Geography Guide
The United Kingdom’s political and administrative geography is layered and multifaceted, reflecting centuries of history and ongoing reforms. Different boundaries are used depending on whether the purpose is elections, local government, healthcare or statistics. This can make the landscape appear confusing, but once you understand the key categories, the structure becomes clearer.
This guide provides a comprehensive overview of the UK’s geography, covering electoral geography, local authorities, health systems, and other administrative and statistical divisions. It is intended to help readers, researchers, and policymakers navigate how the UK is divided for decision-making, representation, and service delivery.
By understanding these divisions, you gain insight into how the United Kingdom functions politically and administratively, and how statistics on crime, health inequalities, education, and economic performance are collected and analysed.
Electoral Geography
Electoral geography in the UK underpins the democratic process. For elections to the UK Parliament, the country is divided into 650 parliamentary constituencies, each electing one Member of Parliament (MP).
In addition, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland each have devolved legislatures, with separate constituencies and regional systems. These devolved systems highlight the distinct political geography of each nation.
UK Parliamentary Constituencies
At the 2024 general election, new constituency boundaries came into effect following the 2023 Boundary Review. This was a major reconfiguration of the UK’s electoral geography:
- England gained 10 constituencies, rising from 533 to 543.
- Scotland dropped from 59 to 57 constituencies.
- Wales saw the most significant reduction, from 40 to 32 constituencies.
- Northern Ireland remained at 18 constituencies.
Each constituency has an electorate size within 5% of the UK electoral quota (set at 73,393 in 2023). This ensures fairer representation, so each MP represents a broadly similar number of voters. The first-past-the-post system is used, meaning the candidate with the most votes in each constituency is elected.
Holyrood – Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament in Holyrood has 129 Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs). Of these, 73 are elected from constituencies and 56 from eight larger electoral regions, using the Additional Member System. Each voter has two votes: one for their local MSP, and one for a regional party list. This blended system is designed to produce more proportional outcomes than Westminster’s first-past-the-post method.
In May 2026, updated constituency and regional boundaries will be used for the first time. Constituency changes include new names, adjusted boundaries, and some complete redesigns. Regional boundaries will also change, with the Central Scotland region being replaced by Central Scotland and Lothians West, and the Lothian region replaced by Edinburgh and Lothians East. These changes reflect population shifts and evolving electoral geography in Scotland.
Senedd- Welsh Parliament
At present, the Senedd has 60 Members (MSs). Forty represent constituencies that mirror Westminster’s boundaries, while twenty represent five regions. Each voter is represented by one constituency MS and four regional MSs. This system, like Scotland’s, blends first-past-the-post with proportional representation.
However, major electoral reforms will transform Wales’s political geography from the 2026 Senedd election. Membership will increase to 96 MSs, elected from 16 larger constituencies. Each will elect six representatives using a closed-list proportional system. This marks the end of the current 40+20 arrangement, creating a more proportional electoral geography in Wales.
Stormont – Northern Ireland Assembly
The Northern Ireland Assembly at Stormont is composed of 90 Members (MLAs), elected using the Single Transferable Vote (STV) system. Each of the 18 Westminster constituencies elects five MLAs. This proportional method reflects the unique political geography of Northern Ireland, ensuring broad representation of its diverse communities.
Local Authorities
Local authorities form a critical layer of UK geography, responsible for delivering services such as education, social care, waste collection, housing and planning. The structure varies across the four nations.
England
England has 317 local authorities, falling into several categories:
- 21 county councils
- 164 district councils
- 62 unitary authorities
- 36 metropolitan districts
- 32 London boroughs,
- Plus the City of London and the Isles of Scilly.
The system combines both two-tier and single-tier models:
- In two-tier areas, county councils handle strategic services such as education, social care, highways and waste disposal, while district councils manage local services like planning, housing and refuse collection.
- In single-tier areas, including unitary authorities, metropolitan districts and London boroughs, a single council provides all local government functions.
Some councils are styled as boroughs or cities, but these titles are largely ceremonial. A major restructuring is underway: under the English Devolution White Paper (2024), two-tier areas are being replaced by unitary authorities. By 2027, most of these reforms are expected to be complete, reshaping England’s local government geography.
Scotland
Scotland has 32 unitary authorities, often referred to as councils. Each is led by an elected council with a provost or convenor. As with Wales, the single-tier structure means each council provides the full range of local services.
Wales
Wales is divided into 22 unitary authorities, each responsible for all aspects of local government, including education, housing, social services and transport. This straightforward single-tier system has been in place since 1996.
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is divided into 11 councils, also operating as unitary authorities. Unlike in Scotland and Wales, councils in Northern Ireland operate through a committee system, with a chair or mayor elected annually.
Health Geography
Healthcare geography reflects how the National Health Service (NHS) is structured in each of the four nations. These divisions are crucial for planning services, allocating funding, and collecting health statistics.
England
England is organised into 42 Integrated Care Systems (ICSs). Each ICS is overseen by an Integrated Care Board (ICB), which is legally responsible for funding and planning health services in its area. In 2024, NHS England directed ICBs to cut costs by 50% by forming 26 leadership clusters, sharing senior teams and administrative functions.
From April 2026, some clusters will formally merge into new, larger ICBs, reducing the total number of statutory boards. Further mergers are planned into 2027. While former Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) boundaries no longer exist legally, they remain important for statistical and operational purposes, such as tracking prescribing data.
Scotland
NHS Scotland operates through 14 regional health boards, each covering a defined geographic area. They are responsible for both strategic planning and local service delivery.
Wales
Wales’s healthcare system is run by 7 local health boards and 3 NHS trusts, which cover specialist services such as ambulance, cancer and blood services. The health boards manage services for defined populations, similar to the ICS model in England.
Northern Ireland
Healthcare in Northern Ireland is delivered through 5 Health and Social Care Trusts:
- Belfast
- Northern
- South Eastern
- Southern
- Western
These trusts provide both hospital and community services. Although plans are under consideration to move towards an ICS-style model, the current structure remains in place.
Other Administrative Geographies
Beyond elections, local councils and health services, the UK has other important geographies used for administration and data.
UK Regions
For statistical purposes, the UK is divided into 12 region:
- Scotland
- Wales
- Northern Ireland
- North East
- North West
- Yorkshire and the Humber
- East Midlands
- West Midlands
- East of England
- London
- South East
- South West
Although English regions no longer hold devolved powers, they remain an essential level of geography for statistical reporting and analysis.
Fire and Rescue Services
In England, fire and rescue services are delivered by 45 Fire and Rescue Authorities (FRAs). Their structure varies:
- 15 FRAs are run by a single council (e.g. Cornwall, Isles of Scilly).
- 23 are Combined Fire Authorities (CFAs), governed by councillors from multiple councils.
- 5 serve metropolitan areas, while London and Greater Manchester’s fire services are under the authority of their elected mayors.
Police Authoirities
There are 43 territorial police forces in England and Wales – 39 in England and 4 in Wales. Each force is overseen by an elected Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), except in London and Greater Manchester, where these responsibilities fall to the directly elected mayor.
Scotland and Northern Ireland each have a single national police service: Police Scotland and the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI).