# List of county councils in England

There are currently 29 county councils in England, all of which serve areas known as non-metropolitan counties. Of these, 21 are upper-tier authorities in a two-tier arrangement; their areas are divided into a number of non-metropolitan districts, which each have a district council. The other eight county councils are unitary authorities, having taken over district functions on the abolition of districts in those counties. (All other unitary authorities are legally district councils which also perform the functions of a county council.) The unitary county councils have been given the option to omit the word 'county' from their name, which option has been taken up by some but not others; whether they took that option or not, they remain legally county councils.
The first county councils were created in 1889 under the Local Government Act 1888. There was a significant reform of the number, powers and jurisdictions of county councils in 1974. County councils were also established for the metropolitan counties created in 1974, but the metropolitan county councils were all abolished in 1986. From 1995 onwards numerous unitary authorities have been created.

## Current

| Local authority | Established | District councils | Administration | Website | Headquarters |
| Cambridgeshire County Council | 1974 | 5 | Coalition: Liberal Democrats (23) Labour (10) Independents (3) | Official website | New Shire Hall, Alconbury Weald |
| Cornwall Council | 1889 | Unitary since 2009 | Conservative (minority) | Official website | Lys Kernow, Truro |
| Derbyshire County Council | 1889 | 8 | Conservative | Official website | County Hall, Matlock |
| Devon County Council | 1889 | 8 | Conservative | Official website | County Hall, Exeter |
| Durham County Council | 1889 | Unitary since 2009 | Coalition: Conservative (21) Independents (21) Liberal Democrats (17) Derwentside Ind. (4) North East (2) Green (1) | Official website | County Hall, Durham |
| East Sussex County Council | 1889 | 5 | Conservative | Official website | County Hall, Lewes |
| Essex County Council | 1889 | 12 | Conservative | Official website | County Hall, Chelmsford |
| Gloucestershire County Council | 1889 | 6 | Conservative | Official website | Shire Hall, Gloucester |
| Hampshire County Council | 1889 | 11 | Conservative | Official website | Castle Hill, Winchester |
| Hertfordshire County Council | 1889 | 10 | Conservative | Official website | County Hall, Hertford |
| Isle of Wight Council | 1890 | Unitary since 1995 | Coalition: Independents (10) Green (2) Our Island (1) | Official website | County Hall, Newport |
| Kent County Council | 1889 | 12 | Conservative | Official website | County Hall, Maidstone |
| Lancashire County Council | 1889 | 12 | Conservative | Official website | County Hall, Preston |
| Leicestershire County Council | 1889 | 7 | Conservative | Official website | County Hall, Glenfield |
| Lincolnshire County Council | 1974 | 7 | Conservative | Official website | County Offices, Lincoln |
| Norfolk County Council | 1889 | 7 | Conservative | Official website | County Hall, Norwich |
| North Yorkshire Council | 1974 | Unitary since 2023 | Coalition: Conservative (44) Independents (3) | Official website | County Hall, Northallerton |
| Northumberland County Council | 1889 | Unitary since 2009 | Conservative | Official website | County Hall, Morpeth |
| Nottinghamshire County Council | 1889 | 7 | Conservative | Official website | County Hall, West Bridgford |
| Oxfordshire County Council | 1889 | 5 | Coalition: Liberal Democrats (20) Green (3) | Official website | County Hall, Oxford |
| Shropshire Council | 1889 | Unitary since 2009 | Conservative | Official website | Shirehall, Shrewsbury |
| Somerset Council | 1889 | Unitary since 2023 | Liberal Democrats | Official website | County Hall, Taunton |
| Staffordshire County Council | 1889 | 8 | Conservative | Official website | County Buildings, Stafford |
| Suffolk County Council | 1974 | 5 | Conservative | Official website | Endeavour House, Ipswich |
| Surrey County Council | 1889 | 11 | Conservative | Official website | Woodhatch Place, Reigate |
| Warwickshire County Council | 1889 | 5 | Conservative | Official website | Shire Hall, Warwick |
| West Sussex County Council | 1889 | 7 | Conservative | Official website | County Hall, Chichester |
| Wiltshire Council | 1889 | Unitary since 2009 | Conservative | Official website | County Hall, Trowbridge |
| Worcestershire County Council | 1998 | 6 | Conservative | Official website | County Hall, Worcester |
The unitary authority which calls itself Rutland County Council is legally a district council which also performs county functions rather than a county council, despite its corporate branding. The unitary authorities of Bristol City Council, Buckinghamshire Council, Dorset Council, East Riding of Yorkshire Council, and Herefordshire Council share their geographic name with a ceremonial county (and they are identical in Bristol's and Herefordshire's case) but are likewise legally district councils that also perform county functions.

## Former

| Local authority | Established | Abolished |
| Avon County Council | 1974 | 1996 |
| Bedfordshire County Council | 1889 | 2009 |
| Berkshire County Council | 1889 | 1998 |
| Buckinghamshire County Council | 1889 | 2020 |
| Cambridgeshire County Council | 1889 | 1965 |
| Cambridgeshire and Isle of Ely County Council | 1965 | 1974 |
| Cheshire County Council | 1889 | 2009 |
| Cleveland County Council | 1974 | 1996 |
| Cumberland County Council | 1889 | 1974 |
| Cumbria County Council | 1974 | 2023 |
| Dorset County Council | 1889 | 2019 |
| East Riding County Council | 1889 | 1974 |
| East Suffolk County Council | 1889 | 1974 |
| Greater Manchester County Council | 1974 | 1986 |
| Hereford and Worcester County Council | 1974 | 1998 |
| Herefordshire County Council | 1889 | 1974 |
| Holland County Council | 1889 | 1974 |
| Humberside County Council | 1974 | 1996 |
| Huntingdon and Peterborough County Council | 1965 | 1974 |
| Huntingdonshire County Council | 1889 | 1965 |
| Isle of Ely County Council | 1889 | 1965 |
| Kesteven County Council | 1889 | 1974 |
| Lindsey County Council | 1889 | 1974 |
| London County Council | 1889 | 1965 |
| Merseyside County Council | 1974 | 1986 |
| Middlesex County Council | 1889 | 1965 |
| Monmouthshire County Council | 1889 | 1974 |
| North Riding County Council | 1889 | 1974 |
| Northamptonshire County Council | 1889 | 2021 |
| Rutland County Council | 1889 | 1974 |
| Soke of Peterborough County Council | 1889 | 1965 |
| South Yorkshire County Council | 1974 | 1986 |
| Tyne and Wear County Council | 1974 | 1986 |
| West Midlands County Council | 1974 | 1986 |
| Westmorland County Council | 1889 | 1974 |
| West Riding County Council | 1889 | 1974 |
| West Suffolk County Council | 1889 | 1974 |
| West Yorkshire County Council | 1974 | 1986 |
| Worcestershire County Council | 1889 | 1974 |

## Footnotes

* ^Cambs : 1st creation 1889—1965; 2nd creation 1974—present
* ^Worcs : 1st creation 1889—1974; 2nd creation 1998—present
* ^Mon : Monmouthshire considered part of Wales from 1974.