Renamings
Under section 74 of the Local Government Act 1972, the council of a district, county or London borough (or county borough in Wales) may change its name, providing the resolution to do so gains two-thirds of the votes at a special meeting. Until 1 April 1978, the council had to have the permission of the Secretary of State, but since that date they may do so unilaterally. At least one district name change was vetoed: the shadow authority for North Wolds wished to become "Bridlington and Yorkshire Wolds" prior to 1974 at the same time as other name changes were allowed.
Several English districts have done this, whilst others have been renamed under the 1990s UK local government reform. A few districts have even changed names twice.
| Original name | New name | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Barking | Barking and Dagenham | 1 January 1980 |
| Basingstoke | Basingstoke and Deane | 20 January 1978 |
| Beaconsfield | South Bucks | 1 April 1980 |
| Bedford | North Bedfordshire | 15 October 1975 |
| Bedford | 1992 | |
| Beverley | East Yorkshire Borough of Beverley | 12 May 1981 |
| Blackburn | Blackburn with Darwen | 2 May 1997 (before unitary) |
| Bosworth | Hinckley and Bosworth | 20 November 1973† |
| Bracknell | Bracknell Forest | 27 April 1988 |
| Crewe | Crewe and Nantwich | 17 January 1974† |
| Ellesmere Port | Ellesmere Port and Neston | 21 June 1976 |
| Grimsby | Great Grimsby | 1 January 1979 |
| Hammersmith | Hammersmith and Fulham | 1 April 1979 |
| Hartley Wintney | Hart | 17 January 1974† |
| Herefordshire | County of Herefordshire | 20 June 1997 |
| Huntingdon | Huntingdonshire | 1 October 1984 |
| Langbaurgh | Langbaurgh-on-Tees | 1 January 1988 |
| Redcar and Cleveland | 1 April 1996 (with unitary) | |
| Medway | Rochester-upon-Medway | 3 December 1979 |
| Medway Towns | Medway | 1 April 1998 (with unitary) |
| Newark | Newark and Sherwood | 1 April 1985 |
| Newbury | West Berkshire | 1 April 1998 (with unitary) |
| North Wolds | East Yorkshire | 1 February 1981 |
| Nuneaton | Nuneaton and Bedworth | 1 October 1980 |
| Pastonacres | North Norfolk | 20 September 1973† |
| Petersfield | East Hampshire | 8 October 1973† |
| Poole | Borough and County of the Town of Poole | 1 April 1997 (with unitary) |
| Rutland | Rutland County Council | 1 April 1997 (with unitary) |
| Shrewsbury | Shrewsbury and Atcham | 12 June 1974 |
| Thamesdown | Swindon | effective 1 April 1997 (soon before unitary) |
| Tiverton | Mid Devon | 6 February 1978 |
| Wallingford | South Oxfordshire | 20 September 1973† |
| West Derbyshire | Derbyshire Dales | 1 January 1987 |
| West Norfolk | King's Lynn and West Norfolk | 14 May 1981 |
| Wimborne | East Dorset | 1 January 1988 |
| Woodspring | North Somerset | 1 April 1996 (with unitary) |
| Wrekin | The Wrekin | 7 February 1974† |
| Telford and Wrekin | 1 April 1998 (with unitary) | |
| Yeovil | South Somerset | 1 April 1985 |
† The resolutions to change the name of the district were made by the "shadow" councils elected on 7 June 1973.
Additionally, one English county has been renamed. Shropshire was originally formally known as 'Salop'. Its name was changed effective 1 April 1980.
Read more about this topic: List Of English Districts