| Act of Parliament | |
 | |
| Long title | An Act to abolish the Greater London Council and the metropolitan county councils; to transfer their functions to the local authorities in their areas and, in some cases, to other bodies; and to provide for other matters consequential on, or connected with, the abolition of those councils. |
|---|---|
| Citation | 1985 c. 51 |
| Territorial extent | England and Wales |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 16 July 1985 |
| Commencement | 1 April 1986 |
Status: Amended | |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
| Text of the Local Government Act 1985 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk. | |
The Local Government Act 1985 (c. 51) is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom. Its main effect was to abolish the six county councils of the metropolitan counties that had been set up in 1974, 11 years earlier, by the Local Government Act 1972, along with the Greater London Council that had been established in 1965. In their place many single purpose authorities known collectively as 'joint authorities' were established for fire service, police and passenger transport. An ad hoc education authority was established for Inner London and a planning authority for Greater London. The legislation permitted councils to form 'joint arrangements' for waste disposal and other services that they wished to provide together. Time-limited residuary bodies were created to dispose of the assets of the former authorities.