View source for County borough

{{Short description|Borough or city independent of county council control}}
{{for-multi|the pre-1880s definition|United Kingdom constituencies#County constituencies and borough constituencies|the similar county-level jurisdictions in the United States|List of boroughs and census areas in Alaska|and|Boroughs of New York City}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2019}}

{{Infobox subdivision type
| name = County borough
| alt_name = 
| alt_name1 = 
| alt_name2 = 
| alt_name3 = 
| alt_name4 = 
| map = England Administrative Map 1971.png               
| caption = Map of county boroughs in 1971 (named in boldface capitals), alongside administrative counties, municipal boroughs, urban districts, rural districts
| category = Borough
| territory = [[England and Wales]] and [[Ireland]]
| upper_unit = Counties
| start_date = [[England]] 1889
| start_date1 = [[Wales]] 1889/1994
| start_date2 = [[Ireland]] 1899
| start_date3 = 
| start_date4 = 
| legislation_begin = [[Local Government Act 1888]]
| legislation_begin1 = [[Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898]]
| legislation_begin2 = [[Local Government (Wales) Act 1994]]
| legislation_begin3 = 
| legislation_begin4 = 
| legislation_end = [[Local Government (Boundaries) Act (Northern Ireland) 1971]]
| legislation_end1 = [[Local Government Act 1972]]
| legislation_end2 = [[Local Government Act 2001]]
| legislation_end3 = 
| legislation_end4 = 
| end_date = [[Northern Ireland]] 1973 (local government)
| end_date1 = [[England and Wales]] 1974
| end_date2 = [[Ireland]] 2002
| end_date3 = 
| end_date4 = 
| current_number = 11
| number_date = 2008
| type = Lieutenancy area (2)
| type1 = Principal area (9)
| type2 = 
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| status = 
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| exofficio = 
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| population_range = 
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}}

'''County borough''' is a term introduced in 1889 in the [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland]], to refer to a [[borough]] or a [[city]] independent of [[county council]] control, similar to the [[Unitary authorities of England|unitary authorities]] created since the 1990s. An equivalent term used in Scotland was a '''county of city'''. They were abolished by the [[Local Government Act 1972]] in [[England and Wales]], but continue in use for [[lord lieutenant|lieutenancy]] and [[high sheriff|shrievalty]] in [[Northern Ireland]]. In the [[Republic of Ireland]] they remain in existence but have been renamed ''cities'' under the provisions of the [[Local Government Act 2001]].<ref>Sections 10(2) and 10(4)(b) of the {{cite ISB |year=2001 |date=21 July 2001 |num=37 |title=Local Government Act 2001}}</ref> The [[Local Government (Wales) Act 1994]] re-introduced the term for certain "[[principal area]]s" in Wales. Scotland did not have county boroughs but instead had [[county of city|counties of cities]]. These were abolished on 16 May 1975. All four Scottish cities of the time—[[Aberdeen]], [[Dundee]], [[Edinburgh]], and [[Glasgow]]—were included in this category. There was an additional category of [[large burgh]] in the Scottish system (similar to a [[municipal borough]] in England and Wales), which were responsible for all services apart from police, education and fire.

== England and Wales ==
=== History ===
==== Initial creation ====
When [[county council]]s were first created in 1889, it was decided that to let them have authority over large towns or cities would be impractical, and so any large incorporated place would have the right to be a county borough, and thus independent from the [[Administrative counties of England|administrative county]] it would otherwise come under. Some cities and towns were already independent [[county corporate|counties corporate]], and most were to become county boroughs.  Originally ten county boroughs were proposed; [[Bristol]], [[Kingston upon Hull|Hull]], [[Newcastle upon Tyne]] and [[Nottingham]], which were already counties, and [[Birmingham]], [[Bradford]], [[Leeds]], [[Liverpool]], [[Manchester]], and [[Sheffield]], which were not. The [[Local Government Act 1888]] as eventually passed required a population of over 50,000 except in the case of existing counties corporate.<ref>Local Government Act 1888, s.31</ref> This resulted in 61 county boroughs in England and two in Wales ([[Cardiff]] and [[Swansea]]). Several exceptions were allowed, mainly for historic towns, including [[Bath, Somerset|Bath]] and [[Dudley]], which would still remain below the 50,000 limit by the time of the 1901 census. Some of the smaller counties corporate—[[Berwick upon Tweed]], [[Lichfield]], [[Poole]], [[Carmarthen]] and [[Haverfordwest]]—did not become county boroughs, although [[Canterbury]], with a population under 25,000, did.

==== Growth ====
The county councils and county borough councils came into operation on 1 April 1889. Just seven months later, on 9 November 1889, the city of [[Oxford]] was the first borough which had not been made a county borough by the 1888 Act to be elevated to county borough status.<ref>{{cite book |title=Annual Report of the Local Government Board |date=1890 |publisher=Her Majesty's Stationery Office |location=London |page=324 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lRUwAQAAMAAJ |access-date=21 December 2022}}</ref> Various other new county boroughs were constituted in the following decades, generally as more boroughs reached the 50,000 minimum and then promoted Acts to constitute them county boroughs. The granting of county borough status was the subject of much disagreement between the large [[municipal borough]]s and the county councils. The population limit provided county councils with a disincentive to allow mergers or boundary amendments to districts that would create authorities with large populations, as this would allow them to seek county borough status and remove the tax base from the administrative county.

County boroughs to be constituted in this era were a mixed bag, including some towns that would continue to expand such as [[Bournemouth]] and [[Southend-on-Sea]]. Other towns such as [[Burton upon Trent]] and [[Dewsbury]] were not to increase in population much past 50,000. 1913 saw the attempts of [[Luton]] and [[Cambridge]] to gain county borough status defeated in the [[British House of Commons|House of Commons]], despite the approval of the [[Local Government Board]] – the removal of Cambridge from Cambridgeshire would have reduced the income of Cambridgeshire County Council by over half.

==== Slowdown ====
[[Image:RutlandRoadSignSmethwick.jpg|thumb|right|Street nameplate on Rutland Road, [[Smethwick]] in April 2007, showing painted out "County Borough" lettering.]]
Upon recommendation of a commission chaired by the [[Richard Onslow, 5th Earl of Onslow|Earl of Onslow]], the population threshold was raised to 75,000 in 1926, by the [[Local Government (County Boroughs and Adjustments) Act 1926]], which also made it much harder to expand boundaries. The threshold was raised to 100,000 by the [[Local Government Act 1958]].

The viability of the county borough of [[Merthyr Tydfil County Borough|Merthyr Tydfil]] came into question in the 1930s. Due to [[Merthyr Tydfil#The decline of coal and iron|a decline in the heavy industries]] of the town, by 1932 more than half the male population was unemployed, resulting in very high municipal rates in order to make public assistance payments. At the same time the population of the borough was lower than when it had been created in 1908.<ref>[http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/data_cube_table_page.jsp?data_theme=T_POP&data_cube=N_TPop&u_id=10243646&c_id=10001043&add=N Census data on population of Merthyr Tydfil]</ref> A [[royal commission]] was appointed in May 1935 to "investigate whether the existing status of Merthyr Tydfil as a county borough should be continued, and if not, what other arrangements should be made".<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=34159 |date=1 May 1935 |page=3041}}</ref> The commission reported the following November, and recommended that Merthyr should revert to the status of a non-county borough, and that public assistance should be taken over by central government. In the event county borough status was retained by the town, with the chairman of the Welsh Board of Health appointed as administrative adviser in 1936.<ref>Report of the Royal Commission on the status of the County Borough of Merthyr Tydfil (Cmd.5039)</ref>

After the [[Second World War]] the creation of new county boroughs in [[England and Wales]] was effectively suspended, pending a local government review. A government [[white paper]] published in 1945 stated that "it is expected that there will be a number of Bills for extending or creating county boroughs" and proposed the creation of a boundary commission to bring coordination to local government reform. The policy in the paper also ruled out the creation of new county boroughs in [[Middlesex]] "owing to its special problems".<ref>''Local government in England and Wales during the period of reconstruction'' (Cmd.6579)</ref> The [[Local Government Boundary Commission (1945–1949)|Local Government Boundary Commission]] was appointed on 26 October 1945, under the chairmanship of [[Malcolm Eve|Sir Malcolm Trustram Eve]],<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=37325 |date=26 October 1945 |page=5238}}</ref> delivering its report in 1947.<ref>Report of the Local Government Boundary Commission for the year 1947</ref> The commission recommended that towns with a population of 200,000 or more should become one-tier "new counties", with "new county boroughs" having a population of 60,000–200,000 being "most-purpose authorities", with the county council of the administrative county providing certain limited services. The report envisaged the creation of 47 two-tiered "new counties", 21 one-tiered "new counties" and 63 "new county boroughs". The recommendations of the commission extended to a review of the division of functions between different tiers of local government, and thus fell outside its terms of reference, and its report was not acted upon.

==== Partial reform ====
The next attempt at reform was by the Local Government Act 1958, which established the [[Local Government Commission for England (1958–1967)|Local Government Commission for England]] and the [[Local Government Commission for Wales]] to carry out reviews of existing local government structures and recommend reforms. Although the Commissions did not complete their work before being dissolved, a handful of new county boroughs were constituted between 1964 and 1968.  [[Luton]], [[Torbay]], and [[Solihull]] gained county borough status. Additionally, the [[County Borough of Teesside|Teesside]] was formed from a merger of the existing county borough of [[Middlesbrough]], and the [[municipal boroughs]] of [[Stockton-on-Tees]], [[Redcar]] and [[Thornaby]]; [[County Borough of Warley|Warley]] was formed from the county borough of [[Smethwick]] and the non-county boroughs of [[Oldbury, West Midlands|Oldbury]] and [[Rowley Regis]]; and [[West Hartlepool]] was merged with [[Hartlepool]]. Following these changes, there was a total of 79 county boroughs in England. The Commission also recommended the downgrading of [[Barnsley]] to be a non-county borough, but this was not carried out.

==== Abolition ====

The county boroughs of [[County Borough of East Ham|East Ham]], [[County Borough of West Ham|West Ham]] and [[County Borough of Croydon|Croydon]] were abolished in 1965 with the creation of [[Greater London]] and went on to form parts of [[London borough]]s. The remaining county boroughs were abolished in 1974 under the [[Local Government Act 1972]], and replaced with [[non-metropolitan district]]s and [[metropolitan borough|metropolitan districts]], all beneath [[county council]]s in a two-tier structure. In Greater London and the metropolitan counties the lower tier districts retained a wider range of powers than in the non-metropolitan counties.

==== Revival ====

This situation did not persist long.  In 1986 the metropolitan county councils and the [[Greater London Council]] were abolished, returning the metropolitan boroughs to a status equivalent to the former county boroughs, but sharing some powers (police and transport for example).  In the 1990s, many of the non-metropolitan former county boroughs were reformed again as [[unitary authority|unitary authorities]] – essentially the same as a county borough. As a result, by 2015, most former county boroughs were either metropolitan boroughs or unitary authorities with a status similar to the old county boroughs. In England, most of those former county boroughs that did not gain unitary authority status—[[Barrow-in-Furness (borough)|Barrow-in-Furness]], [[Burnley (borough)|Burnley]], [[City of Canterbury|Canterbury]], [[City of Carlisle|Carlisle]], [[Chester (district)|Chester]], [[Eastbourne]], [[Gloucester]], [[Great Yarmouth (borough)|Great Yarmouth]], [[Hastings]], [[Ipswich]], [[Lincoln, Lincolnshire|Lincoln]], [[Northampton]], [[Norwich]], [[Oxford]], [[City of Preston, Lancashire|Preston]], and [[Worcester, England|Worcester]]—have given their names to non-unitary [[Districts of England|local government districts]] (in some cases coterminous with the old county borough, in other cases much larger). [[Burton upon Trent]] became an unparished area in the [[East Staffordshire]] borough, and has now been divided into several parishes.

In Wales, several [[principal area]]s are county boroughs:<ref name=lgaw94>[http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1994/19/schedule/1 Local Government (Wales) Act 1994, Schedule 1, Part II]</ref>

* [[Newport, Wales|Newport]] (acquired [[City status in the United Kingdom|city status]] in 2002)
* [[Merthyr Tydfil County Borough|Merthyr Tydfil]]
* [[Caerphilly County Borough|Caerphilly]]
* [[Blaenau Gwent]]
* [[Torfaen]]
* [[Vale of Glamorgan]]
* [[Bridgend County Borough|Bridgend]]
* [[Rhondda Cynon Taf]]
* [[Neath Port Talbot]]
* [[Wrexham County Borough|Wrexham]]
* [[Conwy County Borough|Conwy]]

For all practical purposes, county boroughs are exactly the same as the other [[principal areas of Wales]] called "''[[counties]]''" (including "''cities and counties''") as all these areas are run by [[unitary authorities]] (i.e. have the functions of both [[borough]]s and counties). Although unitary authorities are functionally equivalent to county boroughs, only in Wales is the title given official recognition by Act of Parliament.<ref name=lgaw94/>

=== English county boroughs in 1973 ===
[[Image:England County Boroughs 1974.png|600px|Map of County Boroughs Prior to Abolition in 1974]]

The map depicts the county boroughs in England immediately prior to their abolition in 1974.  County boroughs in Wales and Northern Ireland are not shown.

This table shows those county boroughs that existed in England and Wales between the Local Government Acts of 1888 (that created them) and 1972 (that abolished them from 1974).
<br />
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!County borough
!From
!Associated county 
!1971 census pop
!colspan=2|Successors in 1974
|-
|[[County Borough of Barnsley|Barnsley]]
|1913
|[[West Riding of Yorkshire|Yorkshire, West Riding]]
|75,439
|[[Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley|Barnsley MB]] (part)
|[[South Yorkshire]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Barrow-in-Furness|Barrow-in-Furness]]
|1889
|[[Lancashire]]
|64,039
|[[Barrow-in-Furness (borough)|Barrow-in-Furness]] (part)
|[[Cumbria]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Bath|Bath]]
|1889
|[[Somerset]]
|84,686
|Bath
|[[County of Avon|Avon]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Birkenhead|Birkenhead]]
|1889
|[[Cheshire]]
|137,889
|[[Wirral (borough)|Wirral MB]] (part)
|[[Merseyside]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Birmingham|Birmingham]]
|1889
|[[Warwickshire]]
|1,014,773
|[[City of Birmingham|Birmingham]] MB (part)
|[[West Midlands (county)|West Midlands]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Blackburn|Blackburn]]
|1889
|Lancashire
|101,802
|[[Blackburn with Darwen|Blackburn]] (part)
|[[Lancashire]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Blackpool|Blackpool]]
|1904
|Lancashire
|151,871
|Blackpool
|[[Lancashire]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Bolton|Bolton]]
|1889
|Lancashire
|154,223
|[[Bolton (borough)|Bolton MB]] (part)
|[[Greater Manchester]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Bootle|Bootle]]
|1889
|Lancashire
|74,304
|[[Metropolitan Borough of Sefton|Sefton MB]] (part)
|[[Merseyside]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Bournemouth|Bournemouth]]
|1900
|[[Hampshire]]
|153,861
|Bournemouth
|[[Dorset]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Bradford|Bradford]]
|1889
|Yorkshire, West Riding
|294,164
|[[City of Bradford|Bradford MB]] (part)
|[[West Yorkshire]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Brighton|Brighton]]
|1889
|Sussex
|161,350
|Brighton
|[[East Sussex]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Bristol|Bristol]]
|1889
|[[Gloucestershire]]{{efn|name=corp|These boroughs were [[county corporate|counties corporate]] and were separate from the associated county for certain largely ceremonial purposes, principally shrievalty and administration of justice.<ref>{{cite book|last=Arnold-Baker|first=Charles|title=The Companion to British History|year=2001|publisher=[[Routledge]]|isbn=9780415185837|edition=2|author-link=Charles Arnold-Baker|page=368}}</ref> }}
|426,653
|Bristol
|[[Avon (county)|Avon]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Burnley|Burnley]]
|1889
|Lancashire
|76,489
|[[Burnley (borough)|Burnley]] (part)
|[[Lancashire]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Burton upon Trent|Burton upon Trent]]
|1901
|Staffordshire
|50,211
|[[East Staffordshire]] (part){{efn|This county borough had [[charter trustees]].}}
|[[Staffordshire]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Bury|Bury]]
|1889
|Lancashire
|67,870
|[[Bury (borough)|Bury MB]] (part)
|[[Greater Manchester]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Canterbury|Canterbury]]
|1889
|Kent{{efn|name=corp}}
|33,155
|[[City of Canterbury|Canterbury]] (part)
|[[Kent]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Cardiff|Cardiff]]
|1889
|[[Glamorgan]]
|279,046
|[[Cardiff (district)|Cardiff]] (part)
|[[South Glamorgan]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Carlisle|Carlisle]]
|1915
|[[Cumberland]]
|71,580
|[[City of Carlisle|Carlisle]] (part)
|[[Cumbria]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Chester|Chester]]
|1889
|Cheshire{{efn|name=corp}}
|62,923
|[[Chester (district)|Chester]] (part)
|[[Cheshire]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Coventry|Coventry]]
|1889
|Warwickshire
|335,260
|[[City of Coventry|Coventry]] MB (part)
|[[West Midlands (county)|West Midlands]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Darlington|Darlington]]
|1915
|[[County Durham|Durham]]
|85,916
|[[Darlington (borough)|Darlington]] (part)
|[[County Durham|Durham]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Derby|Derby]]
|1889
|Derbyshire
|219,578
|Derby
|[[Derbyshire]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Dewsbury|Dewsbury]]
|1913
|Yorkshire, West Riding
|51,354
|[[Kirklees (borough)|Kirklees MB]] (part)
|[[West Yorkshire]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Doncaster|Doncaster]]
|1927
|Yorkshire, West Riding
|82,671
|[[Doncaster (borough)|Doncaster MB]] (part)
|[[South Yorkshire]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Dudley|Dudley]]
|1889
|Worcestershire to 1966<br />then Staffordshire
|185,592
|[[Dudley (borough)|Dudley MB]] (part)
|[[West Midlands (county)|West Midlands]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Eastbourne|Eastbourne]]
|1911
|Sussex
|70,949
|Eastbourne
|[[East Sussex]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Exeter|Exeter]]
|1889
|Devon{{efn|name=corp}}
|95,711
|Exeter
|[[Devon]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Gateshead|Gateshead]]
|1889
|Durham
|94,464
|[[Gateshead (borough)|Gateshead MB]] (part)
|[[Tyne and Wear]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Gloucester|Gloucester]]
|1889
|[[Gloucestershire]]{{efn|name=corp}}
|90,223
|Gloucester
|[[Gloucestershire]] 
|-
|[[County Borough of Grimsby|Grimsby]]
|1891
|[[Lincolnshire]]
|95,502
|Grimsby
|[[Humberside]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Halifax|Halifax]]
|1889
|Yorkshire, West Riding
|91,263
|[[Calderdale|Calderdale MB]] (part)
|[[West Yorkshire]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Hartlepool|Hartlepool]]
|1967
|Durham
|97,082
|[[Hartlepool (borough)|Hartlepool]] (part)
|[[Cleveland (county)|Cleveland]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Hastings|Hastings]]
|1889
|Sussex
|72,414
|Hastings
|[[East Sussex]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Huddersfield|Huddersfield]]
|1889
|Yorkshire, West Riding
|131,188
|[[Kirklees|Kirklees MB]] (part)
|[[West Yorkshire]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Ipswich|Ipswich]]
|1889
|Suffolk
|123,297
|Ipswich
|[[Suffolk]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Kingston upon Hull|Kingston upon Hull]]
|1889
|[[East Riding of Yorkshire|Yorkshire, East Riding]]{{efn|name=corp}}
|285,965
|Kingston upon Hull
|[[Humberside]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Leeds|Leeds]]
|1889
|Yorkshire, West Riding
|496,036
|[[City of Leeds|Leeds MB]] (part)
|[[West Yorkshire]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Leicester|Leicester]]
|1889
|[[Leicestershire]]
|284,208
|Leicester
|[[Leicestershire]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Lincoln|Lincoln]]
|1889
|Lincolnshire{{efn|name=corp}}
|77,077 (1961)
|Lincoln
|[[Lincolnshire]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Liverpool|Liverpool]]
|1889
|Lancashire
|610,114
|Liverpool MB
|[[Merseyside]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Luton|Luton]]
|1964
|Bedfordshire
|161,400
|Luton
|[[Bedfordshire]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Manchester|Manchester]]
|1889
|Lancashire
|543,741
|[[City of Manchester|Manchester]] MB (part)
|[[Greater Manchester]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Merthyr Tydfil|Merthyr Tydfil]]
|1908
|Glamorgan
|55,283
|Merthyr Tydfil
|[[Mid Glamorgan]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Newcastle upon Tyne|Newcastle upon Tyne]]
|1889
|[[Northumberland]]{{efn|name=corp}}
|222,172
|[[City of Newcastle upon Tyne|Newcastle upon Tyne]] MB (part)
|[[Tyne and Wear]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Newport|Newport]]
|1891
|[[Monmouthshire (historic)|Monmouthshire]]
|112,298
|[[Newport (district)|Newport]]
|[[Gwent (county)|Gwent]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Northampton|Northampton]]
|1889
|[[Northamptonshire]]
|126,597
|[[Borough of Northampton|Northampton]] (part)
|[[Northamptonshire]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Nottingham|Nottingham]]
|1889
|[[Nottinghamshire]]{{efn|name=corp}}
|300,675
|Nottingham
|[[Nottinghamshire]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Norwich|Norwich]]
|1889
|[[Norfolk]]{{efn|name=corp}}
|122,093
|Norwich
|[[Norfolk]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Oldham|Oldham]]
|1889
|Lancashire
|105,922
|[[Oldham (borough)|Oldham MB]] (part)
|[[Greater Manchester]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Oxford|Oxford]]
|1889
|[[Oxfordshire]]
|108,834
|Oxford
|[[Oxfordshire]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Plymouth|Plymouth]]
|1889
|Devon
|239,467
|Plymouth
|[[Devon]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Portsmouth|Portsmouth]]
|1889
|Hampshire
|197,453
|Portsmouth
|[[Hampshire]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Preston|Preston]]
|1889
|Lancashire
|98,091
|[[City of Preston, Lancashire|Preston]] (part)
|[[Lancashire]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Reading|Reading]]
|1889
|[[Berkshire]]
|132,978
|Reading
|[[Berkshire]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Rochdale|Rochdale]]
|1889
|Lancashire
|91,461
|[[Rochdale (borough)|Rochdale MB]] (part)
|[[Greater Manchester]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Rotherham|Rotherham]]
|1902
|Yorkshire, West Riding
|84,800
|[[Rotherham (borough)|Rotherham MB]] (part)
|[[South Yorkshire]]
|-
|[[County Borough of St Helens|St Helens]]
|1889
|Lancashire
|104,326
|[[St Helens (borough)|St Helens MB]] (part)
|[[Merseyside]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Salford|Salford]]
|1889
|Lancashire
|131,006
|[[City of Salford|Salford MB]] (part)
|[[Greater Manchester]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Sheffield|Sheffield]]
|1889
|Yorkshire, West Riding
|520,308
|[[City of Sheffield|Sheffield MB]] (part)
|[[South Yorkshire]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Solihull|Solihull]]
|1964
|Warwickshire
|107,086
|[[Solihull (borough)|Solihull MB]] (part)
|[[West Midlands (county)|West Midlands]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Southampton|Southampton]]
|1889
|Hampshire{{efn|name=corp}}
|215,131
|Southampton
|[[Hampshire]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Southend-on-Sea|Southend-on-Sea]]
|1914
|Essex
|162,735
|Southend-on-Sea
|[[Essex]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Southport|Southport]]
|1905
|Lancashire
|84,524
|[[Metropolitan Borough of Sefton|Sefton MB]] (part)
|[[Merseyside]]
|-
|[[County Borough of South Shields|South Shields]]
|1889
|Durham
|100,676
|[[South Tyneside|South Tyneside MB]] (part)
|[[Tyne and Wear]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Stockport|Stockport]]
|1889
|Cheshire
|139,598
|[[Metropolitan Borough of Stockport|Stockport MB]] (part)
|[[Greater Manchester]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Stoke on Trent|Stoke on Trent]]
|1910
|Staffordshire
|265,258
|Stoke-on-Trent
|[[Staffordshire]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Sunderland|Sunderland]]
|1889
|Durham
|217,075
|[[City of Sunderland|Sunderland MB]] (part)
|[[Tyne and Wear]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Swansea|Swansea]]
|1889
|Glamorgan
|173,355
|[[Swansea (district)|Swansea]] (part)
|[[West Glamorgan]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Teesside|Teesside]]
|1968
|Yorkshire, North Riding
|396,233
|[[Middlesbrough (borough)|Middlesbrough]] (part)<br />[[Stockton-on-Tees (borough)|Stockton]] (part)<br />[[Redcar and Cleveland|Langbaurgh]] (part)
|[[Cleveland (county)|Cleveland]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Torbay|Torbay]]
|1968
|Devon
|109,260
|Torbay
|[[Devon]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Tynemouth|Tynemouth]]
|1904
|Northumberland
|69,339
|[[North Tyneside|North Tyneside MB]] (part)
|[[Tyne and Wear]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Wakefield|Wakefield]]
|1915
|Yorkshire, West Riding
|59,591
|[[City of Wakefield|Wakefield MB]] (part)
|[[West Yorkshire]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Wallasey|Wallasey]]
|1913
|Cheshire
|97,216
|[[Wirral (borough)|Wirral MB]] (part)
|[[Merseyside]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Walsall|Walsall]]
|1889
|Staffordshire
|184,734
|[[Walsall (borough)|Walsall MB]] (part)
|[[West Midlands (county)|West Midlands]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Warley|Warley]]
|1966
|Worcestershire
|163,567
|[[Sandwell|Sandwell MB]] (part)
|[[West Midlands (county)|West Midlands]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Warrington|Warrington]]
|1900
|Lancashire
|68,322
|[[Borough of Warrington|Warrington]] (part)
|[[Cheshire]]
|-
|[[County Borough of West Bromwich|West Bromwich]]
|1889
|Staffordshire
|166,592
|[[Sandwell|Sandwell MB]] (part)
|[[West Midlands (county)|West Midlands]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Wigan|Wigan]]
|1889
|Lancashire
|81,144
|[[Wigan (borough)|Wigan MB]] (part)
|[[Greater Manchester]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Wolverhampton|Wolverhampton]]
|1889
|Staffordshire
|269,112
|Wolverhampton MB
|[[West Midlands (county)|West Midlands]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Worcester|Worcester]]
|1889
|Worcestershire{{efn|name=corp}}
|73,454
|[[City of Worcester|Worcester]] (part)
|[[Hereford and Worcester]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Great Yarmouth|Yarmouth]]
|1889
|Norfolk
|50,236
|[[Great Yarmouth (borough)|Great Yarmouth]] (part)
|[[Norfolk]]
|-
|[[County Borough of York|York]]
|1889
|Yorkshire, West Riding{{efn|name=corp}}
|104,783
|York
|[[North Yorkshire]]
|}

{{notelist}}

Only four districts with more than one county borough were formed: [[Metropolitan Borough of Wirral|Wirral]], [[Sandwell]], [[Metropolitan Borough of Sefton|Sefton]] and [[Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees|Kirklees]]. Elsewhere, county boroughs usually formed the core or all of a district named after the county borough – with the exceptions of Halifax, whose metropolitan district was named [[Calderdale]], Burton upon Trent, which became part of the East Staffordshire district, and Teesside, which was split up between three non-metropolitan districts.

=== Previous county boroughs ===

County boroughs to be abolished prior to 1974 were:

{| class="wikitable sortable"
!County borough
!County
!Created
!Abolished
!Successor
|-
|[[County Borough of Croydon|Croydon]]
|[[Surrey]]
|1889
|1965
|Greater London: [[London Borough of Croydon]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Devonport|Devonport]]
|[[Devon]]
|1889
|1914
|[[County Borough of Plymouth]]
|-
|[[County Borough of East Ham|East Ham]]
|[[Essex]]
|1915
|1965
|Greater London: [[London Borough of Newham]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Hanley|Hanley]]
|[[Staffordshire]]
|1889
|1910
|[[County Borough of Stoke on Trent]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Middlesbrough|Middlesbrough]]
|[[North Riding of Yorkshire|Yorkshire, North Riding]]
|1889
|1968
|[[County Borough of Teesside]]
|-
|[[County Borough of Smethwick|Smethwick]]
|Staffordshire
|1907
|1966
|[[County Borough of Warley]]
|-
|[[County Borough of West Ham|West Ham]]
|Essex
|1889
|1965
|Greater London: [[London Borough of Newham]]
|-
|[[County Borough of West Hartlepool|West Hartlepool]]
|[[County Durham|Durham]]
|1902
|1967
|[[County Borough of Hartlepool]]
|}

== Northern Ireland ==
The county boroughs of [[Belfast]] and [[Derry]] were created by the [[Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898]].

In [[Northern Ireland]], local government has not used county boroughs since 1973, but they remain in use for [[Lord-Lieutenant|lieutenancy]].

For administrative purposes the two county boroughs in Northern Ireland were replaced with two larger districts ([[Belfast City Council|Belfast]] and [[Derry City Council|Londonderry]]).

==Republic of Ireland==
The [[Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898]] created county boroughs in Ireland. Under the Act, four former counties corporate ([[Cork (city)|Cork]], [[Dublin]], [[Limerick]] and [[Waterford]]) became county boroughs.

[[Galway]] became a county borough in 1986.

In the [[Republic of Ireland]], the relevant legislation remained in force (although amended), and county boroughs on the original model existed until 2001. Under the [[Local Government Act 2001]] (which replaced most existing local government legislation in Ireland), the term "County Borough" was abolished and replaced with "City" (and hence, "Corporation" with "City Council"). However [[Kilkenny]], while a traditional city, was never a county borough. Under the [[Local Government Reform Act 2014]], the borough of Kilkenny was abolished, but the [[local electoral area|municipal district]] containing the administrative area of the former borough of Kilkenny would be known as the Municipal District of Kilkenny City.

== See also ==
* [[County corporate]]
* [[List of administrative counties and county boroughs of England by population in 1971]]
* [[London boroughs]]
* [[Metropolitan borough]]
* [[Municipal borough]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{Borough status in the United Kingdom}}
{{Terms for types of administrative territorial entities|state=collapsed}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:County Borough}}
[[Category:Types of administrative division]]
[[Category:Local government in the Republic of Ireland]]
[[Category:Types of subdivision in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Boroughs of the United Kingdom]]