Key Stage 4 citizenship · Governance and the wider world

GCSE citizenship: councils, mayors and devolution

At GCSE, citizenship asks who makes decisions at every level, from a parish council up to Parliament and beyond. This topic covers the local and regional layers of government in the United Kingdom: the councils that run everyday services, the elected mayors who lead some city regions, and the parliaments and assemblies of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Teenagers learn who is responsible for what, how each body is paid for and held to account, and how a citizen can influence it.

Councils, mayors and devolution, explained

Local government in England is not the same everywhere. In some areas there are two tiers: a county council responsible for services such as social care, children’s services, libraries, roads and waste disposal, and a district or borough council responsible for things like bin collections, council housing and most planning decisions. Other areas have a single unitary authority that does all of it, and London is run by borough councils working alongside a Greater London Authority. Many places also have a parish or town council, the smallest tier, which looks after local matters such as allotments, village halls and community events. The map is being reorganised in some parts of England, so schools usually ask pupils to find out how their own area works.

Councils are led by councillors, who are elected by local voters. They are not the same as council officers, who are paid employees. Officers do the day-to-day work and give professional advice; councillors set policy and take the big decisions, often through a cabinet or committees. Each year a council must set a balanced budget. Its money comes mainly from council tax, business rates, grants from central government, and fees and charges. A council cannot simply spend or tax as it likes: it has legal duties, for example to protect vulnerable children and adults, and there are limits on how far it can raise council tax without asking residents in a referendum.

Between councils and national government sits a regional layer. In parts of England, groups of councils have joined together in combined authorities to plan transport, skills and economic development across a wider area, and many of these are led by a directly elected mayor, as in Greater Manchester and the West Midlands. London has had a directly elected mayor since 2000, scrutinised by an elected London Assembly. These mayors do not make laws. They use powers that Parliament has passed down to them, and their powers differ from place to place, largely because different areas have agreed different devolution deals with central government.

Devolution also describes the Scottish Parliament, the Welsh Parliament (the Senedd) and the Northern Ireland Assembly, set up by Acts of Parliament passed in 1998. They make laws on devolved matters such as health, education and much of transport. Matters such as defence, foreign affairs and immigration are reserved to the UK Parliament at Westminster. England has no separate parliament, so English matters are decided by the UK Parliament and local bodies. Because Westminster created these bodies, it could in theory change them, which is one reason the arrangements keep being debated.

The course aim is for pupils to understand how the country is governed and how citizens take part. In practice that means knowing the ways to influence local decisions: voting in local elections, contacting a councillor, responding to a consultation, signing or starting a petition, attending a council meeting, which is usually open to the public, or campaigning. Voting ages also differ: in Scotland and Wales 16- and 17-year-olds can already vote in devolved and local elections, and the UK government has announced plans to lower the voting age to 16 for other elections too, so it is worth checking the current rules with your teenager. The difference often sparks a lively discussion.

Words your child will hear

Councillor: An elected member of a local council who represents a ward and votes on council decisions.
Unitary authority: A single council responsible for all local services in its area, instead of a county and a district sharing them.
Council tax: A yearly charge on homes that pays for part of local services.
Devolution: Passing some decision-making powers from central government to a lower level, such as a nation, a city region or a council.
Combined authority: A group of neighbouring councils working together on matters such as transport and skills, often led by an elected mayor.
Reserved matters: Subjects, such as defence and foreign affairs, that stay with the UK Parliament rather than being devolved.
Consultation: A set period when a council or government asks the public for views before making a decision.

What the National Curriculum says

The programme of study for Key Stage 4 says:

Pupils should be taught about local, regional and international governance and the United Kingdom’s relations with the rest of Europe, the Commonwealth, the United Nations and the wider world
Aim: pupils acquire a sound knowledge and understanding of how the United Kingdom is governed, its political system and how citizens participate actively in its democratic systems of government.

Objectives from the National Curriculum in England, © Crown copyright, used under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Try it: who decides about a new housing estate?

A developer wants to build 200 homes on a field near your school. Which body decides, and how can local people have a say?

Name the type of decision. Building homes needs planning permission, so the developer sends a planning application to the local planning authority. In most of England that is the district, borough or unitary council.
Find the rules the council must work within. The council has its own local plan, agreed after consultation, and central government sets national planning policy. The council does not decide from a blank sheet.
Find who decides inside the council. Planning officers study the application and make a recommendation. Large or controversial applications go to a planning committee of elected councillors, who debate and vote in a public meeting.
List how residents can influence it. The application is published, neighbours are notified and anyone can comment within a set time. The parish or town council is usually asked for its view, people may be allowed to speak at the committee, and they can write to their ward councillor.
Say what happens after the decision. If the council refuses, the developer can appeal to an independent planning inspector. Local people cannot appeal an approval, though in limited cases they can ask a court to review whether the council followed the right process.

The local planning authority decides, usually through a vote of elected councillors on its planning committee, following its local plan and national policy. Residents can comment, speak, lobby their councillor and respond to consultations, but only the developer has a right of appeal.

Common mistakes and how to help

“The council runs all the schools in the area”

Councils did run most state schools in the past, and people still talk as if they do. Today many schools are academies, run by trusts and funded directly by central government.

What helps: Ask which body runs your child’s own school and who its governors or trustees are. Then look at what the council still does, such as helping to coordinate school places and supporting children with special educational needs.

Thinking devolution means Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are separate countries in charge of everything

Debates about independence and the word “parliament” make the devolved bodies sound fully sovereign. In fact they have only the powers the UK Parliament has devolved to them.

What helps: Sort a list of subjects, such as hospitals, defence, schools and passports, into devolved and reserved. It shows quickly that both layers have a real job.

Believing an elected mayor can make laws or has the power of a prime minister

A mayor is directly elected and often in the news, which makes the job look larger than it is.

What helps: Look at what a particular mayor actually controls, such as a share of transport and regional planning, and where the money comes from. Mayors use powers given to them by Parliament and cannot pass laws.

Assuming a council can raise council tax or cut services whenever residents are unhappy

Pupils see council tax as the council’s only income and think the council is free to change it at will.

What helps: Show a simple budget: income from several sources, then legal duties first, then other services. Large council tax rises need a local referendum, and councils must set a balanced budget.

How to help at home

Find out which councils cover your address. A council tax bill or bin calendar names the councils involved. Ask your teenager to work out whether you have one council or two, whether there is a parish or town council, and which body does what.
Read the council tax leaflet together. Bills often show how the money is shared between bodies such as the council, the police and the fire service. Let your teenager explain the split and spot which service they use most.
Report a local problem. A pothole, a broken streetlight or an overflowing bin is a good test. First work out which body is responsible, then find out how to report it and see how quickly it is dealt with.
Read an agenda or a candidate leaflet. Councils publish the agendas for public meetings, and local election leaflets arrive through the door. Ask what the council can actually do about each promise and what is a national matter.
Compare life across the UK. Devolved governments make different choices. Prescription charges, for example, have been abolished in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland but still apply in England for people who are not exempt. Ask why the difference exists and whether it is fair.