District Councils' Network
| Named after | District councils |
|---|---|
| Predecessor | Association of District Councils |
| Formation | April 1974 |
| Type | Special interest group |
| Purpose | To “act as an informed and representative advocate for districts to government and other national bodies, based on their unique position to deliver for ‘local’ people.” |
| Headquarters | Westminster, London |
|
Region
|
United Kingdom |
|
Membership
|
200 |
The District Councils' Network (DCN) is a special interest group which sits within the Local Government Association. It represents 200 out of 201 non-metropolitan district councils in England; (South Ribble district council being the non-member), representing over 40% of the population and 90% of the land, funded through membership subscriptions. The network’s purpose is to “act as an informed and representative advocate for districts to government and other national bodies, based on their unique position to deliver for ‘local’ people.”
The District Councils’ Network shares offices with the Local Government Association in Westminster, London.
District Councils were created in 1974 following the restructure of local government in England. District Councils were created as two-tier authorities alongside County Councils. Districts are responsible to run services such as housing, economic development, waste collection, planning and community services.
Following the re-organisation of local government the Association of District Councils (ADC) was set up in April 1974. This replaced the Rural District Councils Association and Urban District Councils Association as the representative body of non-metropolitan district councils in England. In March 1997, the ADC was wound up and merged with other local authority organisations to form the Local Government Association (LGA).
The District Councils’ Network was formed as a special interest group of the LGA to give a distinct voice for District Councils. In 2011, the DCN inherited funds from the defunct ADC.
The DCN has an Executive consisting of 22 councillors representing the Conservative, Labour, Liberal Democrats and independent groups from all areas of the country. This is chaired by Cllr Neil Clarke MBE, Leader of Rushcliffe. The previous Chairman was Cllr Gary Porter, Leader of South Holland, Lincolnshire.
Alongside the DCN Executive sits the Chief Executives’ Group made up of District Chief Executives from across the country. The current chair of the DCEN is Sandra Dinneen, Chief Executive at South Norfolk. The previous chairman was David Buckle, Chief Executive of South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse.
...
Wikipedia