Editing London boroughs (section)

=== Creation ===
From the mid-1930s, the Greater London area comprised four types of local government authorities. There were [[county borough]]s, [[municipal borough]]s, [[Urban district (Great Britain and Ireland)|urban districts]] and [[Metropolitan boroughs of the County of London|metropolitan boroughs]]. The large county boroughs provided all local government services and held the powers usually invested in county councils. The municipal borough and urban district authorities had fewer powers. The situation was made more complex because county councils could delegate functions such as elementary education and library provision to the municipal borough and district councils, and this was implemented piecemeal. Reform of London local government sought to regularise this arrangement.

The [[Royal Commission on Local Government in Greater London]] was established in 1957 and the report was published on 19 October 1960. It proposed 52 "Greater London Boroughs" with a population range of 100,000 to 250,000.<ref>{{cite book |title = The Report of The Royal Commission on Local Government in Greater London |year = 1961 |last = Sharpe |first = LJ }}</ref> This was made up of a mixture of whole existing units, mergers of two or three areas, and two boroughs formed as the result of a split. In December 1961 the government proposed that there would be 34 boroughs rather than 52, and detailed their boundaries. The proposed number was further reduced to 32 in 1962.

On 1 April 1965, the 32 London boroughs and [[Greater London]] were created by the ''[[London Government Act 1963]]''. Twelve boroughs in the former County of London area were designated [[Inner London]] boroughs and the 20 others were designated [[Outer London]] boroughs. Outer London borough councils were [[Local education authority|local education authorities]], but Inner London borough councils were so designated primarily to continue the existence of an [[Inner London Education Authority]], praised by official Opposition and government who further noted that unusually the former County of London's many small local authorities had no history of providing education. The [[City of London]] continued to be administered by the [[City of London Corporation]], and the [[Inner Temple|Inner]] and [[Middle Temple|Middle]] Temples continued to govern their own areas.{{NoteTag|Local government legislation makes special provision for the City of London Corporation, Inner Temple and Middle Temple to perform the functions of London borough councils in their areas.}}

Elections were held on [[1964 London local elections|7 May 1964]], with the new councils acting as shadow authorities before coming into their powers the following year.