The English Shires

Geoffrey Kingscott is also currently preparing a book called The English Shires, which examines how our county system came into being, why it has lasted 1,000 years and still has a lot of life left in it, and continues to give people a sense of local identity. But it is now threatened by bureaucrats and politicians who cannot stop constant tinkering with boundaries, by the proliferation of quangos and new administrative authorities, each with their own 'area' offices, and by the regionalisation promoted by the European Union.

Geoffrey Kingscott on the boundary between Rutland and Northamptonshire
Geoffrey Kingscott on the boundary between Rutland and Northamptonshire. Rutland is England's smallest county, but its residents have put up a doughty fight in recent years to prevent it being legislated out of existence.

 

The chapter headings are: Introduction; 1 - The first 1,000 years; 2 - How boundaries developed; 3 - Local Government Acts 1835 - 2009; 4 - County by county; 5 - The rise of the quango; 6 - The regional threat; 7 - Confusion of boundaries; 8 - Counties and voluntary organisations; 9 - The present situation; 10 - Other countries; 11- The way forward; Bibliography; Appendices.