The subdivisions of England consist of as many as four levels of subnational division controlled through a variety of types of administrative entites. They have been created for the purposes of local government in England. The highest tier of local government are the nine regions of England—North East, North West, Yorkshire and the Humber, East Midlands, West Midlands, East, South East, South West and Greater London. These were created in 1994 as Government Offices, used by the British Government to deliver a wide range of policies and programmes regionally.[64] They are used for electing Members of the European Parliament on a regional basis. After devolution began to take place in other parts of the United Kingdom it was planned that referendums for the regions of England would take place for their own regional assemblies as a counterweight. London accepted in 1998—the London Assembly was created two years later. However, the proposal was rejected by the northern England devolution referendums, 2004 in the North East, further referendums were cancelled.[51] There are plans to abolish the remaining regional assemblies in 2010 and transfer their functions to respective Regional Development Agencies and new system of Local Authority Leaders’ Boards.[65]
Below regional level are the counties of England and unitary authorities—for administrative and governmental purposes there are metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties.[66] Metropolitan counties while still existing for statistical and ceremonial purposes, no longer have county councils since their powers were devolved to district level, known as metropolitan boroughs acting practically as unitary authority areas—these exist mostly in heavily urbanised areas.[66] Non-metropolitan counties are known as shire counties and they exist typically, though not always, in more rural areas. These exist as part of a two-tier structure, with shire counties having county councils but also the districts which they are made up of act in a unitary authority role.[66] Greater London has a different system for local governance, with thirty-two London boroughs and the City of London covering a small area at the core, which is governed by the City of London Corporation.[67] There are the ceremonial counties which act in a largely non governmental role.[68] These counties are used primarily for a geographical frame of reference and have developed gradually since the Middle Ages. Each of them elect a Lord Lieutenant and High Sheriff, these posts are used to represent the British monarch locally.[68] At the most localised level, much of England is divided into parishes with councils; they do not exist in Greater London.