Local Government

The Parliament in Westminster approved a devolution order under the Northern Ireland Act 1998 on Tuesday 30 November 1999. The order allowed for the transfer of certain powers from Westminster to the 108 member Northern Ireland Assembly at Stormont, Belfast, and the associated new institutions of government. The arrangements for devolved government were set out in the Good Friday Agreement that had been agreed as a result of the peace process. Powers were devolved to the new institutions at midnight Tuesday 1 December 1999. The Assembly has the power to make laws and take decisions on all matters that have been devolved from Westminster. The Northern Ireland Assembly elected an Executive Committee, which is the equivalent of the British Cabinet. The Executive is made up of the First Minister, the Deputy First Minister, and the ten Ministers who head the Departments.

Scottish Parliament was established by Scotland Act 1998, which received Royal Assent on 19 November 1998. The Act provided "for the establishment of a Scottish Parliament", and gave the Secretary of State for Scotland the power to decide the date of the first election. The first elections to the Scottish Parliament took place on 6 May 1999 and meetings of the Parliament began with the first sitting on 12 May 1999. At this sitting, the MSPs were able to take the oath of allegiance or make a solemn affirmation and to elect the Presiding Officer and two Deputy Presiding Officers. The Parliament was officially opened by the Queen on 1 July 1999 and took up its full powers on this date.

UK Parliament passed the Government of Wales Act 1998, which established the National Assembly for Wales and the National Assembly for Wales (Transfer of Functions) Order 1999. This enabled the transfer of the devolved powers and responsibilities from the Secretary of State for Wales to the Assembly to take place on 1 July 1999. The Assembly decides on its priorities and allocates the funds made available to it from the Treasury. Within its powers, the Assembly develops and implements policies which reflect the particular needs of the people of Wales. Decisions about these issues are made by politicians who are accountable, through the ballot box, to voters in Wales. Wales remains part of the UK and the Secretary of State for Wales and MPs from Welsh constituencies continue to have seats in Westminster. Laws passed by Parliament in Westminster still apply to Wales.

There are 36 Metropolitan Borough Councils in the main urban areas of England outside London. These areas are Greater Manchester, the West Midlands, Merseyside, South and West Yorkshire, and Tyne and Wear. The 36 metropolitan boroughs provide all the main local government services for the area. Councillors for metropolitan boroughs are elected for four year terms. A third of the seats are elected every year, with no elections in the fourth year (the year of county elections) In Greater London, there are 32 London Borough councils, and the Corporation of the City of London. The London Boroughs are elected once every four years. London also has the Greater London Authority, which was created by an Act of Parliament in 1999. There are 46 unitary authorities (councils which provide all the main services) in other parts of the country. Many of these were created more recently.

There are 34 County Councils in England. In these areas there is a two-tier structure of local government as there are also district councils which cover smaller areas within counties and which provide some of the services. County Councils are elected every four years, with all seats contested at this time. Each council elects a chairman, or in boroughs a mayor, and in Scotland a provost. All senior local government officers are appointed only with approval from a government ministry.

Metropolitan, London Borough and unitary authorities are principally responsible for: education, social services and housing and council tax benefits, public libraries, museums and art galleries, traffic and transportation, refuse collection, recycling and disposal, planning, environmental health, swimming pools and leisure facilities, parks and countryside including footpaths, cemeteries and crematoria, markets and fairs, registration of births, deaths, marriages and electorates, collecting council tax and business rates. Town and Parish Councils can also provide 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 is an organization, Local Government Ombudsmen, the task of which is to investigate complaints of injustice arising from mal-administration by local authorities and certain other bodies. There are three Local Government Ombudsmen in England and they each deal with complaints from different parts of the country. They investigate complaints about most council matters including housing, planning, education, social services, consumer protection, drainage and council tax.

Task 2. Check yourself questions:

1. Who is at the head of the Executive branch of political power?

2. How can a person become Prime Minister?

3. Who appoints the PM officially?

4. What is Cabinet?

5. What is Shadow Cabinet?

6. What are the functions of party whips?

7. Which are the main parties in Britain?

8. What other parties do you know?

9. What is the difference between a backbencher and a frontbencher?

10. Is there a separate election campaign for the Prime Minister?

11. What happened to the party that was called the Whigs?

12. What are the names of parties in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland?

13. What is the framework of Local government?

14. What are the functions of Local government?

15. Which party forms the Government?

16. Which party forms the Opposition?

17. Who deals with complaints of people?

Task 3. Solve the crossword: (you can find some of the answers in the following texts)

Across:

A group of about 20 leading Ministers, taking collective decisions.

5. People responsible for party members discipline in Parliament.

6. Prime Minister of the UK in the beginning of the XXI century.

7. Her nickname was the Iron Lady.

8. One of the predecessors of M. Thatcher.

10. Part of the name of a Welsh nationalist party Plaid …

13. An MP whose position is not very important.

14. What did T. Blair study at Oxford?

16. Where was T. Blair born?

Down:

1. Modern name of the Tories.

2. The Ministry of finances.

3. One of Blair’s predecessors.

4. The street, where many Ministries are situated. The name of the street has become synonymous to “government”.

9. The name of a constituency, which elected M. Thatcher to Parliament.

11. A city, in Choristers school of which T. Blair studied.

12. The Islands in Argentina where M. Thatcher’s government was waging a war.

15. What did M. Thatcher study at Oxford?

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Task 4. Read about one of the most admired and the most hated Prime Ministers in the UK. Find answers to the following questions:

Where was M. Thatcher born?

Which party does she represent?

Why was she nicknamed the iron lady?