Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead: History
The town of Gateshead was an ancient borough, having been granted a charter in 1164 from Hugh Pudsey, the Bishop of Durham. The borough's functions were relatively limited until 1836, when it was made a municipal borough under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835, which standardised how most boroughs operated across the country. When elected county councils were created in 1889, Gateshead was considered large enough to provide its own county-level services, and so it was made a county borough, independent from the new Durham County Council, whilst remaining part of the geographical county of Durham.
The modern borough of Gateshead was created on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, as one of five metropolitan boroughs within the new county of Tyne and Wear. The borough covered the whole area of five former districts and part of a sixth, which were all abolished at the same time:
Blaydon Urban District
Chester-le-Street Rural District (parishes of Birtley and Lamesley only)
Felling Urban District
Gateshead County Borough
Ryton Urban District
Whickham Urban District
Aside from Gateshead, the other districts had all been lower-tier district authorities subordinate to Durham County Council prior to the 1974 reforms.
From 1974 until 1986 the borough council was a lower-tier district authority, with Tyne and Wear County Council providing county-level services. The county council was abolished in 1986, since when the borough council has provided both district-level and county-level services, as the old county borough of Gateshead had done prior to 1974. Some functions are provided across Tyne and Wear by joint committees with the other districts. The county of Tyne and Wear continues to exist as a ceremonial county for the purposes of lieutenancy, but has had no administrative functions since 1986.