Greater Manchester County Council

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Greater Manchester County Council

Status
Type	County council
Territory	Greater Manchester
HQ	GMC County Hall, Piccadilly Gardens, Manchester (now Westminster House)
Civic arms
History
Created	1974 Local Government Act 1972
Abolished	1986 Local Government Act 1985

The Greater Manchester County Council (GMCC) was, from 1974 to 1986, the upper-tier administrative body for Greater Manchester, a metropolitan county in north west England.

GMCC existed for a total of twelve years. It was established on April 1, 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972. However, along with five other metropolitan county councils and the Greater London Council it was abolished on 31 March 1986 by the Local Government Act 1985.

GMCC was a strategic authority running regional services such as transport, strategic planning, emergency services and waste disposal. Elections were held to the council in 1973, 1977 and 1981. Elections were due to be held in 1985 but these were cancelled due to the council's abolition.

The council built a County Hall on Portland Street in central Manchester as the cost of £4.5 million, which served as its headquarters.^[1]

Upon its abolition, most of the functions of the council were devolved to the ten Greater Manchester metropolitan district councils, and some of its functions such as emergency services and public transport were taken over by joint boards and continued to be run on a county-wide basis.

After its abolition, the Association of Greater Manchester Local Authorities was established to continue much of the county-wide services of the county council.

Its assets were split between the Greater Manchester Residuary Body and the boroughs councils of Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford and Wigan.

Some people wrongly believe that with the abolition of GMC, the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester was also abolished. The county continues to exist today as both a legal and geographic entity, and has its own Lord Lieutenant (the Monarch's representative in a county) and High Sherriff.

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