Which local council

What is local government? Local government touches the lives of everybody, every day. Types of local government Depending on where you live, local government consists of at least one or two tiers of authorities. Two tiers, with responsibilities of local services divided between them: 24 county councils district, borough or city councils One unitary tier providing all services: 59 unitary councils 33 London boroughs 36 metropolitan boroughs Across England, there are also around 9, parish and town councils, 10 National Parks responsible for conservation and promotion of scenic areas, as well as local authorities responsible specifically for policing and fire and rescue services.

Funding of local government Local authorities receive funding from a range of sources, including Government grants, council tax and fees and charges. Funding of local taxation: council tax and business rates Further reading and resources Understand how your council works Find your local council Data about your council Be a councillor - an LGA resource for people considering standing in council elections.

Delegates can catch up on all sessions on demand. Councillors are responsible for making decisions on behalf of the local community about local services, such as waste collections, tourism and leisure facilities. Councillors are also appointed to represent their councils or elected members in general, on a number of public bodies.

If you want to voice any issues with your local councillor, contact them through your local council. An online register is available which allows you to find out who councillors are for particular areas in Northern Ireland. The interactive map allows you to input an address or place and you will then be provided with the names of councillors for that area.

Most have a committee structure. These committees will make decisions or recommendations with the agreement of the council. Councils can also make decisions using executive arrangements. This is where smaller groups of councillors take decisions on a range of matters within an agreed framework set out by the council. You can find out more about how local councils are funded on the Department for Communities DfC 's website.

Information on your rate bill, help with paying your rates, how you can pay your rate bill, rental properties, and valuation of properties for rates is available from the link below. If you have a concern or suggestion about a service, write or speak to a member of staff or the service manager. Contact information for this, and other council services, is listed on your local council's website or in the telephone directory.

A service manager normally sends you a written reply within a certain number of working days from receiving your complaint. If you are not satisfied with the reply, you can contact your council's complaints officer. The complaints officer will confirm that they have received your complaint and, after investigation with the department concerned, they will write to you.

Your local council will be committed to responding to a complaint within a set number of days. Local circumstances vary slightly and you should contact your local council for full details. Independent of central and local government, the Ombudsman's investigations are impartial.

You can complain directly to the Ombudsman at any time, but usually after you have completed your local council's complaints procedure. You can make a formal complaint in writing, by email, by fax and online.

You can also contact the Ombudsman by freephone to ask for advice before submitting a complaint. Councillors must follow certain rules that set out how they should behave and the standards they should keep to.

This is called a code of conduct. Read the code of conduct for councillors. You may wish to upgrade your browser. We use cookies to collect anonymous data to help us improve your site browsing experience.

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Enter a postcode on GOV. UK to find out the council for any UK postcode.