How is local government structured?
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can describe the branches of local government and the different roles within it.
Key learning points
- Local government in the UK are structured into single and two-tiers.
- Single-tiers include unitary authorities, London boroughs and Metropolitan borough councils.
- Two-tiers include county and district councils.
- Council roles include local councillors, cabinet members, backbench councillors, mayors and council officers.
Keywords
Local government - a system of government that operates at a local level providing services to its community
Local councillor - a person elected to represent their ward or division and the people who live in it; they provide a bridge between the community and the council
Council officer - often those with specialist knowledge who work for the council; support local councillors to make decisions for the local area
Common misconception
Every local government runs in the same way.
Local governments do not all run in the same way. There are different type of councils including, county and district councils.
Teacher tip
Engage pupils by having them research their local councillors, attend council meetings, or invite a local councillor or officer to speak. This hands-on approach helps pupils understand how local councils impact their community and encourages them to get involved.
Licence
except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).Lesson video
Loading...
Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Who has the overall control to make national decisions?
Q2. government focuses on providing services and managing local issues.
Q3.The Prime Minister selects a group of senior politicians called the to run government departments and help make important decisions for the country.
Q4.Match the type of governments.
UK Parliament has responsibility over national laws and policies.
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland can make some of their own laws.
focuses on issues in counties and smaller communities.
Q5.Which devolved nation's Parliament is commonly known as the Senedd?
Q6.Which of the following is a key difference between central and local government?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the words to their correct definitions.
a smaller type of government that provides services to its community
a person elected to represent their ward and the people who live in it
those with specialist knowledge who work for the council
Q2.Local government in the UK can be structured as either a single-tier or a -tier system.
Q3.Which of the following is true about two-tier local government?
Q4.Which of the following best describes the role of a local councillor?
Q5.Which role in the local government is mostly ceremonial?
Q6.Council are usually employed by the council and often have specialist knowledge in specific areas. They provide expert advice.
To help you plan your 11 citizenship lesson on: How is local government structured?, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 11 citizenship lesson on: How is local government structured?, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 citizenship lessons from the Where does power reside in the UK? unit, dive into the full secondary citizenship curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.