4.Local Government

The local administrative unit in England and Wales are basically the same.Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own systems.The present system of the local government was introduced in April 1974，which created some new counties，but many of the old names are still reserved.The whole of England and Wales is now divided into 54counties.Each county is then subdivided into rural districts and urban districts or towns.

The County Council remains the most important unit of local government.It is in charge of the county as a whole.Nobody can plan anything，neither shopping centers，nor factories，nor parks，nor race courses，without the permission of the County Council.Its other responsibilities include road construction（except motorways⁶ and A-road⁷），bus services，the police，the fire service，education（it builds the schools，pay the teachers and decides what kind of educational system the county will have），and personal social services including old people’s homes，child welfare，etc.

Each county is now divided into districts of between 60，000and 100，000 people.The District Councils are responsible for housing，especially for the building and renting of council houses.It is their job to keep the district clean and to inspect the food shops.And it is they who employ the dustmen who go from house to house to collect rubbish.

County and District Councils are run by part-time unpaid councillors，who are elected every four years in almost the same way as MPs.The candidates for election must have a local connection，and after election they can forfeit their seats，for prolonged and unauthorized nonattendance.Although most of them represent a political party，they don’t often have political battles among themselves.But the government is not pleased if the opposition party gets control of the majority of local councils.The councillors appoint from among themselves the committees who run the different departments.They also appoint paid full-time officials.These officials，like the civil servants，are completely non-political.The head of each county or district council is called chairman，who is appointed every year by bis councillors.

The money the councils need comes from the rates.Rates are paid by everybody who owns or rents a building or land.How much a person pays depends on the value of the property.The councils also get a large general grant from the Treasury.The government never refuses to give this grant because it disapproves of a council’s politics，but it may hesitate if it feels the money is being spent unwisely.

The six former counties in Northern Ireland were divided into 26 administrative districts in 1973.In Scotland，under the Local Government（Scotland）Act of 1973，the corresponding areas are known as regions.Their responsibilities are the same as that of the counties in England.The regions are subdivided into 53districts and 3island authorities.

One often meets parishes in reading English novels.In England，the parish is a subdivision of a district.Every parish has a parish meeting and many have parish councils，which can exercise limited powers for the benefit of their locality，e.g.provision of such amenities as allotments，recreation grounds，and bus shelters.There are now no parishes in Wales and Scotland.In Wales the districts are divided instead into communities，with community meetings and councils exercising similar functions and powers to those of parish meetings and councils.In Scotland also there are communities and community councils.Their function is primarily to coordinate local opinion about public services in their areas.They are merely local advisory bodies and do not have the status of a local authority.

Notes

1.Order of the Garter：one of the highest orders of English knighthood.It was instituted by Edward Ⅲin 1348.The Order holds special services in St George’s Chapel，Windsor Castle.A Knight of the Order places the initials KG after his name.

2.Order of the Thistle：another one of the highest orders of knighthood.It was founded in 1687，and is mainly given to Scottish noblemen.A Knight of the Order places the initials KT after his name.

3.Order of Merit：an order given to both civilians and military personnel who are outstanding in any field.It was instituted in 1902.Person who gets the Order places initials OM after his name.

4.Royal Victorian Order：an order of knighthood.It was instituted in 1896and was designed to reward distinguished service to the sovereign.It is often bestowed on members of the royal household.

5.Channel Islands：agroup of islands in the English Channel，off the northwest coast of France.They are not officially part of the UK and are a self-governing crown dependency with their own parliaments.

6.Motorway：a major road for fast-moving traffic，usually having two or three lanes in each direction and linking large cities.

7.A-road：the official name of a main road in Britain，often running between major towns and cities.All A-roads are numbered，for example，the A1from London to Edinburgh and the A40London to South Wales.

Exercises

Ⅰ.Choose the correct answer.

1.Which document，for the first time in English history，forced King to take the advice of nobles？

A.The Petition of Right of 1628.

B.Habeas Corpus Act.

C.Magna Carta.

D：The Bill of Rights of 1689.

2.ElizabethⅡsucceeded to the throne in________.

A.1951　　　B.1952　　　C.1953　　　D.1954

3.Among the following members the first one to succeed to the throne is________.

A.the King’s brother　　　　　　B.the Catholic son

C.the Protestant daughter　　　　D.the Protestant son

4.The Monarch’s eldest daughter is usuallycalled________.

A.Princess of Wales　　　B.princess royal

C.Princess daughter　　　D.female Prince of Wales

5.Which is not right to describe the Prime Minister？

A.The head of Cabinet.

B.The head of civil service.

C.The leader of the Party in power.

D.The head of the country.

6.Most of the practical work of the government is done by________.

A.the Prime Minister　　　　　　B.the Cabinet ministers

C.the heads of departments　　　D.the civil servants

7.A civil servant must be________.

A.a member of the Party in power

B.an MP

C.active in politics

D.politically neutral

8.The smallest governmental unit in England is________.

A.county　　　B.district

C.parish　　　D.community

Ⅱ.Fill in the blanks.

1.The Bill of Rights，passed by parliament in________，was the first legal steptowards________monarchy.

2.The full title of the present Queen ElizabethⅡis________.

3.Theoretically，the Queen is the official________of state，the head of the________system of Britain，the________of all armed forces and the head of the________of England.

4.According to the Act of Settlement（1701），there is little chance for a________to become king or queen.Only the ________descendants are eligible.The monarch’s consort is usuallychosen from a ________amily with the consent of________.

5.The annual allowance approved by Parliament for the maintenance of the royal household and familyis called________.

6.The cabinet of the British government was not established by________，but byconstitutional________.It was headed by________who is another creation not of________.

7.The most important committee of the PrivyCouncil is the________ Committee，which hears ________from the highest courts of ________and other dependent territories，and of few independent countries of the________.

8.In England，county and district councils are run by ________councillors，who are elected every ________years in almost the same way as MPs.The head of each countyor district council is called________，who is appointed________by his councillors.

Ⅲ.Questions for Discussion.

1.What is the constitutional monarchy？When did it begin in Britain？

2.Since the British monarch has no real power，why do the English want to remain it？

3.What does the collective responsibility of the Cabinet mean？

4.Who are the members of the Privy Council？

5.What are the responsibilities of the county and district councils in England？