Registration districts were created in England and Wales with the introduction of civil registration by the Births and Deaths Registration Act 1836. Each district is headed by a superintendent registrar who holds overall responsibility for the administration of civil registration within their district. Historically, each district was divided into sub-districts, which were each headed by a registrar.
The boundaries of registration districts were originally coterminous with poor law unions; however, the number of districts and their boundaries varied considerably over time, with smaller districts being merged and larger districts split in line with population changes. Registration districts were not always coterminous with county boundaries, even following the creation of administrative counties and districts by the Local Government Act 1888, and so were grouped into registration counties for census purposes until the 1930s, when their boundaries were fully aligned with local counties and county boroughs.
In England and Wales, the responsibility for civil registration is today held by the relevant county council, unitary authority, metropolitan district, or London borough. Local government areas often contained several registration districts operating under the supervision of the local authority; however, a series of mergers in the late 2000s and early 2010s means that the boundaries of registration districts are now identical to those of local authorities.
Current This list is complete and up to date as of April 2020. Registration district Created Local authority responsible Barking and Dagenham 1980 London Borough of Barking and Dagenham Barnet 1965 London Borough of Barnet Barnsley 1974 Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council Bath and North East Somerset 1996 Bath and North East Somerset Council Bedford 2009 Bedford Borough Council Bexley 1965 London Borough of Bexley Birmingham 1974 Birmingham City Council Blackburn with Darwen 1998 Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council Blackpool 1998 Blackpool Borough Council Bolton 1974 Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole 2019 Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council Bracknell Forest 1998 Bracknell Forest Borough Council Bradford and Keighley 2008 Bradford City Council Brent 1965 London Borough of Brent Brighton and Hove 1998 Brighton and Hove City Council Bristol 1996 Bristol City Council Bromley 1965 London Borough of Bromley Buckinghamshire 2007 Buckinghamshire County Council Bury 1974 Metropolitan Borough of Bury Calderdale 2003 Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council Cambridgeshire 2007 Cambridgeshire County Council Camden 1977 London Borough of Camden Central Bedfordshire 2009 Central Bedfordshire Council Cheshire East 2009 Cheshire East Borough Council Cheshire West and Chester 2009 Cheshire West and Chester Borough Council Cornwall 2007 Cornwall Council County of Durham 2006 County Durham Council Coventry 1974 Coventry City Council Croydon 1965 London Borough of Croydon Cumbria 2011 Cumbria County Council Darlington 1974 Darlington Borough Council Derby 1837 Derby City Council Derbyshire 2013 Derbyshire County Council Devon 2007 Devon County Council Doncaster 1974 Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council Dorset 2005 Dorest Council Dudley 1974 Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council Ealing 1965 London Borough of Ealing East Riding of Yorkshire 2002 East Riding of Yorkshire Council East Sussex 2008 East Sussex County Council Enfield 1965 London Borough of Enfield Essex 2010 Essex County Council Gateshead 1974 Gateshead Metropolitan Borough Council Gloucestershire 2006 Gloucestershire County Council Greenwich 1965 Royal Borough of Greenwich Hackney 1965 London Borough of Hackney Halton 1974 Halton Borough Council Hammersmith and Fulham 2001 London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham Hampshire 2008 Hampshire County Council Haringey 1965 London Borough of Haringey Harrow 1965 London Borough of Harrow Hartlepool 1996 Hartlepool Borough Council Havering 1965 London Borough of Havering Herefordshire 2008 Herefordshire Council Hertfordshire 2008 Hertfordshire County Council Hillingdon 1965 London Borough of Hillingdon Hounslow 1965 London Borough of Hounslow Hull 1837 Hull City Council Isle of Wight 1932 Isle of Wight Council Isles of Scilly 1837 Council of the Isles of Scilly Islington 1965 London Borough of Islington Kensington and Chelsea 1981 London Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Kent 2003 Kent County Council Kingston upon Thames 1965 London Borough of Kingston upon Thames Kirklees 2012 Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council Knowsley 1974 Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council Lambeth 1965 London Borough of Lambeth Lancashire 2005 Lancashire County Council Leeds 1974 Leeds City Council Leicester 1997 Leicester City Council Leicestershire 2000 Leicestershire County Council Lewisham 1965 London Borough of Lewisham Lincolnshire 2003 Lincolnshire County Council Liverpool 1974 Liverpool City Council London City 1965 City of London Corporation Luton 1837 Luton Borough Council Manchester 1974 Manchester City Council Medway 1998 Medway Council Merton 1965 London Borough of Merton Middlesbrough 1996 Middlesbrough Council Milton Keynes 1985 Milton Keynes Borough Council Newcastle upon Tyne 1974 Newcastle upon Tyne City Council Newham 1965 London Borough of Newham Norfolk 2012 Norfolk County Council North East Lincolnshire 1996 North East Lincolnshire Council North Lincolnshire 1996 North Lincolnshire Council North Somerset 1996 North Somerset Council North Tyneside 1985 North Tyneside Metropolitan Borough Council North Yorkshire 1998 North Yorkshire County Council Northamptonshire 2010 Northamptonshire County Council Northumberland 2008 Northumberland County Council Nottingham 1837 Nottingham City Council Nottinghamshire 2012 Nottinghamshire County Council Oldham 1974 Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council Oxfordshire 2001 Oxfordshire County Council Peterborough 1974 Peterborough City Council Plymouth 1837 Plymouth City Council Portsmouth 1900 Portsmouth City Council Reading 1998 Reading Borough Council Redbridge 1965 London Borough of Redbridge Redcar and Cleveland 1996 Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council Richmond Upon Thames 1965 London Borough of Richmond upon Thames Rochdale 1974 Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council Rotherham 1974 Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council Rutland 1997 Rutland County Council Salford 1974 Salford City Council Sandwell 1974 Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council Sefton 2011 Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council Sheffield 1974 Sheffield City Council Shropshire 2005 Shropshire Council Slough 1974 Slough Borough Council Solihull 2001 Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council Somerset 2008 Somerset County Council South Gloucestershire 1996 South Gloucestershire Council South Tyneside 2001 South Tyneside Council Southampton 1837 Southampton City Council Southend-on-Sea 1939 Southend-on-Sea Council Southwark 1965 London Borough of Southwark St Helens 1974 St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council Staffordshire 2008 Staffordshire County Council Stockport 1974 Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council Stockton-on-Tees 1996 Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council Stoke-on-Trent 1935 Stoke-on-Trent City Council Suffolk 2010 Suffolk County Council Sunderland 1974 Sunderland City Council Surrey 2000 Surrey County Council Sutton 1965 London Borough of Sutton Swindon 1899 Swindon Borough Council Tameside 1974 Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council Telford and Wrekin 1998 Telford and Wrekin Borough Council Thurrock 1939 Thurrock Borough Council Torbay 1968 Torbay Borough Council Tower Hamlets 1983 London Borough of Tower Hamlets Trafford 1974 Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council Wakefield 1974 Wakefield Metropolitan District Council Walsall 1974 Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council Waltham Forest 1965 London Borough of Waltham Forest Wandsworth 1965 London Borough of Wandsworth Warrington 1974 Warrington Borough Council Warwickshire 2008 Warwickshire County Council West Berkshire 1998 West Berkshire Council West Sussex 2010 West Sussex County Council Westminster 1965 City of Westminster Wigan and Leigh 1995 Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council Wiltshire 2008 Wiltshire Council Windsor and Maidenhead 1974 Windsor and Maidenhead Borough Council Wirral 1998 Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council Wokingham 1998 Wokingham Borough Council Wolverhampton 1974 Wolverhampton Metropolitan Borough Council Worcestershire 2006 Worcestershire County Council York 1974 City of York Council
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