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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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Southend-on-Sea City Council leader Daniel Cowan, who led on the five district proposal, said his team could draw on almost "thirty years" of already being a unitary authority.

From BBC • Mar. 25, 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

The council said a transformed service would help boost the city's recycling rate of 22.9%, which is the lowest of any unitary authority in the country, with the exception of Liverpool.

From BBC • Jul. 9, 2025

Birmingham City Council said it remained committed to resolving the dispute despite its recycling rate of 22.9 % being the lowest of any unitary authority in the country, with the exception of Liverpool.

From BBC • Jul. 3, 2025

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

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