Local government: from county councils to the Mayor of London

Local areas, whether towns, cities or countryside, are run by councils that local people elect. These are usually known as local authorities. In some places there are two layers, a district council and a county council, and each does different jobs. Most big towns and cities have just one local authority.

Councils run many local services. They are paid for partly by grants from central government and partly by local taxes.

Many councils choose a mayor whose role is mainly ceremonial. In some towns, though, the voters elect a mayor who has real power and leads the council's work.

London is split into 33 local authorities. Policy across the whole capital is coordinated by the Greater London Authority and the Mayor of London. Most councils hold their elections for councillors in May each year, and many of the candidates represent political parties.

People often mix up the Mayor of London with a much older role, the Lord Mayor of the City of London. The Mayor of London is a fairly new job, created in 2000 and elected by voters across the whole city. The Lord Mayor is chosen every year, looks after only the "City", the square mile of the financial district in the centre, and the job is mostly ceremonial.

Chapter contents: The British Constitution