Editing Local Government Act 1972 (section)

{{Use British English|date=January 2013}} 
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2021}}
{{Infobox UK legislation
| short_title           = Local Government Act 1972
| type                  = Act
| parliament            = Parliament of the United Kingdom
| long_title            = An Act to make provision with respect to local government and the functions of local authorities in England and Wales; to amend Part II of the Transport Act 1968; to confer rights of appeal in respect of decisions relating to licences under the Home Counties (Music and Dancing) Licensing Act 1926; to make further provision with respect to magistrates' courts committees; to abolish certain inferior courts of record; and for connected purposes.
| year                  = 1972
| citation              = [[List of acts of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1972|1972]] c. 70
| introduced_commons    = 
| introduced_lords      = 
| territorial_extent    = England and Wales
| royal_assent          = 26 October 1972
| commencement          = {{ubli|26 October 1972|1 April 1974}}
| expiry_date           = 
| repeal_date           = 
| amends                = 
| replaces              = {{ubli|[[Counties (Detached Parts) Act 1844]]|[[Burial Act 1854]]|[[Burial Act 1860]]|[[Burial Act 1871]]|[[Public Health (Interments) Act 1879]]|[[Burial Boards (Contested Elections) Act 1885]]|[[Local Government (Joint Committees) Act 1897]]|[[Lincolnshire Coroners Act 1899]]|[[Local Authorities (Publicity) Act 1931]]|[[Local Government Act 1933]]|[[Health Resorts and Watering Places Act 1936]]|[[Local Authorities (Expenses) Act 1956]]|[[Local Government Elections Act 1956]]|[[Public Health Officers (Deputies) Act 1957]]|[[Local Government (Pecuniary Interests) Act 1964]]|[[Local Government (Qualification of Members) Act 1971]]}}
| amendments            = 
| repealing_legislation = 
| related_legislation   = {{ubli|[[Local Government (Boundaries) Act (Northern Ireland) 1971]]|[[Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 1972]]|[[Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973]]}}
| status                = amended
| legislation_history   = 
| theyworkforyou        = 
| millbankhansard       = 
| original_text         = 
| revised_text          = 
| use_new_UK-LEG        = yes
| UK-LEG_title          = 
| collapsed             = 
}}
{{United Kingdom formation}}

The '''Local Government Act 1972''' (c. 70) is an [[Act of Parliament (United Kingdom)|act]] of the [[Parliament of the United Kingdom]] that reformed [[local government in the United Kingdom|local government]] in [[England and Wales]] on 1 April 1974.<ref name=lga1972>{{cite book|title=Local Government Act 1972. 1972 c.70|publisher=The Stationery Office Ltd|isbn=0-10-547072-4|year=1997}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Local Government Act 1972 |website=legislation.gov.uk |publisher=The National Archives |url=https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1972/70/contents }}</ref> It was one of the most significant acts of Parliament to be passed by the [[Heath ministry|Heath Government of 1970–74]].

The act took the total number of councils in England from 1,245 to 412 (excluding [[Parish council (England)|parish councils]]), and in Wales to 45.<ref name="LGA">{{cite web |url=https://www.local.gov.uk/lga-independent/our-work/political-and-governance-implications-unitary-reorganisation |title=The political and governance implications of unitary reorganisation |last=Copus |first=Colin |website=[[Local Government Association]] |access-date=28 December 2023}}</ref> Its pattern of two-tier [[Metropolitan county|metropolitan]] and [[non-metropolitan county]] and [[Districts of England|district]] councils remains in use today in large parts of England, although the metropolitan county councils were abolished in 1986, and both county and district councils have been replaced with [[Unitary authorities of England|unitary authorities]] in many areas since the 1990s. In Wales, too, the Act established a similar pattern of counties and [[Districts of Wales|districts]],<ref name=arnold_baker>{{cite book|author=[[Charles Arnold-Baker|Arnold-Baker, C.]]|title=''Local Government Act 1972''|year=1973}}</ref> but these have since been entirely replaced with a [[subdivisions of Wales|system of unitary authorities]]. 

[[1973 United Kingdom local elections|Elections]] were held to the new authorities in 1973, and they acted as "shadow authorities" until the handover date. Elections to county councils were held on 12 April, for metropolitan and Welsh districts on 10 May, and for non-metropolitan district councils on 7 June.<ref>''The Times'', 13 April, 11 May, 8 June 1973</ref>