U4GovernmentandPoliticsofUK英语国家概况课件.ppt

1. Local government in England 2.5 England is subdivided into nine regions. One of these, London, has an elected Assembly and Mayor, but the others have a relatively minor role, with unelected boards and Regional Development Agencies. Below the region level and excluding London, England has two different patterns of local government in use. In some areas there is a county council responsible for services such as education, waste management and strategic planning within a county, with several district councils responsible for services such as housing, waste collection and local planning. These councils are elected in separate elections. Some areas have only 2.5 one level of local government, and these are dubbed unitary authorities. The City of London and the Isles of Scilly are sui generis authorities, pre-dating recent reforms of local government. 1. Local government in England 2.5 2. Local government in Scotland Local government in Scotland is organised through 32 unitary authorities designated as Councils which consist of councillors elected every four years by registered voters in each of the council areas. 3. Devolution 2.5 In 1997 government?in?Scotland and Wales changed again, when both regions voted to create their own legislatures to handle local matters — a parliament in Scotland and an assembly in Wales. The step taken by the British government is called devolution, a process by which the powers of the central government over local affairs devolve, or are passed down, to the Scottish and Welsh people through their own democratically elected local legislatures. However, the Parliament in London continues to preside over the entire United Kingdom in such matters as national defence and security, overall economic policy, employment 2.5 employment legislation, and social security. In?1998?a 108-seat assembly was established in Northern Ireland, which would have power over a wide range of local issues. Scottish Parliament 3. Devolutio