Borough of Middlesbrough: History
The borough was preceded by the County Borough of Teesside in the North Riding of Yorkshire, having previously been an independent municipal borough from 1856 to 1968. The current borough boundaries were formed on 1 April 1974, by the creation of a new non-metropolitan district of the new county of Cleveland by the Local Government Act 1972, covering the previous borough of Middlesbrough along with nearly all of Middlesbrough Rural District. It was reconstituted as a unitary authority, alongside the abolition of Cleveland, on 1 April 1997. For ceremonial purposes it is part of North Yorkshire, though certain local services are still aligned to 1974 boundaries, including Cleveland Fire Brigade and Police. It is included within the Tees Valley Combined Authority area for devolved transport and economic governance.