London borough | |
---|---|
Greater London shown within England |
|
Category | Districts |
Location | Greater London |
Created by | London Government Act 1963 |
Created | 1 April 1965 |
Number | 32 (as at 2008) |
Possible types | Inner London (12) |
Outer London (20) | |
Possible status | City (1) |
Royal borough (2) | |
Populations | 150,000–300,000 |
Areas | 15–150 km² |
Government | London Borough Council (31) |
City Council (1) |
The administrative area of Greater London contains thirty-two London boroughs. Twelve of these plus the City of London constitute Inner London, while twenty others constitute Outer London.
Contents |
The London boroughs are administered by London Borough Councils which are elected every four years. The boroughs are the principal local authorities in London and are responsible for running most local services in their areas, such as schools, social services, waste collection and roads. Some London-wide services are run by the Greater London Authority, and some services and lobbying of government are pooled within London Councils. Some London borough councils also group together for such services as waste collection and disposal, e.g. the West London Waste Authority. The London boroughs are local government districts and have similar functions to metropolitan boroughs. Each London borough is a Local Education Authority. Until 1990 the Inner London boroughs were served by a shared LEA, the Inner London Education Authority.
There are three boroughs which do not use the term "London Borough of" in their names. They are Westminster, which is termed the City of Westminster as it has city status; and Kingston upon Thames and Kensington and Chelsea, which are termed "Royal Borough of", due to their Royal borough status. Additionally, the council for Westminster is termed Westminster City Council.
|
||
† not a London borough * Royal Borough |
The present London boroughs were created by the London Government Act 1963. They came into existence on 1 April 1965 with the creation of Greater London. The first London Borough elections had been held in 1964 with the newly elected London Borough Councils acting as "shadow" authorities before coming into power the following year.
They had wider authority than the inner London metropolitan boroughs and neighbouring urban districts and municipal boroughs which they mostly replaced, but less power than the three county boroughs of Croydon, West Ham and East Ham, which ceased to exist at the same time.
Between 1965 and 1986 the London boroughs were part of a two-tier system of government, and shared power with the Greater London Council (GLC). However on 1 April 1986, the GLC was abolished, the London boroughs inherited most of its powers and became in effect unitary authorities (combining both county and borough functions). Since the creation in 2000 of a new Greater London Authority, covering the former GLC area but with more limited powers, the boroughs now have powers intermediate between those of English unitary authorities and non-metropolitan districts within shire counties.
The City of London is administered by its own distinct body, the City of London Corporation, which predates the London boroughs.
The word borough has cognates in virtually every Germanic language, as well as other Indo-European languages. For a fuller explanation, see under borough.
London Borough | Former metropolitan boroughs |
---|---|
Camden | Hampstead, Holborn, St Pancras |
Greenwich | Greenwich, most of Woolwich |
Hackney | Hackney, Shoreditch, Stoke Newington |
Hammersmith and Fulham | Hammersmith, Fulham |
Islington | Islington, Finsbury |
Kensington and Chelsea | Kensington, Chelsea |
Lambeth | Lambeth (and Streatham and Clapham from Wandsworth) |
Lewisham | Lewisham, Deptford |
Southwark | Bermondsey, Camberwell, Southwark |
Tower Hamlets | Bethnal Green, Poplar, Stepney |
Wandsworth | Battersea, Wandsworth (except Streatham and Clapham) |
Westminster | Paddington, St Marylebone, Westminster |
London Borough | Former boroughs and districts |
---|---|
Barking and Dagenham | Essex: Municipal Borough of Barking & Municipal Borough of Dagenham |
Barnet | Hertfordshire: Barnet Urban District & East Barnet Urban District; Middlesex: Municipal Borough of Finchley, Municipal Borough of Hendon & Friern Barnet Urban District |
Bexley | Municipal Borough of Bexley, Municipal Borough of Erith, Crayford Urban District and Sidcup from Chislehurst and Sidcup Urban District from Kent |
Brent | Municipal Borough of Wembley and Municipal Borough of Willesden from Middlesex |
Bromley | Municipal Borough of Bromley, Municipal Borough of Beckenham, Orpington Urban District, Penge Urban District and Chislehurst from Chislehurst and Sidcup Urban District from Kent |
Croydon | County Borough of Croydon and Coulsdon and Purley Urban District from Surrey |
Ealing | Municipal Borough of Acton, Municipal Borough of Ealing and Municipal Borough of Southall from Middlesex |
Enfield | Municipal Borough of Edmonton, Municipal Borough of Enfield and Municipal Borough of Southgate from Middlesex |
Haringey | Municipal Borough of Hornsey, Municipal Borough of Tottenham and Municipal Borough of Wood Green from Middlesex |
Harrow | Municipal Borough of Harrow from Middlesex |
Havering | Municipal Borough of Romford and Hornchurch Urban District from Essex |
Hillingdon | Hayes and Harlington Urban District, Ruislip Northwood Urban District, Municipal Borough of Uxbridge and Yiewsley and West Drayton Urban District from Middlesex |
Hounslow | Municipal Borough of Brentford and Chiswick, Feltham Urban District and Municipal Borough of Heston and Isleworth from Middlesex |
Kingston upon Thames | Municipal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, Municipal Borough of Malden and Coombe and Municipal Borough of Surbiton from Surrey |
Merton | Municipal Borough of Mitcham, Merton and Morden Urban District and Municipal Borough of Wimbledon from Surrey |
Newham | County Borough of East Ham, County Borough of West Ham and part of Municipal Borough of Barking from Essex; North Woolwich from Metropolitan Borough of Woolwich in County of London |
Redbridge | Municipal Borough of Ilford, Municipal Borough of Wanstead and Woodford and part of Municipal Borough of Dagenham and part of Chigwell Urban District from Essex |
Richmond upon Thames | Municipal Borough of Barnes and Municipal Borough of Richmond upon Thames from Surrey; Municipal Borough of Twickenham from Middlesex |
Sutton | Municipal Borough of Beddington, Carshalton Urban District and Municipal Borough of Sutton and Cheam from Surrey |
Waltham Forest | Municipal Borough of Chingford, Municipal Borough of Leyton and Municipal Borough of Walthamstow from Essex |
|
|