Index
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Terms
British
Constitution | The
Monarchy | Parliament
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| Local
Government
The fundamental principles of government and the rights of the people are
defined in a constitution. The constitution of the United Kingdom is not
contained in any single document but has evolved over the years partly by
statute, partly by common law and partly by convention. The United
Kingdom is defined as a constitutional monarchy governed by Ministers of the
Crown in the name of the Sovereign.
The Sovereign is an integral part of the legislature (Parliament), head of
the executive (Cabinet and other Ministers), head of the judiciary (Judges),
Commander in Chief of the armed forces and Supreme Governor of the Church of
England.
The powers of the Monarchy are limited to summoning, proroguing and
dissolving Parliament, giving Royal Assent to Bills, appointing important
office holders and granting pardon to those wrongly convicted of a crime.
The Privy Council. The Sovereign in
Council or Privy Council was the chief source of executive power until the
system of Cabinet government developed. Its main function these days is
to advise the Sovereign.
Parliament is the supreme law making authority; its main function is to pass
laws. Parliament emerged during the late 13th century with a prototype
House of Lords formed from officers of the King's household and the King's
judges. Edward I's 'Model Parliament' of King, Lords and Commons was
formed in 1295.
House of Lords. The House of Lords
consists of the Lords Spiritual (Archbishops and Bishops) and Lords Temporal
(hereditary and life peers). Until the beginning of this century the
House of Lords had considerable power, being able to veto any Bill submitted to
it by the House of Commons. These powers were greatly reduced by the
Parliament Acts of 1911 and 1949.
House of Commons. The Members of the House
of Commons are elected by universal adult suffrage and are those candidates who
obtain the largest number of votes cast in each of 651 constituencies.
The opposition parties (those that are not part of the government) traditionally
sit on the left as viewed by the Speaker.
The political party that holds the majority of seats in Parliament is
invited by the Queen to form a Government. It is responsible for the
administration of the nation and the translation of party policy into law.
The Cabinet. The Cabinet developed
during the 18th century as an inner committee of the Privy Council. It is
composed of about 20 ministers chosen by the Prime Minister. The job of
the Cabinet is to determine policy and ensure the control and co-ordination of
government.
The Prime Minister. The office of Prime
Minister has been in existence since 1721 and was officially recognised and
granted a place in the table of precedence in 1905. As the chairman of
Cabinet meetings and leader of a political party, the Prime Minister is
responsible for translating party policy into government activity.
The Prime Minister informs the Sovereign on political matters, advises on the
dissolution of Parliament and makes recommendations for important Crown
appointments and the award of honours.
Local goverment in England is divided into Metropolitan, London Borough and
Unitary single-tier authorities, County and District councils and finally town
and Parish councils.
There are 36 Metropolitan Borough Councils covering the main urban areas
outside London: Greater Manchester, West Midlands, Merseyside, South and West
Yorkshire and Tyne and Wear. There are 32 London Borough Councils and the
Corporation of the City of London. They provide all the main local government
services for the area.
In the rest of England there are 46 unitary authorities and 34 County
Councils. Unitary authorities provide all the main services. County councils
have a two-tier structure of local government. In addition there are district
councils which cover smaller areas within counties and which provide some of
the services.
Many local areas also have a Town or Parish Council in addition to the
councils described above. These are most often rural areas, but urban areas can
also be parished.
Councillors are elected throughout England for a 4 year term. A borough is a
district council that has been granted a Royal Charter. The top civic
dignitary in a borough is a mayor.
Single-tier authorities (Metropolitan, London Borough,
Unitary). Responsible for: education, social services and housing and
council tax benefits, housing, public libraries, museums and art galleries,
traffic and transportation, refuse collection, recycling and disposal,
planning, environmental health, swimming pools and leisure facilities, parks,
open spaces, and countryside including footpaths, cemeteries and crematoria,
markets and fairs, registration of births, deaths, marriages and electorates,
collecting council tax and business rates.
County Councils. Responsible for: education,
libraries, social services, trading, standards, waste disposal, highways and
transport, strategic land use, planning.
District Councils. Responsible for: housing,
parks, sports, arts and entertainment, land, use planning permission,
environmental health, waste collection and recycling, street cleaning, council
tax collection, council tax and housing, benefits, electoral registration and
administration.
Town and Parish Councils. Responsible for: community
centres, arts and leisure facilities, parks and play areas, public conveniences
and other services, and have a right to be notified about planning applications
in the area.
There are 32 unitary councils in Scotland. They provide all the main local
government services in Scotland. Elections are held every four years. Local
government in Scotland is a devolved matter, with legislation and financial
decisions being part of the powers of the Scottish Parliament. Responsibilities
are similar to those in England.
Local government in Wales is divided into Principal Authorities and Town and
Community Councils. They are responsible to the National Assembly for Wales
which is in turn responsible to the UK Government.
There are 22 local unitary authorities known variously as city, county or
county borough councils. Whilst many of the responsibilities are similar to
those in England, local authories in Wales work within a defined partnership
with the Welsh Assembly.