Streamlining the cities: Government proposals for reorganising local government in Greater London and the Metropolitan counties was a government

white paper A white paper is a report or guide that informs readers concisely about a complex issue and presents the issuing body's philosophy on the matter. It is meant to help readers understand an issue, solve a problem, or make a decision. A white pape ...

issued in 1983, by the

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

government of

Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. She was the first female British prime ...

which led to the abolition of the Greater London Council (GLC) and the metropolitan county councils (MCCs). The white paper argued that most local services in Greater London and in the six

metropolitan counties The metropolitan counties are a type of county-level administrative division of England. There are six metropolitan counties, which each cover large urban areas, with populations between 1 and 3 million. They were created in 1974 and are each di ...

, were provided by the

London borough The London boroughs are the 32 local authority districts that together with the City of London make up the administrative area of Greater London; each is governed by a London borough council. The present London boroughs were all created at ...

s, and by the

Metropolitan district A metropolitan borough (or metropolitan district) is a type of local government district in England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972, metropolitan boroughs are defined in English law as metropolitan districts within metropoli ...

councils. Specifically, GLC and the MCCs only provided 16% and 26% of services in their areas respectively - however the shire

county council A county council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries. Ireland The county councils created under British rule in 1899 continue to exist in Irel ...

s provided 87% of services in their areas. The white paper concluded therefore, that the latter's existence could be justified, whereas the GLC and the MCCs could not. It was also claimed that the GLC and the MCCs were profligate. The white paper concluded that the GLC and the MCCs should be abolished and replaced by a system of joint boards, to take over some of the county council's functions. The white paper's proposals were largely implemented in the

Local Government Act 1985 The Local Government Act 1985 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom. Its main effect was to abolish the six county councils of the metropolitan counties that had been set up in 1974, 11 years earlier, by the Local Government Act 1972 ...

. However, this was controversial as the GLC and MCCs were controlled by the Labour Party and led to accusations that their abolition was motivated by party politics.

External links

The white paper's full text
Government reports White papers 1983 in the United Kingdom Local government in England 1983 documents {{England-poli-stub