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unitary authority

British

noun

(in the United Kingdom) a district administered by a single tier of local government, esp those districts of England that became administratively independent of the county councils in 1996–98

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

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Paul Turner, who stood for Reform having previously been an independent councillor, and a Conservative councillor before that, said his top priority was to bring about a smooth transition to a unitary authority.

From BBC • May 8, 2026

The existing county council and six district councils would disappear - with Cheltenham joining Tewkesbury and the Cotswold district in a new eastern unitary authority.

From BBC • Jan. 7, 2026

All 55 council seats in the unitary authority were up for election, along with four new seats created by boundary changes.

From BBC • May 5, 2023

It became a unitary authority in 1998 and has a population of more than 183,000.

From BBC • Oct. 17, 2021

City of York Council will remain separate but all others will be fused together under a new, unitary authority covering a population of 618,000.

From BBC • Jul. 21, 2021

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023