» Association of British Counties

Bedfordshire Day is celebrated on 28th November, the birthday of celebrated local son John Bunyan. Bedfordshire Day was instigated in 2015 by our good friends at the Friends of Bedfordshire Society who were also behind the registration of the Bedfordshire flag. Always a well celebrated … Continue reading →

Lancashire Day is celebrated each year on 27th November. On this day in 1295 the first elected representatives from Lancashire were called to Westminster by King Edward I to attend what later became known as “The Model Parliament”. Lancashire Day is the brainchild of our … Continue reading →

A long-time sore for county lovers has been the inclusion of the Spelthorne area of Middlesex within the local government “county” of “Surrey”. Surrey County Council and the district councils within its area are to be abolished in May 2027. The Government has just announced … Continue reading →

Always one of the biggest county day celebrations, Lincolnshire Day on 1st October 2025 did not disappoint, ending with the spectacular sight of Lincoln Cathedral lit up in the colours of the county flag Earlier there was a gathering of civic leaders at International Bomber … Continue reading →

The Association of British Counties held its Triennial General Meeting in Tamworth, Staffordshire on Saturday 27th September 2025. We present highlights from what was a busy day with a packed programme. The Association’s Chairman, Peter Boyce, discussed the local government changes happening in England as … Continue reading →

A quiet revolution is taking place in England as the remaining fake 1974 ‘counties’ face their upcoming demise. As part of the Government’s plan to create mayoral ‘Strategic Authorities’, most of the county councils are set to be split up into two or more unitary … Continue reading →

The Historic Counties Trust has produced a splendid new A1 wall map of the Historic Counties of the United Kingdom. The map was created for the Trust by the expert cartographers Lovell Johns. The map features every historic county, as well as the Ridings of … Continue reading →

Yorkshire Day celebrated its fiftieth anniversary in spectacular style on 1st August 2025. Launched in 1975 by our old friends the Yorkshire Ridings Society, after fifty years the event continues to grow in size and its coverage year on year. This year saw major TV … Continue reading →

Historic County Flags Day 23rd July 2025 has been another spectacular celebration of our county heritage. Our thanks are due to Jim McMahon MP, Minister of State at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government for once again displaying the county flags in Parliament … Continue reading →

A long-time sore for county lovers has been the inclusion of the Spelthorne area of Middlesex within the local government “county” of “Surrey”. Now a public consultation on Proposals for local government reorganisation in Surrey has been opened, with Surrey County Council set to be … Continue reading →