what is the definition of a UNITARY COUNCIL?

Answer 1

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Somewhere like Blackpool or Cardiff where the local council also runs departments like education that in an ordinary town would be run by the county.

Think of it basically as a town-sized county.

It also means that for example Blackpool technically isn't part of its county (Lancashire) any more, and has 'Welcome to Lancashire' signs as you leave the town boundary.

Wikipedia's entry sums it up:

A unitary authority (council) is a type of local authority that has a single tier and is responsible for all local government functions within its area. This is opposed to a two-tier system where local government functions are divided between different authorities.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unitary_council
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Answer 2

In the 1970s local government in the UK was reorganised so that everyone had two councils. So you might have a City or District council providing some services (refuse collection, parks, council housing, swimming pools etc), and a County Council providing others (education, highways, social services, refuse disposal).

Obviously this "two-tier" means there are two bureaucracies and residents are often confused by who does what (i.e. refuse). Unitary Councils were introduced a few years ago. Basically a Unitary covers all of the above services in its area - so a local resident only has one council.

So some people now live under the two tier system and others under the Unitary system. It's different is, say, Wales, where, when Devolution occurred, the whole country went over to unitary councils

Answer 3

A Unitary Council runs it's own affairs,