Who decides what: United Kingdom.

A take-home sheet for people at the session. Other countries: United States · Canada · Australia.

Moraph for Good · Voice

Who decides what: United Kingdom

Handout · moraph.org/commons/sessions/voice/who-decides-what

Government comes in layers, and each one handles different things. This sheet helps you work out who decides an issue where you live, and how to check.

The layers

National government handles matters for the whole country.
Many countries also have states, provinces or regions.
Local councils run the services you see every day, sometimes in more than one tier.
Special bodies may run schools, water, transport or libraries.

Who does what

Elected members set policy and approve budgets.
Staff run services and can explain how things work now.
To change something, contact elected members. To understand something, start with staff.

Finding out who decides

Start with your local government’s website.
Ask: who decides this, and when will it next be discussed?
Ask in writing and keep the reply.

Voting

For registration, deadlines and polling places, use only your official election office.
Don’t rely on messages, posts or calls for voting information.

In the United Kingdom

One or two tiers (England). Many parts of England have two tiers of local government: a county council and a district, borough or city council. Elsewhere one unitary authority, London borough or metropolitan borough provides all local services. This GOV.UK guidance covers England; Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own council information.
County councils. County councils are responsible for services across the whole county, such as education, transport, planning, fire and public safety, social care, libraries, waste management and trading standards.
District, borough and city councils. These cover a smaller area and usually handle services such as rubbish collection, recycling, Council Tax collection, housing and planning applications.
Parish, community and town councils. These elected councils sit below district and borough councils, and in some areas unitary authorities. They can help with things like allotments, bus shelters, play areas, community centres and consultation on neighbourhood planning.
Find your council. GOV.UK has a postcode search that shows which council or councils cover your address.
Voting questions. Your electoral registration office can answer questions about registering to vote. GOV.UK has a postcode search to find it.

Official places to check:

GOV.UK: www.gov.uk/understand-how-your-council-works/types-of-council
GOV.UK: www.gov.uk/find-local-council
GOV.UK: www.gov.uk/contact-electoral-registration-office

General information, not advice about your own situation. Checked 19 October 2026. If an official source says something different, it is right. Free to copy and adapt. moraph.org/commons/sessions/voice/who-decides-what