| Non-metropolitan district | |
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| Category | Local authority districts |
| Location | England |
| Found in | Non-metropolitan county |
| Created by | Local Government Act 1972 |
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| Number | 226 (as of 2023) |
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| Possible status | |
| This article is part of a series within the Politics of the United Kingdom on the |
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Non-metropolitan districts, or colloquially "shire districts", are a type of local government district in England. As created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan counties (colloquially shire counties) in a two-tier arrangement.[1] Non-metropolitan districts with borough status are known as boroughs, able to appoint a mayor and refer to itself as a borough council. Some shire counties now have no sub divisions so are a single Non-metropolitan district such as Cornwall.
Typically a district will consist of a market town and its more rural hinterland. However districts are diverse with some being mostly urban such as Dartford, and others more polycentric such as Thurrock.
- ^ "A Beginners Guide to UK Geography (2023)". Open Geography Portal. Office for National Statistics. 24 August 2023. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
The 188 non-metropolitan districts (also known as local authority districts (LAD)) form the lower tier of the two-tier local government structure found in many parts of England. They are subdivisions of the non-metropolitan (shire) counties.