Local authorities ensure that the decisions and laws made by central government are carried out. They do this through the provision of services such as education, social services, rubbish collection and waste management, housing and planning.
All local authorities can pass by-laws such as banning street drinking. However, these are not allowed to contradict laws passed by central government and no local authority is allowed to set up its own court.
In England local authorities report to the Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG) and some other government departments for specific areas such as transport and education. They are controlled by elected councillors and are overseen by a Chief Executive.
Employees are divided into departments in charge of providing and maintaining different services, although most local authorities now group services together into directorates to ensure 'joined up' approaches to delivering services. The council may also employ private companies or voluntary organisations to carry out some services such as grass cutting or rubbish collection.
Different levels or 'tiers' of local authority exist, depending on the size and needs of local communities. These different tiers each have responsibilities for different types of services.
- One tier – Unitary Authorities and Metropolitan Borough Councils (dark grey on the map)
- Two tier
- Higher tier – County Councils
- Lower tier – Borough and District Councils
Links to local authorities in the region are available on our searchable organisations page.