Rural District

A Rural District (German Rural District ) was in the UK and in Ireland a municipal administrative unit as part of a county . Their area extended exclusively to rural areas, while urban areas were urban districts . Like them, the rural districts had an elected council (Rural District Council) and shared local government responsibilities with the county council .

The Rural Districts were established in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in the late 19th century . In the Republic of Ireland they were abolished in 1925 and their tasks were transferred to the counties. In Northern Ireland , like the Urban Districts, they were dissolved in 1973 and replaced by larger districts . In England and Wales , where they were formed in 1894, they were abolished as part of the 1974 local government reform and replaced by new, larger districts. The number of rural districts had already decreased significantly as a result of mergers.