London borough (original) (raw)

The administrative area of Greater London contains 32 London Boroughs, of which twelve (plus the City of London) make up Inner London and twenty Outer London.

Map

History

The present boroughs came into existence on April 1, 1965 with the creation of the Greater London Council (GLC). They had wider authority than the inner London metropolitan boroughs and neighbouring municipal boroughs which they mostly replaced, but less power than the three county boroughs of Croydon, West Ham and East Ham which ceased to exist at the same time.

The London boroughs became in effect unitary authorities (combining both county and borough functions, much like the former county boroughs) at the GLC's abolition on April 1, 1986. Since the creation (2000) of a new Greater London Authority, covering the former GLC area but with more limited powers, the boroughs now have powers intermediate between those of English unitary authorities and districts within administrative counties.

The City of London is administered by its own distinct body (the Corporation of London) which predates the London boroughs.