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Administrative counties of England
Administrative counties of England were local government counties created by the Local Government Act 1888, redefined in 1933, and abolished on 1 April 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972, which replaced them with metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties.
Bath and North East Somerset
Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES) is a unitary authority district in Somerset, England, created on 1 April 1996, covering Bath, Keynsham, Midsomer Norton, Radstock, and surrounding villages.
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic Royal County in southern England west of London, covering the Thames and Kennet valleys and Berkshire Downs. Its county council was abolished in 1998, leaving six unitary authorities; West Berkshire joins the 2028 Oxfordshire reorganisation.
Borough of Bury
Metropolitan Borough of Bury, Greater Manchester (Bury Metropolitan Borough Council): smallest of the ten GM boroughs, population 195,500 (2023), six towns including Bury, Prestwich, Radcliffe, Ramsbottom, Tottington, Whitefield; formed April 1974, charter 1876, Labour-run, Local Plan 2022–2043.
Borough of Stockton-on-Tees
Borough of Stockton-on-Tees: a unitary authority in Tees Valley, north east England, governed by Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council. Divided by the River Tees; main towns Stockton, Billingham, Thornaby; about 202,000 residents; whole council elections every four years.
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council (BCP Council) is an English unitary authority formed 1 April 2019 from Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole borough councils; 76 councillors, 33 wards, over 400,000 residents, no overall control since May 2023.
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire (Bucks) is a county in south-east central England with Aylesbury as its administrative centre; since 2020 governed by the unitary Buckinghamshire Council. Population about 579,000, £14.6bn economy, Chiltern Hills and Green Belt landscape.
Calderdale
Calderdale, a metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire centred on Halifax, formed 1 April 1974 from nine authorities. Population 210,734 (2025), 140 sq mi, over 80% rural; Reform UK won the 2026 all-out election with 34 of 54 seats.
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire, an East of England county of 3,397 square kilometres and about 678,850 people, has five districts, a two-tier council system, a 2017 mayoral combined authority, and a paused local government reorganisation.
Cheshire
Cheshire, a county in north-west England, was reorganized on 1 April 2009 into the unitary authorities Cheshire East and Cheshire West and Chester; it covers about 905 square miles, has over 1 million residents, and joined the Cheshire and Warrington Combined Authority in 2026.
City of Chelmsford
The City of Chelmsford, also known as the Borough of Chelmsford, is a local government district and city in Essex, England, granted city status in 2012.
City of Doncaster
City of Doncaster: South Yorkshire metropolitan borough awarded city status in 2022, governed by an elected mayor (Ros Jones since 2013) and cabinet, population 314,176, member of the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority.
City of London
The City of London, known as the Square Mile, is a historic local authority area at the heart of Greater London, governed by the City of London Corporation.
City of Salford
City of Salford: metropolitan district in Greater Manchester (E08000006), created 1 April 1974 from the county borough and neighboring boroughs. 20 wards, 60 councillors, directly elected City Mayor Paul Dennett; 269,923 residents in 2021.
City of Sheffield
City of Sheffield: metropolitan district in South Yorkshire (ONS E08000039), England's fourth largest city, governed by Sheffield City Council with 28 wards and 84 councillors under a committee system since 2022.
Civil parish
Civil parish: smallest administrative area in England, also called town or community council; Welsh equivalent is the community. About 10,480 exist; roughly 40% of England's population is served by one.
Cornwall
Cornwall: county and unitary authority in south west England under Cornwall Council since 1 April 2009; population 584,782 (2025); first rural 2015 devolution deal, Level 2 deal 2023, single Foundation Strategic Authority agreed 2026.
County Durham
County Durham is a unitary authority in North East England governed by Durham County Council since 1 April 2009, when seven district councils were abolished. Population 522,100 (2021), 51 wards, visitor economy £1.48 billion in 2025.
County of London
County of London: administrative county of England, 1889–1965, created by the Local Government Act 1888 from parts of Middlesex, Surrey, and Kent; governed by the London County Council and replaced in 1965 by Greater London.
Cumberland
Cumberland is a unitary authority in north-west England created 1 April 2023 by the Cumbria (Structural Changes) Order 2022, replacing Allerdale, Carlisle, Copeland and part of Cumbria County Council; 3,012 sq km, 276,876 people, 46 councillors. Not the Australian Cumberland Council.
Cumbria
Cumbria, a county of north-west England named in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle for 945, was an administrative county from 1974 until 1 April 2023, when it was replaced by Cumberland and Westmorland and Furness unitary councils; it remains a ceremonial county and gained a Combined Authority in 2026.
Derbyshire
Derbyshire, an English county in the centre of England with about 827,000 people (2025), largest town Chesterfield. Its ten councils were to be replaced by two unitary councils from 1 April 2028, a decision paused in September 2026.
Devon
Devon, county in South West England with 811,647 residents (2021, county council area), eight districts plus Plymouth and Torbay unitaries; its two-tier system is slated for replacement by four unitary councils, now under government review.
Dorset
Dorset, a county in South West England, has been run since 1 April 2019 by two unitary councils, Dorset Council and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council, replacing nine councils; rural, ageing population, Jurassic Coast, £8.1 billion economy.
East Riding of Yorkshire
East Riding of Yorkshire: unitary authority (E06000011) in northern England, created 1 April 1996 on Humberside's abolition; over 930 square miles, 26 wards, and since 2025 part of the Hull and East Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority with a £400m devolution deal.
East Sussex
East Sussex is a county in South East England with five districts (Eastbourne, Hastings, Lewes, Rother, Wealden) and about 546,000 people. Its two-tier councils were slated for unitary reorganisation from 2028, now paused; a Sussex strategic authority began in 2026.
Essex
Essex is a county in the East of England governed by Essex County Council and twelve district councils, with Thurrock and Southend-on-Sea outside its area.
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire, an English county of 1,025 square miles at the northern edge of the southwest region. Its county council dates from 1889; from 1 April 2028 a single unitary Gloucestershire Council with 110 councillors replaces it and six district councils, though the programme was paused in September 2026.
Greater London
Greater London: the administrative area of 32 London boroughs, the City of London and the Temples, created by the London Government Act 1963, covering about 1,572 km2 with almost nine million residents and governed by the Greater London Authority.
Hampshire
Hampshire, a county in South East England, runs two-tier local government under Hampshire County Council plus 11 districts, with Southampton and Portsmouth as unitaries; a 2026 five-unitary reorganisation was withdrawn for review in September 2026.