Constitutional Problems of Territorial Decentralization in Federal and Centralised States (United Kingdom)

Abstract

The government is organised principally on a functional basis, there being Departments of, for example, health, agriculture, education, trade, employment, industry. Each is headed by a Secretary of State appointed by the Prime Minister from members of either House of Parliament. Acts of Parliament have created a system of local government. In England and Wales there are 43 county councils and some 350 district councils, there being therefore an average of some eight district councils within the area of each county council. A crucial point about the authorities is that their membership is elected. Parliament and the local authorities are the only elected bodies within the UK Central government departments have various powers of intervention over local authorities’ activities. Although local authorities have a taxing power, the tax base is such that the amount they are able to raise falls far short of what is required to finance the services they provide.