C4.62 How UK Parliament Works

How is the UK Parliament structured? What are Upper tier LA and Lower tier LA?

In the UK, what are Upper tier LA and Lower tier LA? Both terms mainly refer to administrative divisions in England.

First, "LA" is the abbreviation of "Local Authority", meaning local authority or local government in Chinese. The structure of local governments varies by region. Specifically, Upper tier LA stands for Upper tier Local Authority (upper-tier local authority), and Lower tier LA stands for Lower tier Local Authority (lower-tier local authority).

So, what exactly are Upper tier LA and Lower tier LA?Upper-tier and lower-tier local authorities refer to the two-tier council structure of local government in most parts of England. It is divided into County Councils (upper tier) and District Councils (lower tier). County Councils, similar to "county councils" in Chinese, belong to the upper level of local government. District Councils, similar to "district councils" (for cities or rural areas) in Chinese, belong to the lower level. These two levels of councils are responsible for different service functions.

County Councils cover the entire county area and provide approximately 80% of local services. They are elected bodies representing a broad county region, responsible for comprehensive services such as education and social care. Within a county, there are several District Councils that cover smaller areas and provide more localized services.

However, London, other metropolitan areas, and parts of English counties operate under a single-tier council structure. In other words, the UK has two types of local government structures: single-tier and two-tier. A single-tier council is a unified authority that combines the powers of both district and county councils.

There are five types of local government in England:

1. County Councils: Cover the entire county and provide 80% of local services, including education, children’s services, and adult social care.

2. District Councils: Cover smaller areas within a county and provide more localized services (e.g., housing, local planning, waste management, and leisure—excluding children’s services or adult social care). They may also be called districts, boroughs, or city councils.

3. Unitary Authorities: Single-tier local government bodies that merge the functions and powers of both county and district councils. Currently, there are 55 unitary authorities across England, responsible for all local services. They may be referred to as councils (e.g., Medway Council), city councils (e.g., Nottingham City Council), or borough councils (e.g., Reading Borough Council).

4. London Boroughs: Each of the 32 London boroughs is a unitary authority.

5. Metropolitan Districts: Essentially unitary authorities, the name is a legacy of past organizational arrangements. They may also be called metropolitan boroughs or city councils.

Additionally, in some areas of England, Wales, and Scotland, there is another tier of local government/councils below the five types mentioned above, known as parish councils (England), town councils (England), or community councils (Wales and Scotland). These bodies are responsible for managing services such as town and village centers, waste management, verges, cemeteries, parks, ponds, gardens, war memorials, and community halls. However, community councils in Scotland have fewer powers than those in England and Wales. Currently, there are approximately 10,000 such local councils in England, 730 in Wales, 1,200 in Scotland, and none in Northern Ireland.

So, how many of the aforementioned councils are there in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland?

In England, there are a total of 343 councils, including:

• 36 Metropolitan districts (unitary)

• 32 London Boroughs (unitary)

• 26 County Councils (upper tier)

• 192 District Councils (lower tier)

• 55 Unitary authorities (unitary)

• 2 Sui Generis authorities: City of London Corporation and Isles of Scilly (unitary)

Wales: 22 Unitary authoritiesScotland: 32 Unitary authoritiesNorthern Ireland: 11 Unitary authorities

There are approximately 11,930 local councils in the UK, including town, parish, community, neighborhood, and village councils.

The government bodies in Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland are all unitary authorities (corresponding to the second of the five types mentioned above) and operate a single-tier local government system.

So, what are the responsibilities of local governments? As shown in the picture below:

Why do some regions appear repeatedly in both Upper tier LA and Lower tier LA in UK COVID-19 data tables?

This is because these regions adopt a two-tier council structure.

For example, York (marked in the first red circle in the picture below) is listed under both Upper tier LA and Lower tier LA. York is a two-tier borough, meaning the upper-tier borough (City of York Council) provides specific services for the lower-tier boroughs within its area.

The secondary towns/cities in the York area include Aurora, East Gwillimbury, Georgina, King, Markham, Newmarket, Richmond Hill, Vaughan, and Whitchurch-Stouffville.

Last updated on Tuesday 1 December 2020 at 12:00am

Then, this UK COVID-19 data table actually covers all regions of England. So, which specific regions do Upper tier LA and Lower tier LA correspond to here?

Upper tier LA

• York

• Wrexham

• Worcestershire       

• Wolverhampton      

• Wokingham     

• Wirral      

• Windsor and Maidenhead       

• Wiltshire 

• Wigan      

• Westminster   

• West Sussex    

• West Lothian  

• West Dunbartonshire

• West Berkshire        

• Warwickshire 

• Warrington     

• Wandsworth   

• Waltham Forest      

• Walsall    

• Wakefield        

• Vale of Glamorgan  

• Trafford   

• Tower Hamlets        

• Torfaen   

• Torbay     

• Thurrock 

• Telford and Wrekin 

• Tameside

• Swindon  

• Swansea 

• Sutton     

• Surrey      

• Sunderland      

• Suffolk     

• Stoke-on-Trent

• Stockton-on-Tees    

• Stockport

• Stirling     

• Staffordshire   

• St. Helens        

• Southwark       

• Southend-on-Sea     

• Southampton  

• South Tyneside        

• South Lanarkshire   

• South Gloucestershire    

• South Ayrshire

• Somerset

• Solihull     

• Slough     

• Shropshire       

• Shetland Islands      

• Sheffield  

• Sefton      

• Scottish Borders     

• Sandwell 

• Salford     

• Rutland   

• Rotherham      

• Rochdale

• Richmond upon Thames 

• Rhondda Cynon Taf

• Renfrewshire  

• Redcar and Cleveland     

• Redbridge        

• Reading  

• Powys      

• Portsmouth     

• Plymouth

• Peterborough 

• Perth and Kinross   

• Pembrokeshire        

• Oxfordshire     

• Orkney Islands1      

• Oldham   

• Nottinghamshire    

• Nottingham    

• Northumberland     

• Northamptonshire 

• North Yorkshire       

• North Tyneside        

• North Somerset      

• North Lincolnshire  

• North Lanarkshire  

• North East Lincolnshire  

• North Ayrshire

• Norfolk    

• Newry, Mourne and Down      

• Newport 

• Newham 

• Newcastle upon Tyne      

• Neath Port Talbot   

• Moray     

• Monmouthshire      

• Milton Keynes

• Midlothian       

• Middlesbrough        

• Mid and East Antrim       

• Mid Ulster       

• Merton   

• Merthyr Tydfil 

• Medway 

• Manchester    

• Luton       

• Liverpool 

• Lisburn and Castlereagh

• Lincolnshire     

• Lewisham        

• Leicestershire

• Leicester

• Leeds       

• Lancashire       

• Lambeth 

• Knowsley

• Kirklees   

• Kingston upon Thames   

• Kingston upon Hull, City of      

• Kent

• Kensington and Chelsea 

• Islington 

• Isle of Wight   

• Isle of Anglesey       

• Inverclyde        

• Hounslow        

• Hillingdon        

• Highland 

• Hertfordshire 

• Herefordshire, County of        

• Havering 

• Hartlepool       

• Harrow   

• Haringey 

• Hampshire      

• Hammersmith and Fulham     

• Halton     

• Hackney and City of London   

• Gwynedd

• Greenwich       

• Gloucestershire      

• Glasgow City  

• Gateshead      

• Flintshire

• Fife  

• Fermanagh and Omagh  

• Falkirk      

• Essex       

• Enfield     

• East Sussex     

• East Riding of Yorkshire  

• East Renfrewshire  

• East Lothian    

• East Dunbartonshire       

• East Ayrshire  

• Ealing      

• Dundee City    

• Dumfries and Galloway  

• Dudley     

• Dorset     

• Doncaster       

• Devon      

• Derry City and Strabane 

• Derbyshire      

• Derby      

• Denbighshire  

• Darlington       

• Cumbria  

• Croydon  

• Coventry 

• County Durham       

• Cornwall and Isles of Scilly      

• Conwy     

• Comhairle nan Eilean Siar       

• Clackmannanshire  

• City of Edinburgh

• Cheshire West and Chester    

• Cheshire East 

• Ceredigion       

• Central Bedfordshire      

• Causeway Coast and Glens    

• Carmarthenshire    

• Cardiff     

• Camden  

• Cambridgeshire      

• Calderdale       

• Caerphilly        

• Bury

• Buckinghamshire    

• Bromley  

• Bristol, City of

• Brighton and Hove 

• Bridgend 

• Brent       

• Bradford 

• Bracknell Forest      

• Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole  

• Bolton     

• Blaenau Gwent       

• Blackpool

• Blackburn with Darwen  

• Birmingham    

• Bexley     

• Belfast    

• Bedford   

• Bath and North East Somerset       

• Barnsley 

• Barnet     

• Barking and Dagenham  

• Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon 

• Argyll and Bute        

• Ards and North Down     

• Antrim and Newtownabbey   

• Angus      

• Aberdeenshire

• Aberdeen City

Lower tier LA

• York

• Wyre Forest    

• Wyre        

• Wycombe        

• Wychavon        

• Wrexham

• Worthing

• Worcester       

• Wolverhampton      

• Wokingham     

• Woking    

• Wirral      

• Windsor and Maidenhead       

• Winchester     

• Wiltshire 

• Wigan      

• Westminster   

• West Suffolk    

• West Oxfordshire    

• West Lothian  

• West Lindsey  

• West Lancashire     

• West Dunbartonshire     

• West Devon    

• West Berkshire        

• Welwyn Hatfield      

• Wellingborough       

• Wealden 

• Waverley

• Watford  

• Warwick 

• Warrington     

• Wandsworth   

• Waltham Forest      

• Walsall    

• Wakefield        

• Vale of White Horse        

• Vale of Glamorgan  

• Uttlesford        

• Tunbridge Wells       

• Trafford   

• Tower Hamlets        

• Torridge  

• Torfaen   

• Torbay     

• Tonbridge and Malling    

• Thurrock 

• Three Rivers   

• Thanet    

• Tewkesbury     

• Test Valley       

• Tendring 

• Telford and Wrekin 

• Teignbridge     

• Tandridge        

• Tamworth        

• Tameside

• Swindon  

• Swansea 

• Swale       

• Sutton     

• Surrey Heath  

• Sunderland      

• Stroud     

• Stratford-on-Avon   

• Stoke-on-Trent

• Stockton-on-Tees    

• Stockport

• Stirling     

• Stevenage       

• Staffordshire Moorlands

• Stafford   

• St. Helens        

• St Albans

• Spelthorne       

• Southwark       

• Southend-on-Sea     

• Southampton  

• South Tyneside        

• South Staffordshire

• South Somerset       

• South Ribble    

• South Oxfordshire   

• South Northamptonshire        

• South Norfolk  

• South Lanarkshire   

• South Lakeland        

• South Kesteven       

• South Holland 

• South Hams    

• South Gloucestershire    

• South Derbyshire    

• South Cambridgeshire    

• South Bucks    

• South Ayrshire

• Somerset West and Taunton  

• Solihull     

• Slough     

• Shropshire       

• Shetland Islands      

• Sheffield  

• Sevenoaks       

• Selby        

• Sefton      

• Sedgemoor      

• Scottish Borders     

• Scarborough   

• Sandwell 

• Salford     

• Ryedale   

• Rutland   

• Rushmoor        

• Rushcliffe

• Runnymede     

• Rugby      

• Rotherham      

• Rother     

• Rossendale     

• Rochford 

• Rochdale

• Richmondshire        

• Richmond upon Thames 

• Ribble Valley   

• Rhondda Cynon Taf

• Renfrewshire  

• Reigate and Banstead    

• Redditch 

• Redcar and Cleveland     

• Redbridge        

• Reading  

• Preston   

• Powys      

• Portsmouth

• Plymouth

• Peterborough 

• Perth and Kinross   

• Pendle     

• Pembrokeshire        

• Oxford     

• Orkney Islands

• Oldham   

• Oadby and Wigston

• Nuneaton and Bedworth

• Nottingham    

• Norwich  

• Northumberland     

• Northampton 

• North West Leicestershire      

• North Warwickshire        

• North Tyneside        

• North Somerset      

• North Norfolk 

• North Lincolnshire  

• North Lanarkshire  

• North Kesteven       

• North Hertfordshire        

• North East Lincolnshire  

• North East Derbyshire    

• North Devon   

• North Ayrshire

• Newry, Mourne and Down      

• Newport 

• Newham 

• Newcastle-under-Lyme  

• Newcastle upon Tyne      

• Newark and Sherwood   

• New Forest     

• Neath Port Talbot   

• Moray     

• Monmouthshire      

• Mole Valley     

• Milton Keynes

• Midlothian       

• Middlesbrough        

• Mid and East Antrim       

• Mid Ulster       

• Mid Sussex      

• Mid Suffolk      

• Mid Devon       

• Merton   

• Merthyr Tydfil 

• Mendip   

• Melton    

• Medway 

• Mansfield        

• Manchester    

• Malvern Hills  

• Maldon   

• Maidstone       

• Luton       

• Liverpool 

• Lisburn and Castlereagh

• Lincoln     

• Lichfield  

• Lewisham        

• Lewes      

• Leicester

• Leeds       

• Lancaster        

• Lambeth 

• Knowsley

• Kirklees   

• Kingston upon Thames   

• Kingston upon Hull, City of      

• King's Lynn and West Norfolk 

• Kettering

• Kensington and Chelsea 

• Islington 

• Isle of Wight   

• Isle of Anglesey       

• Ipswich   

• Inverclyde        

• Hyndburn

• Huntingdonshire     

• Hounslow        

• Horsham

• Hinckley and Bosworth   

• Hillingdon        

• Highland

• High Peak        

• Hertsmere

• Herefordshire, County of        

• Havering 

• Havant    

• Hastings 

• Hartlepool       

• Hart

• Harrow   

• Harrogate       

• Harlow    

• Haringey 

• Harborough    

• Hammersmith and Fulham     

• Hambleton      

• Halton     

• Hackney and City of London   

• Gwynedd

• Guildford

• Greenwich       

• Great Yarmouth      

• Gravesham     

• Gosport  

• Gloucester      

• Glasgow City  

• Gedling   

• Gateshead      

• Fylde        

• Forest of Dean

• Folkestone and Hythe     

• Flintshire

• Fife  

• Fermanagh and Omagh  

• Fenland   

• Fareham 

• Falkirk      

• Exeter     

• Erewash 

• Epsom and Ewell     

• Epping Forest 

• Enfield     

• Elmbridge        

• Eden        

• Eastleigh

• Eastbourne     

• East Suffolk     

• East Staffordshire   

• East Riding of Yorkshire  

• East Renfrewshire  

• East Northamptonshire 

• East Lothian    

• East Lindsey    

• East Hertfordshire 

• East Hampshire      

• East Dunbartonshire       

• East Devon      

• East Cambridgeshire      

• East Ayrshire  

• Ealing      

• Dundee City    

• Dumfries and Galloway  

• Dudley     

• Dover      

• Dorset     

• Doncaster       

• Derry City and Strabane 

• Derbyshire Dales    

• Derby      

• Denbighshire  

• Daventry

• Dartford 

• Darlington       

• Dacorum

• Croydon  

• Crawley  

• Craven    

• Coventry 

• County Durham       

• Cotswold

• Cornwall and Isles of Scilly      

• Corby       

• Copeland

• Conwy     

• Comhairle nan Eilean Siar       

• Colchester       

• Clackmannanshire  

• City of Edinburgh    

• Chorley   

• Chiltern   

• Chichester       

• Chesterfield    

• Cheshire West and Chester    

• Cheshire East 

• Cherwell 

• Cheltenham    

• Chelmsford     

• Charnwood     

• Ceredigion       

• Central Bedfordshire      

• Causeway Coast and Glens    

• Castle Point    

• Carmarthenshire    

• Carlisle    

• Cardiff     

• Canterbury      

• Cannock Chase        

• Camden  

• Cambridge

• Calderdale       

• Caerphilly        

• Bury

• Burnley   

• Broxtowe

• Broxbourne     

• Bromsgrove    

• Bromley  

• Broadland        

• Bristol, City of

• Brighton and Hove 

• Bridgend 

• Brentwood      

• Brent       

• Breckland        

• Braintree

• Bradford 

• Bracknell Forest      

• Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole  

• Boston    

• Bolton     

• Bolsover 

• Blaenau Gwent       

• Blackpool

• Blackburn with Darwen  

• Blaby       

• Birmingham    

• Bexley     

• Belfast    

• Bedford   

• Bath and North East Somerset       

• Bassetlaw       

• Basingstoke and Deane 

• Basildon  

• Barrow-in-Furness  

• Barnsley 

• Barnet     

• Barking and Dagenham  

• Babergh  

• Aylesbury Vale

• Ashford   

• Ashfield   

• Arun

• Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon 

• Argyll and Bute        

• Ards and North Down

• Antrim and Newtownabbey   

• Angus      

• Amber Valley  

• Allerdale 

• Adur

• Aberdeenshire

• Aberdeen City