In other parts of England, local government is split between two tiers of authority: 32 larger County Councils, and within those 192 District Councils, each sharing different functions. Since 1994, England has had eight regions for administrative purposes at Whitehall, yet these have no regional government or democratic assembly (like in London, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland) after a 2004 referendum on North East Assembly failed.In 2004, referendum in North East by postal ballot, 78% voted, rejecting a regional assembly of 25 to 35 members, elected by proportional representation. This means that England has among the most centralised, and disunified systems of governance in the Commonwealth and Europe.
