Through consensus, it came to the conclusion that a metropolitan county was the best solution.

Then, in 1986 the Thatcher government abolished the metropolitan counties.

Second, a review of local government outside the metropolitan counties was announced in 1989.

The plan set out objectives for the forthcoming metropolitan county.

Similar residuary bodies were set up for the metropolitan counties.

Since 1974, it has been part of the West Midlands metropolitan county.

There are six metropolitan counties, which each cover large urban areas, typically with populations of 1.2 to 2.8 million.

The metropolitan counties were first created with a two-tier structure of local government.

From 1841 to 1911 the national increase was twenty million, over half of which took place in the metropolitan counties.

However, the metropolitan county continues to exist in law and as a geographic frame of reference.