Many parts of England have 2 tiers of local government:
- county councils
- district, borough or city councils
County councils
These are responsible for services across the whole of a county, like:
- education
- transport
- planning
- fire and public safety
- social care
- libraries
- waste management
- trading standards
District, borough and city councils
These cover a smaller area than county councils. They’re usually responsible for services like:
- rubbish collection
- recycling
- Council Tax collections
- housing
- planning applications
Parish, community and town councils
These operate at a level below district and borough councils and in some cases, unitary authorities.
They’re elected and can help on a number of local issues, like providing:
- allotments
- public clocks
- bus shelters
- community centres
- play areas and play equipment
- grants to help local organisations
- consultation on neighbourhood planning
They also have the power to issue fixed penalty fines for things like:
- litter
- graffiti
- fly posting
- dog offences
Nick Clarke 