . In the 2024 local elections , new Combined Authorities were elected; they were the new York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority , North East Mayoral Combined Authority , East Midlands Combined County Authority . They are all controlled by

1275-405: The agreement of the relevant local authorities, and under the Localism Act 2011 eligible parish councils can be granted a " general power of competence " (GPC) which allows them within certain limits the freedom to do anything an individual can do provided it is not prohibited by other legislation, as opposed to being limited to the powers explicitly granted to them by law. To be eligible for this

1326-594: The billing authority. Between financial years 2009/10 and 2021/22, council tax rates increased by 30% in real terms, in light of reduced grants from the UK Government. Business rates is a tax on business premises. It is based on the rateable value of the premises (set by the Valuation Office Agency ) and a business rate multiplier. It is set and collected by billing authorities. Reforms in 2013 now mean that local authorities keep 50% of business rate revenues raised locally. The UK Government then distributes

1377-529: The committee was abolished and its responsibilities transferred to the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, Public Health and Prevention. Since 2012 the Health and Wellbeing Board for Norfolk and Waveney has been responsible for public health in the county. The board has been chaired by Cllr. Bill Borrett since 2017; it comprises representatives from most NHS bodies such as the five Clinical Commissioning Groups and

1428-711: The council had been based at the Shirehall on Market Avenue in Norwich, which had been built in 1823 as a courthouse within the grounds of Norwich Castle . The building was extended in 1909 with offices for the county council known as the Shirehall Chambers. The council is in charge of all Nursery, Primary and Secondary state schools throughout Norfolk which are not academies, but not Tertiary education. There are three nursery schools, 359 primary schools, 35 secondary schools, one all-through school, one free school, one short stay school and 11 special schools. The council provides

1479-575: The council's arrangements for the protection of children and for services for looked after children were 'inadequate'. In 2017 after further inspection the rating was raised to 'requires improvement' after considerable progress in the department. The council is responsible for coordinating and managing the adult social care of the population of Norfolk. This work was overseen by the Adult Social Care Committee based at County Hall. However, in May 2019

1530-504: The county and district columns. Metropolitan districts and London boroughs are also shown straddling the county and district columns. In much of the country there is also a lower tier of civil parishes . This administrative hierarchy differs from the ceremonial hierarchy . Shirehall, Norwich The Shirehall is a municipal facility in Market Avenue, Norwich , Norfolk . It is a Grade II listed building . An early Shirehall

1581-647: The county council moved to County Hall in 1968, the building continued to be used as a Crown Court until the new Courts Complex in Bishopgate was completed in 1988. The building became the Regimental Museum of the Royal Norfolk Regiment in 1990. Although archives and the reserve collections continued to be held in the Shirehall, the principal museum display there closed in September 2011, and relocated to

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1632-400: The county is also covered by civil parishes , which form a third tier of local government. The council has been under Conservative majority control since 2017. Political control of the council since the 1974 reforms has been as follows: Prior to the 1974 reforms the chairman of the council was also its political leader. The chairmen from 1889 to 1974 were: Since 1974 the chair has been

1683-576: The financial year 2019/20, local authorities received 22% of their funding from grants, 52% from council tax and 27% from retained business rates. In the financial year 2023/24, 51% of revenue expenditure is expected to come from UK Government grants, 31% from council tax and 15% from retained business rates. Local government can also receive some money from fees and charges for the use of services, returns and interest from investments , commercial income, fixed penalty notices and capital receipts. The Information Commissioner's Office has ruled that there

1734-567: The forecoming year. In England , a student must take at least two optional choices. In February 2013, Ofsted inspectors judged that vulnerable children in the county were at risk. Shortly afterwards, the regulator expressed concern about the county's educational provision. Three years later, in August 2016, Ofsted found that Norfolk County Council had still failed to address the regulator's earlier judgements (in February and August 2013, respectively) that

1785-689: The functions of both county and district councils and have replaced two-tier local government in some areas. The creation of these first became possible under the Local Government Act 1992 , but now takes place under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 . In the 2023/24 financial year, 33% of budgeted service expenditure across local government as a whole is set to be on education , 19% on adult social care , 13% on police , 11% on children's social care and 24% on all other services. Notably, Cornwall Council has been subject to

1836-436: The implementation of the Local Government Act 1888 , which established county councils in every county, it also became the meeting place of Norfolk County Council . An extension to the Shirehall, to the south of the main building and known as Shirehall Chambers, was built using Bath stone and opened in 1909. The education department, and some other departments, moved to new premises at Thorpe Road in Norwich in 1929. After

1887-413: The lowest tier of local government, and primarily exist in rural and smaller urban areas. The responsibilities of parish councils are limited and generally consist of providing and maintaining public spaces and facilities. Local authorities cover the entirety of England, and are responsible for services such as education, transport, planning applications, and waste collection and disposal. In two-tier areas

1938-523: The main Norwich Castle Museum , reopening fully in 2013. Meanwhile, the courtroom in the Shirehall was refurbished and re-opened to the public in September 2013. The Norwich Castle Study Centre, which now occupies the Shirehall, contains a number of important collections, including an extensive collection of more than 20,000 costume and textile items, built up over a period of some 130 years, and previously kept in other Norwich museums. Although not

1989-523: The people within government are unsure at times where powers and responsibility, and hence accountability, rest, this lack of clarity is magnified for individuals who have little knowledge or experience of the structures. This has the potential to leave individuals less likely to be able to access what they need from government, leaving them often unable to know who is responsible, and as a result are not properly able to hold their democratic representatives to account. The Committee also said that "[t]he evidence

2040-773: The relevant police force and/or fire brigade , bus franchising and spatial strategy. Lower-tier of a two-tier system. Upper-tier of a two-tier system. De facto unitary authorities since abolition of metropolitan county councils . Metropolitan county councils were abolished in 1986 and most of their functions were devolved to the metropolitan boroughs making them unitary authorities in all but name. Some combined and regional authorities may assume responsibility for policing, e.g. South Yorkshire . Some combined and regional authorities may assume responsibility for policing, e.g. Greater Manchester . In England, local authorities have three main sources of funding: UK Government grants, council tax and business rates . In

2091-481: The remainder of the county outside those two boroughs, which area was termed the administrative county . The first elections were held in January 1889, and the council formally came into being on 1 April 1889. The council held its first official meeting on 13 April 1889 at the Shirehall in Norwich, the courthouse which had been the meeting place of the quarter sessions which preceded the county council. The first chairman

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2142-469: The remaining 50% of business rate revenues according to its own judgement. It was initially planned to increase the proportion of business rates that local authorities retain to 100%, but this was indefinitely delayed in 2021. In 2022, the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee said that it had "significant concerns about the current governance arrangements for England": If

2193-520: The request of two or more local authorities. Combined authorities do not replace the local authorities in question, but can receive separate functions and funding. As of May 2022, there are 10 combined authorities covering some of England. The Secretary of State was first granted the power to create combined authorities by the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009 . The Cities and Local Government Devolution Act 2016 gave

2244-503: The responsibility of the executive of a local authority, but local authorities must also have at least one overview and scrutiny committee to hold the executive to account. The London Government Act 1963 established 32 London borough councils. It also established the Greater London Council , covering the whole of Greater London , but this was later abolished by the Local Government Act 1985 . Greater London also includes

2295-500: The three Norfolk Acute Hospitals as well as Norfolk and Waveney's County and District Councils. See Healthcare in Norfolk for the details of the different NHS bodies charged with delivering health in the county. Norfolk County Council is responsible for maintaining Norfolk 's 10,000 kilometres (6,200 mi) road networks and bus routes. They often go into schools and promote road safety to students. Norfolk County Council offered grant aid for landscape conservation, submitted to

2346-429: The two former county boroughs of Norwich and Great Yarmouth. The lower tier of local government was rearranged at the same time, with the county's numerous boroughs , urban districts and rural districts reorganised into seven non-metropolitan districts . Norfolk County Council provides county-level services. District-level services are provided by the county's seven district councils. The districts are: Much of

2397-411: The value of the property on 1 April 1991. Various discounts are set out in law and exist at the discretion of billing authorities. On a yearly basis, local government bodies review and consider whether to increase or decrease the level of council tax to fund their spending plans. The level at which a local authority can increase council tax each year without holding a local referendum is regulated by

2448-560: The whole of England. There are five main types of local authorities: London borough councils , two-tier county and district councils , metropolitan district councils and unitary authorities . Some local authorities have borough , city or royal borough status, but this is purely stylistic. All local authorities are made up of councillors , who represent geographical wards . There are 7,026 wards as of December 2021. Local authorities run on four year cycles and councillors may be elected all at once, by halves or by thirds; although

2499-430: The whole of the country as many urban parishes were abolished in 1974. The only specific statutory function of parish councils, which they must do, is establishing allotments . However, there are a number of other functions given by powers in the relevant legislation, which they can do, such as providing litter bins and building bus shelters . Their statutory functions are few, but they may provide other services with

2550-599: Was Robert Gurdon , who was the Member of Parliament for the Mid Norfolk constituency and a member of the Liberal Unionist Party . In 1902 it was said that the council consisted "almost entirely of landowners and large farmers." Local government was reformed in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972 , which made Norfolk a non-metropolitan county . As part of the 1974 reforms the county council gained responsibility for

2601-571: Was built atop the Norwich Castle mound in around 1270 and rebuilt during the Elizabethan era . The current Shirehall, which was designed by William Wilkins in the Tudor Revival style , was completed in 1823. The design involved a symmetrical castellated main frontage with nine bays facing onto the Market Avenue; the central section, which projected slightly forward, featured an arched doorway,

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