UK local government · 382 councils · 4 nations

Every council in the United Kingdom, in one directory

Who runs the bins, the schools and the planning office where you live? Find any county, district, unitary, metropolitan or London borough council — and the councils of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland — with population, area, history and the official website.

382councils listed

67.7Mresidents covered

369official websites

82former councils

Councils by region and nationAll regions

SCO32 NI11 NE14 NW36 YH11 WAL22 WM33 EM41 EE50 SW29 LDN33 SE70

Tile size is equal for every region; the shade shows how many councils it has.

Eight kinds of council

Browse by type of authority

Two-tier or single-tier, borough or district — the type decides which services a council runs.

How the types differ

63Unitary authoritiesA unitary authority runs every local service in its area — schools, social care, roads, planning, bins and libraries — from a single council.164District councilsDistrict councils are the lower tier of two-tier England: they collect council tax, handle planning applications, housing and waste collection, while the county council above them runs schools, social care and highways..36Metropolitan boroughsThe 36 metropolitan boroughs of Greater Manchester, Merseyside, South Yorkshire, Tyne and Wear, the West Midlands and West Yorkshire have been single-tier since the metropolitan county councils were abolished in 1986..33London boroughsThe 32 London boroughs and the City of London Corporation provide most local services in Greater London; the Greater London Authority and the Mayor cover transport, policing strategy and planning across the capital..21County councilsCounty councils form the upper tier in the two-tier parts of England: education, adult and children’s social care, highways, libraries and waste disposal, shared with the district councils below them..22Welsh principal councilsSince 1996 Wales has had 22 single-tier principal councils — counties and county boroughs — responsible for all local services..32Scottish council areasScotland’s 32 council areas date from 1996.11Northern Ireland districtsNorthern Ireland’s 11 district councils were created in 2015.

Four nations

Local government is devolved

England keeps two tiers in many counties; Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have single-tier councils only.

England317 councilsCounty, district, unitary, metropolitan and London borough councils.Wales22 councils22 principal councils since 1996: counties and county boroughs.Scotland32 councils32 council areas since 1996, each a single-tier authority.Northern Ireland11 councils11 district councils since the 2015 reform.

Town halls

Where the largest councils meet

Photographs of council headquarters and town halls from Wikimedia Commons (196 councils), and coats of arms or logos for 145 councils — each credited on the council’s page.

Birmingham City CouncilCouncil House, Birmingham

Leeds City CouncilLeeds Town Hall

Glasgow City CouncilGlasgow City Chambers

North Yorkshire CouncilHarrogate Council Offices

Somerset CouncilCounty Hall

Manchester City CouncilManchester Town Hall Extension

164district councils still in two-tier England

63unitary authorities

82councils abolished in recent reorganisations

369official websites in the index

Reorganisation

Recently abolished

District councils merged into new unitary authorities.

All former councils

2023
Carlisle
District council in Cumbria → replaced by Cumberland
2023
Copeland
District council in Cumbria → replaced by Cumberland
2023
Craven
District council in North Yorkshire → replaced by North Yorkshire
2023
South Somerset
District council in Somerset → replaced by Somerset
2023
South Lakeland
District council in Cumbria → replaced by Westmorland and Furness
2023
Allerdale
District council in Cumbria → replaced by Cumberland
2023
Hambleton
District council in North Yorkshire → replaced by North Yorkshire
2023
Richmondshire
District council in North Yorkshire → replaced by North Yorkshire

Website index

Where councils publish online

Most councils use an address under gov.uk. Our index lists the official address recorded for each authority, grouped by domain.

Open the website index