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A city council is a form of local government
Local government

Local governments are administrative offices that are smaller than a state. The term is used to contrast with offices at nation-state level, which are referred to as the central government, national government, or federal government....
, usually covering a city
City

A city is an urban area with a high population density and a particular administrative, legal, or historical status.Large industrialized cities generally have advanced systems for sanitation, utilities, land usage, house, and transportation and more....
 or other urban area
Urban area

An urban area is an area with an increased Population density of human-created structures in comparison to the areas surrounding it. Urban areas may be city, towns or conurbations, but the term is not commonly extended to rural settlements such as villages and hamlet ....
, such as a town
Town

A town is a type of human settlement ranging from a few to several thousand inhabitants, although it may be applied loosely even to huge metropolitan areas; the precise meaning varies between countries and is not always a matter of legal definition....
. The system of government has roots back at least to the Roman Empire
Roman Empire

The Roman Empire was the Roman Republic phase of the Ancient Rome, characterised by an autocracy form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
. The meaning of "City council" varies widely between different countries.

ome Australian jurisdictions, a 'city council' is an informal way of referring to local government areas in built-up areas

lass="link1" onMouseover='showByLink("m1038585",this)' onMouseout='hide("m1038585")'href="http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Municipalities_of_Sweden">Swedish municipalities
Municipalities of Sweden

The municipalities of Sweden are the local government entities of Sweden. The current 290 municipalities are organized into 21 Counties of Sweden ....
 are governed by a legislative body called a kommunfullmäktige in Swedish
Swedish language

Swedish is a North Germanic languages language, spoken by around 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along the coast and on the ?land islands....
.






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Encyclopedia


A city council is a form of local government
Local government

Local governments are administrative offices that are smaller than a state. The term is used to contrast with offices at nation-state level, which are referred to as the central government, national government, or federal government....
, usually covering a city
City

A city is an urban area with a high population density and a particular administrative, legal, or historical status.Large industrialized cities generally have advanced systems for sanitation, utilities, land usage, house, and transportation and more....
 or other urban area
Urban area

An urban area is an area with an increased Population density of human-created structures in comparison to the areas surrounding it. Urban areas may be city, towns or conurbations, but the term is not commonly extended to rural settlements such as villages and hamlet ....
, such as a town
Town

A town is a type of human settlement ranging from a few to several thousand inhabitants, although it may be applied loosely even to huge metropolitan areas; the precise meaning varies between countries and is not always a matter of legal definition....
. The system of government has roots back at least to the Roman Empire
Roman Empire

The Roman Empire was the Roman Republic phase of the Ancient Rome, characterised by an autocracy form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
. The meaning of "City council" varies widely between different countries.

Australia

In some Australian jurisdictions, a 'city council' is an informal way of referring to local government areas in built-up areas

Sweden

Swedish municipalities
Municipalities of Sweden

The municipalities of Sweden are the local government entities of Sweden. The current 290 municipalities are organized into 21 Counties of Sweden ....
 are governed by a legislative body called a kommunfullmäktige in Swedish
Swedish language

Swedish is a North Germanic languages language, spoken by around 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along the coast and on the ?land islands....
. Though Swedish law uses the term "municipal assembly" to describe these bodies in English
English language

English is a West Germanic language that originated in Anglo-Saxon England and has lingua franca status in many parts of the world as a result of the military, economic, scientific, political and cultural influence of the British Empire in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries and that of the United States from the mid 20th century onwa...
, they are frequently referred to as "city councils" as well, even in official contexts in many of Sweden's major cities, including Stockholm
Stockholm

is the capital and largest city of Sweden. It is the site of the national Swedish Government of Sweden, the Parliament of Sweden, and the official residence of the Swedish Monarchy of Sweden....
, Gothenburg
Gothenburg

Gothenburg ) is the second largest city in Sweden after Stockholm and the fifth largest amongst the Nordic countries. The city is located on the south west-coast....
, and Malmö
Malmö

is the third most populous urban areas in Sweden in Sweden, situated in its southernmost province of Scania.Malm? is the seat of Malm? Municipality and the capital of Sk?ne County....
.

United Kingdom

In the UK, a city council is:

In England
England

native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
:
  • The council of metropolitan
    Metropolitan borough

    A metropolitan borough is a type of districts of England in England, and is a subdivision of a metropolitan county. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972, metropolitan boroughs are defined in English law as metropolitan districts, however all of them have been granted or regranted royal charters to give them borough status in...
     or non-metropolitan
    Non-metropolitan district

    Non-metropolitan districts, or colloquially 'shire districts', are a type of Districts of England in England. As originally created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan county in a so-called "two-tier" arrangement....
     district
    Districts of England

    The districts of England are a level of Subdivisions of England used for the purposes of local government. As the structure of local government in England is not uniform, there are currently four types of district level subdivision....
     that has been granted city status
    City status in the United Kingdom

    City status in the United Kingdom is granted by the British monarchy to a select group of communities. The holding of city status gives a settlement no special rights other than that of calling itself a "city"....
    .
  • A parish council
    Parish council

    A Parish council is a unit of local government in Great Britain....
     that has been granted city status
    City status in the United Kingdom

    City status in the United Kingdom is granted by the British monarchy to a select group of communities. The holding of city status gives a settlement no special rights other than that of calling itself a "city"....
    .
  • The council of a London borough
    London borough

    The administrative area of Greater London contains thirty-two London boroughs. Inner London comprises twelve of these boroughs plus the City of London....
     that has been granted city status
    City status in the United Kingdom

    City status in the United Kingdom is granted by the British monarchy to a select group of communities. The holding of city status gives a settlement no special rights other than that of calling itself a "city"....
     (of which there is only one: Westminster City Council
    City of Westminster

    The City of Westminster is a London borough of London with City status in the United Kingdom. It is located west of the City of London and north of the River Thames, and forms part of Inner London and the bulk of London's central area....
    ), or the City of London Corporation.


In Wales
Wales

native_name = Cymru|conventional_long_name = Wales|common_name = Wales|image_flag = Flag of Wales 2.svg|national_motto = ...
:
  • The council of a principal area
    Subdivisions of Wales

    For local government purposes, Wales is divided into 22 unitary authorities, which are responsible for the provision of all local government services, including education, social work, environment and roads services....
     that has been granted city status
    City status in the United Kingdom

    City status in the United Kingdom is granted by the British monarchy to a select group of communities. The holding of city status gives a settlement no special rights other than that of calling itself a "city"....
    .
  • A community council
    Community council

    Community councils are bodies of representation in Great Britain.In England they may be statutory parish councils by another name, under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007, or they may be non-statutory bodies....
     that has been granted city status
    City status in the United Kingdom

    City status in the United Kingdom is granted by the British monarchy to a select group of communities. The holding of city status gives a settlement no special rights other than that of calling itself a "city"....
    .


In Scotland
Scotland

conventional_long_name = ScotlandAlba|common_name= Scotland|image_flag = Flag of Scotland.svg|flag_width = 130px...
  • The council of one of four council areas designated a City by the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994
    Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994

    The Local Government etc. Act 1994 is an Act of Parliament of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which created the current Local government of Scotland structure of 32 unitary authorities covering the whole of Scotland....
    .


In Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland

conventional_long_name = Northern Ireland|native_name= Tuaisceart ?ireannNorlin Airlann|motto =|image_map = Europe location N-IRL2.png...
  • The council of a local government district
    Districts of Northern Ireland

    Northern Ireland is divided into 26 districts for local government purposes. The councils do not carry out the same range of functions as those in the rest of the United Kingdom, e.g....
     created by the Local Government (Boundaries) Act (Northern Ireland) 1971
    Local Government (Boundaries) Act (Northern Ireland) 1971

    The Local Government Act 1971 was an Act of Parliament of the Parliament of Northern Ireland, passed in 1971 to replace the previous system of local authorities established by the Local Government Act 1898....
     that either adopted the charter of an existing city corporation in 1973, or that has since been granted city status
    City status in the United Kingdom

    City status in the United Kingdom is granted by the British monarchy to a select group of communities. The holding of city status gives a settlement no special rights other than that of calling itself a "city"....
    .


United States

City councils generally consist of several (usually somewhere between 5 and 50, depending on the city's size) elected aldermen
Alderman

An alderman is a member of a Municipal government assembly or council in many jurisdictions. Historically the term could also refer to local municipal judges in small legal proceedings ....
 or councillor
Councillor

A councillor or councilor is a member of a local government council, such as a city council. Often in the United States, the title is councilman or councilwoman....
s. Other common titles for members of the council include councilmember or councilman/woman.

In some cities, the mayor is a voting member of the council who serves as chairman; in others, the mayor is the city's independent chief executive (or strong mayor) with veto
Veto

A veto, Latin for "I forbid", is used to denote that a certain party has the right to stop unilaterally a piece of legislation. In practice, the veto can be absolute or limited ...
 power over city council legislation
Legislation

Legislation is law which has been promulgation by a legislature or other governing body. The term may refer to a single law, or the collective body of enacted law, while "statute" is also used to refer to a single law....
. In larger cities the council may elect other executive positions as well, such as a council president
President

President is a title held by many leaders of organizations, company, trade unions, university, and country. Etymology, a "president" is one who Wiktionary:Preside, who sits in leadership ....
 and speaker
Speaker (politics)

The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like....
.

The council generally functions as a parliamentary
Parliamentary system

Parliamentary systems are characterized by no clear-cut separation of powers between the executive and legislative branches, leading to a different set of checks and balances compared to those found in presidential systems....
 or congressional style legislative body, proposing bills, holding votes, and passing laws to help govern the city.

The role of the mayor in the council varies depending on whether or not the city uses council-manager government
Council-manager government

The council-manager government is one of two main variations of Representative democracy Local government in the United States, and was first used in Sumter, South Carolina....
 or mayor-council government, and by the nature of the statutory authority given to it by state law, city charter, or municipal ordinance.

There is also a mayor pro tem councilmember. In cities where the council elects the mayor for one year at a time, the mayor pro tem is in line to become the mayor in the next year. In cities where the mayor is elected by the city's voters, the mayor pro tem serves simply to serve as acting
Acting (law)

In law, when someone is said to be acting in a position it can mean one of three things.*The position has not yet been formally created.*The person is only occupying the position temporarily, to ensure continuity....
 mayor in the absence of the mayor.

In some cities a different name for the municipal legislature is used. In San Francisco
San Francisco, California

The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth most populous city in California and the List of United States cities by population in the United States, with a 2007 estimated population of 799,183....
, for example, it is known as the Board of Supervisors because San Francisco is a consolidated city-county
Consolidated city-county

In United States local government, a consolidated city?county is a city and county that have been merged into one unified jurisdiction. As such, it is simultaneously a city, which is a municipal corporation; and a county, which is an administrative division of a state....
 and the California
California

California is a U.S. state on the West Coast of the United States of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. It is bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada to the east, Arizona to the southeast, and to the south the Mexico state of Baja California....
 constitution requires each county to have a Board of Supervisors.

See also

  • Town council
    Town council

    A town council is a democratically elected form of government for small municipality or civil parishes. A council may serve as both the representative and executive branch....
  • Municipal council
    Municipal council

    A municipal council is the local government of a municipality. Specifically the term can refer to the institutions of various countries that can be translated by this term....
  • City Council (the Netherlands)
    City Council (the Netherlands)

    In the Netherlands the municipal council is the elected assembly of the municipality. Its main role is laying down the guidelines for the policy of the council of mayor and aldermen and exercising control over its execution by the council of mayor and aldermen....