I work for Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council which is a Unitary Authority.

My feeling is that as a Unitary Authority inherited the functions previously carried out by a Non Metropolitan County Council then the definition applying to a NMCC should apply. However, I am unable to find evidence to clarify this question one way or the other. Can anyone supply me with a definitive answer?

The straight answer is that I don't *know* the answer. But, it strikes me that this is simply a matter of fact - the LA will surely know what type of Council it is. A quick phone call to the Chief Exec's (or legal) department should sort it.

www.blackburn.gov.uk

Where and in what context is the definition to which you refer? It's not one I have come across and the context could clarify.

The Local Government Changes for England Regulations 1994 defines unitary authority as “any authority which is the sole principal council for its local government area”.

I am guessing this is to do with the definition of "exempt accommodation" for the purposes of which set of rules to follow for determining the eligible rent. Accomodation provided by an NMCC would fall into the "Old Scheme" pre-1996 category. Whether a UA which has taken on the functions of an old NMCC would fit the definition, I don't know, though wouldn't it still fall within the scope of the old scheme in some way anyhow?

Yes you're right the definition is in relation to 'Exempt Accommodation'.

I have managed to find the following defintions on the website for National Statistics but it is also possible to find conflicting definition on the same site if you look for it.

'A shire county or non-metropolitan county in England is a county level entity which is not a metropolitan county'

'Technically, most unitary authorities in England are also non-metropolitan counties'.

It's beginning to look like there is no clarification on this issue and the only way forward would be to put in an appeal and see what the outcome will be.

If anyone has any further thoughts on the issue I am still interested to hear them.

There are 6 Metropolitan Counties in England - Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Tyne & Wear, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire and West Midlands.

If Blackburn doesn't fall into one of those groupings then I'd say it's 'non-metropolitan'.

Seems like a strange distinction to have to make in relation to exemption, but I'm sure there must be a valid reason for it buried away somewhere or other!

I agree with the earlier contributor who suggested that there should be other ways to get the particular accommodation exempted, if this issue proves to be a sticking point.

Merseyside County Council was actually abolished in 1986 and replaced with five metropolitan councils, Sefton, Knowsley, Wirral ,St Helens and Liverpool. So, there may be more metroplitan councils that are not part of the County Council structure.

Does this take things any further forward?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolitan_and_non-metropolitan_counties_of_England

That seems to help - it even breaks down 'Merseyside' into the districts you mentioned in your previous post.

As a starting point it seems to make sense to know what a Metropolitan Council is before we can understand what a NON Metropolitan COuncil is...

Hampshire is definitely a non-metropolitan county now, and Southampton, Gosport and Portsmouth are no longer technically part of Hampshire as they are now unitary authorities. They have never been metropolitan counties, and have now taken on within their areas functions which elsewhere are carried on by the county, such as social services, education and highways. I am less sure about police. So to this extent as unitary authorities they have taken on locally the role of the county council, reducing a tier of bureaucracy (or that was the idea). Up here in the north of the county, we still have the old split.