Why have the identities of many of the historic Counties become obscured in recent years ?
Because following the local government changes of 1974, many map-makers, publishers of guide books and gazetteers etc. and, increasingly, sections of the media began to use the new local government areas as a geographical framework. The absurdity of this policy is now clear to see. We have now had two major reorganisations of local government in England, Wales and Scotland in the last 24 years. The upcoming prospect of regional government will entail a further massive reorganisation in England. To tie our concept of geography to local government areas is to condemn the British people to a continually shifting geographical framework. Can we all seriously be expected to re-learn our whole notion of where places are every decade or so ? Are we also expected to change our perceptions of cultural identity on a similar timescale ? Local authority areas were created to facilitate the provision of certain services to the community. They were not designed to play a wider geographical or cultura
