Non-metropolitan district | |
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Category | Local authority districts |
Location | England |
Found in | Non-metropolitan county |
Created by | Local Government Act 1972 |
Created |
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Number | 226 (as of 2023) |
Possible types |
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Possible status |
This article is part of a series within the Politics of the United Kingdom on the |
Non-metropolitan districts, or colloquially "shire districts", are a type of local government district in England. As created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan counties (colloquially shire counties) in a two-tier arrangement.[1] Non-metropolitan districts with borough status are known as boroughs, able to appoint a mayor and refer to itself as a borough council. Some shire counties, for example Cornwall, now have no sub-divisions so are a single non-metropolitan district.
Typically, a district will consist of a market town and its more rural hinterland. However, districts are diverse, with some being mostly urban (such as Dartford) and others more polycentric (such as Thurrock).
The 188 non-metropolitan districts (also known as local authority districts (LAD)) form the lower tier of the two-tier local government structure found in many parts of England. They are subdivisions of the non-metropolitan (shire) counties.