unitary authoritynoun [ C ]
/ˌjuː.nɪ.tər.i ɔːˈθɒr.ə.ti//ˌjuː.nɪ.ter.i əˈθɔːr.ə.t̬i/in England, a town or city or large area that is responsible for all the functions of local government, so that these are not divided between two different authorities:
Cheshire's two-tier system - a county council and six district councils - changed, with the county split between two unitary authorities.
More examples
- The vast majority of district and county councils that responded to our recent consultation paper on the structure of local government in England expressed their desire to become unitary authorities.
- Unitary authorities provide the best means for securing local services at the lowest cost.
- He said Cleveland would be best served with a unitary authority covering the current area.
- Plans to impose more unitary authorities on Britain's disjointed patchwork of local government have hit a glitch after a judicial review was brought in the High Court.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
UK politics: local government & politics
- alderman
- authority
- borough
- canton
- city council
- city fathers
- city hall
- councilman
- councilwoman
- county borough
- county council
- development area
- municipality
- parish council
- parochial
- prefecture
- principal area
- shire
- South Yorkshire
- town meeting
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