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The Strange Case of the Counties That Didn’t Change

For the 50th anniversary of the local government re-organisation of 1st April 1974, we present a retrospective on the myth of the “changed” counties. We also call on the Government to finally resolve the ‘county confusion’ created in 1974, by establishing a set of local … Continue reading

18 March 2024 one response

2023: Historic County Highlights

The Association of British Counties would like to wish all of our supporters a very Happy New Year. We finish off 2023 with a look back at some of the highlights of year. ABC exists to promote and celebrate the historic counties and their role … Continue reading

31 December 2023 one response

Bedfordshire Day 28th November 2023

Bedfordshire Day is celebrated each year on 28th November, the birthday of John Bunyan. The celebration in 2023 was the biggest yet. Huge thanks are due to our friends at The Friends of Bedfordshire Society and to the many people and organisations which took part. We … Continue reading

29 November 2023 one response

Lancashire Day 27th November 2023

Lancashire Day 2023 has seen another huge celebration of the red rose county. As ever, huge thanks and congratulation go to our friends the Friends of Real Lancashire. We present some highlights from the day.

27 November 2023 one response

Bogus M5 ‘Welcome to Somerset’ sign removed after 49 years

We have good news from our friends the Somerset Guardians. The ‘Welcome to Somerset’ sign on the southbound M5 near Webbington has finally been removed. The sign has been a source of annoyance since it was first erected in 1974 by the former Somerset County … Continue reading

19 November 2023 one response

New Flags for Banffshire and Morayshire

On Saturday 28th October 2023, the new flags for Banffshire and Morayshire were revealed and hoisted for the first time. The flags were decided by competitions organised by the Flag Institute and bring the number of Scottish counties with a flag included in the UK … Continue reading

31 October 2023 one response

Historic County Flags Day – 23rd July 2023

Historic County Flags Day is celebrated each year on 23rd July. This date was chosen because it is the anniversary of the creation of the flag of Devon in 2002, which started the momentum of the modern concept of a county flag. Twenty-one years later, 53 … Continue reading

22 July 2023 18 responses

Middlesex Day 16th May 2023

Middlesex Day is celebrated each year on 16th May. Middlesex Day, as with most county day celebrations, has been growing in popularity year on year. 2023 has been the biggest event yet with the Middlesex flag flying above 10 Downing Street and celebrations throughout the … Continue reading

Aberdeenshire gets a county flag

The latest county to have a flag registered by the Flag Institute is Aberdeenshire. The flag was unveiled in in a ceremony at Castle Fraser on Saturday 22nd April 2023. Lord Lieutenant of Aberdeenshire, Sandy Manson, hailed the occasion as a “historic day”. The flag … Continue reading

23 April 2023 24 April 2023 start the discussion

“Bridgend County”? Surely you’re joking?

ABC’s main point is that it would be better for both local government and the historic counties if the word ‘county’ ceased to be used as a term within local government and if local authorities stopped aping historic county names. Local authority areas could be … Continue reading

9 February 2023 one response

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