About

Our history - and our future

Established in 1997, the County Councils Network (CCN) is a cross-party special interest group of the Local Government Association, representing 39 county and non-metroplitian unitary authorities.

We combine advocacy, research, communications and council engagement to ensure county councils and non-metropolitan unitary councils have the influence, evidence and support they need to shape government reforms and deliver effectively for their communities.

Our network is the only dedicated special interest group for non-metropolitan councils that has a distinct and established national profile. We have become one of the most influential organisations representing local government, both nationally and within Parliament, with our research and advocacy influencing debates on the future of local services. Our work has secured significant concessions from national government over a number of years.

With reorganisation set to change the face of existing county areas where there are still county councils by changing the number and size of councils in a given area, any new local authorities will serve and represent county places, distinct from urban ones.

As such, there will always be a need for a national special interest group that represents councils in county areas; bringing together non-metropolitan local authorities with common and shared characteristics to powerfully advocate on their behalf and influence government policy.

Find out more about our work for councils on our 'what we do' page.

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Our network

Our network of 39 member councils are the backbone of England. The 21 county councils and 18 unitary councils within the CCN represent almost half of the country’s population and are the largest group of upper-tier local authorities in England.

In total, the 39 county and unitary authorities that make up the CCN are England’s largest grouping of councils, with our 2,600 councillors representing some 27 million people, and covering 86% of the country’s landmass. Collectively, they deliver 38% of England’s GVA, almost half the country’s entire spend on children’s and adult social care, and maintain 70% of local roads.

Read more about our network of councils here.

How we’re managed

CCN is a cross-party member-led organisation, with elected councillors at the heart of driving the organisation’s advocacy. The network is led by the CCN Chair, who is supported by politically proportionate governance structures.

The network's three-layers of governance are Management Committee, Executive Committee and CCN Council. Each play an important role in the running of the CCN including the setting of annual budgets, business plans, work programmes and overall direction of the network.

Those Committees and CCN Councils are supported by the CCN Officer Team, responsible for the day-to-day leadership, management and delivery of the network’s business plan, research and communications. Find out more about the CCN team here.

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