Administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Local government area" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR(October 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)
A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a state, province, division, or territory.
The phrase is used as a generalised description in the United Kingdom to refer to a variety of political divisions such as boroughs, counties, unitary authorities, and cities, all of which have a council or similar body exercising a degree of self-government. Each of the United Kingdom's four constituent countries has its own structure of local government, for example Northern Ireland has local districts; many parts of England have non-metropolitan counties consisting of rural districts; London and many other urban areas have boroughs; there are three islands councils off the coast of Scotland; while the rest of Scotland and all of Wales are divided into unitary authority counties, some of which are officially designated as cities. As such the term local government area is a convenient generic label referring to all of these authorities and the areas within their control.
The term is particularly common in Australia where it is synonymous with "municipality".[citation needed] Local government authorities across the country have similar functions and powers,[citation needed] but have different official designations in different states, and according to whether they are urban or rural. Most urban municipalities in all states are "cities".[1] Many in Western Australia are officially "towns", even within the Perth metropolitan area.[1] Many rural areas in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia are "shires", while rural areas in South Australia have "district councils", and those in Tasmania officially use the title "municipality".[1] Due to the Australian Capital Territory's small size it has no local government and is instead overseen by the ACT Legislative Assembly.[1]
Australian LGA status by state/territory[1]
State/territory
LGA status
New South Wales
Cities
Areas
Northern Territory
Cities
Towns
Municipalities
Shires
Queensland
Cities
Shires
Towns
Regional councils
South Australia
Cities
Rural cities
Municipalities/municipal councils
District councils
Regional councils
Towns
Aboriginal councils
Tasmania
Cities
Municipalities
Victoria
Cities
Rural cities
Boroughs
Shires
Western Australia
Cities
Towns
Shires
It is largely for this reason that the term "local government area", or simply "LGA", is favoured over the term "municipality", the use of which could easily lead to confusion. In recent years changes to the structures of local government have given rise to new official designations, while other terms have fallen out of favour. In the mid-1990s the state government of Victoria amalgamated almost all municipalities, abolishing many cities and shires, all towns and all but one borough. Queenscliff, south of Melbourne, is now the only place in Australia that is officially a borough. Meanwhile, many "rural cities" were formed in largely rural areas where the core town is large enough, in terms of population, to be considered a city. In many such cases that town had previously been governed by a now defunct city council. Restructuring of local government in New South Wales and Queensland in the following decade gave rise to the municipal designations of "region" and "area", for example, the Sunshine Coast of Queensland was formerly divided into several shires, but is now governed by a single Sunshine Coast Regional Council.
"Local government area" is also an official designation in The Gambia and Nigeria.
^ abcde"Local Government Areas (LGAs) - 1270.0.55.003 - Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS): Volume 3 - Non ABS Structures, June 2020". Australian Bureau of Statistics. 2020-06-16. Archived from the original on 2021-10-31. Retrieved 2021-10-31.
and 27 Related for: Local government area information
A localgovernmentarea (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a localgovernment is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country...
Nigeria has 774 localgovernmentareas (LGAs), each administered by a localgovernment council consisting of a chairman, who is the chief executive, and...
This is a list of localgovernmentareas (LGAs) in Victoria, sorted by region. Also referred to as municipalities, the 79 Victorian LGAs are classified...
corporations, shires, villages, and localgovernmentareas. The same term may be used in different countries to refer to local governance institutions with vastly...
referred to generically by the Australian Bureau of Statistics as the localgovernmentarea or LGA, each of which encompasses multiple suburbs or localities...
The five divisions consists of a total of 20 LocalGovernmentAreas and 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs). The LCDAs include Agbado/Oke-Odo, Agboyi-Ketu...
For localgovernment purposes, Scotland is divided into 32 areas designated as "council areas" (Scottish Gaelic: comhairlean), which are all governed...
Tasmania. Localgovernmentareas (LGAs), more generally known as councils, are the tier of government responsible for the management of local duties such...
list of localgovernmentareas (LGAs) in New South Wales, sorted by region. As of January 2023[update] there were 128 localgovernmentareas in New South...
There are 137 localgovernmentareas (LGAs) in Western Australia, which comprise 27 cities, 102 shires, and 8 towns that manage their own affairs to the...
The Borgu LocalGovernmentArea is an administrative region in Niger State, Nigeria, It is one of the 25 LocalGovernmentAreas (LGAs) in the state, with...
in unincorporated areas. In 2006, prior to the reorganisation of localgovernmentareas in the territory, 92 percent of the land area (1,237,999 km2 (477...
and barangays, all of which are collectively known as localgovernment units (LGUs). In some areas, above provinces and independent chartered cities are...
Civil parishes are the lowest tier of localgovernment, and primarily exist in rural and smaller urban areas. The responsibilities of parish councils...
plurality of votes in the highest number of localgovernmentAreas. Nigeria portal Kano State Government See List of governors of Kano State for a list...
eight localgovernmentareas. They are: Banjul Basse Brikama Janjanbureh Kanifing Kerewan Kuntaur Mansakonko Divisions of the Gambia List of local government...
Localgovernment in India is governmental jurisdiction below the level of the state. Local self-government means that residents in towns, villages and...
organisations, often called localgovernmentareas (LGAs) are constituted and managed in accordance with the LocalGovernment Act 1999 (South Australia)...
Kwara state. The famous Gurara Falls is in Niger State, and Gurara LocalGovernmentArea is named after the Gurara River, on whose course the fall is situated...
The localgovernment in Malaysia is the lowest tier of government in Malaysia administered under the states and federal territories which in turn are...
The functions of localgovernment in the Republic of Ireland are mostly exercised by thirty-one local authorities, termed County, City, or City and County...
and most populated city is Potiskum. Yobe State consists of 17 localgovernmentareas (or LGAs). They are: Bade Bursari Damaturu Geidam Gujba Gulani Fika...
Localgovernment in the Australian state of Victoria consists of 79 localgovernmentareas (LGAs). Also referred to as municipalities, Victorian LGAs are...
for the same date. Each localgovernmentarea (a city, a county, or a city and county) is divided into local electoral areas (LEAs) where three to seven...
Localgovernment in Scotland comprises thirty-two local authorities, commonly referred to as councils. Each council provides public services, including...
Global Information