Council Responsibilities

County Councils and Unitary Authorities

County councils and unitary authorities are responsible for most local services, which typically include:

• education
• fire and rescue
• highways
• cultural services, including the provision of libraries
• social services
• trading standards
• transport
• waste disposal

Unitary Authorities, District Councils and City Councils

The following services are also managed by unitary authorities and, where local government is shared with another tier of authority, by district and city councils:

• benefits
• electoral registration
• environmental health, including noise nuisance
• housing
• leisure and recreation services
• licensing
• local planning
• minor roads
• planning applications
• waste collection

Town and Parish Councils

At the next level down are town and parish councils, which spend an allocation of council tax on services for their community, such as:

• bus shelters and public benches
• cemetery facilities
• footpaths and car parks
• maintenance of recreational areas
• notice boards