Skip to main content

To: The UK Government

Pam's County Petition: Get Back Our British Counties

PETITION AND CAMPAIGN VIDEO: https://britishcounties.org/video

RESTORE the historic British counties to their rightful place. Make sure they are properly recognised, signposted and marked. Use them as a fixed frame of reference, for a variety of purposes, across all media.

*IF YOU are signing the petition, please state a reason why. This helps us know why people are supporting the campaign. Many thanks.

Why is this important?

THE 92 traditional - some say "historic" - counties of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales often date back more than a thousand years. They are an important part of the culture, geography and heritage of the United Kingdom. The public understand what they are, and they help create an identity that binds communities together. 

Since the 1960s-70s, in particular 1974, huge confusion has been caused to county identity in England, Scotland and Wales through successive legislative acts seeking to change administrative areas. 

These acts have eroded the role of the historic counties in the life of our nation, despite assurances by successive governments that the counties would be preserved as the basis for local identity.

All this has happened against the wishes and despite the protests of ordinary people, who have been forced against their will into living in new so-called administrative or "ceremonial" areas that do not correspond with their true county. 

We want - and need - legislation to ensure there is just one type of county in this country, namely the historic one. We seek to achieve this by removing all other "county" definitions, and by aligning all ceremonial boundaries to those of the historic counties.

Further, great care must be taken with the names of councils and service areas all over the country, and the counties must be marketed to preserve them into the future.

Pam Moorhouse, who started the petition in 2015, says: “I remember in 1974 when the government sent people all over the country setting up new councils and telling people they had to live in new areas. This was completely against the people's wishes. It upset millions. Why was this acceptable or fair?

"To this day, councils continue wiping out our history and denying it, on TV, in the media, in schools, even in museums, but people feel loyalty towards their traditional area. It is also vital young people know about what happened, otherwise our history will be lost forever. 

"People, not the government, should decide where you live. We need to make sure the changes of the past are undone. We need to get our counties back, and make sure this never happens again. 

“Please feel free to get in touch with your comments. All views are welcome. If you agree with the petition, please sign it. We want an initial 100,000 signatures to help get the support of enough parliamentarians to get our bill enacted.

"We look forward to your support."

You can find additional information on our website, comment on our social media pages, or contact British Counties Campaign chair Gerard Dugdill: [email protected] or call +44(0)7900 267988

If you want to contact Pam directly, please click on her name on the top left of the petition page and fill in the form.

Website: https://britishcounties.org/

NB. The map shows the 92 traditional counties of the UK.

www.britishcounties.org/video

How it will be delivered

To the government, online and printed names.

Links

Updates

2024-02-02 17:05:53 +0000

RIP PAM MOORHOUSE. 18 February 1946-1 February 2024. The campaign and petition continue.

2023-12-07 13:20:55 +0000

10 paper signatures added from English Democrats conference.
Andrew Bridgen now among the MP supporters
www.britishcounties.org/mps

2023-10-02 15:22:56 +0100

Hope all well. Happy Lincs day for yesterday. [email protected]

2023-09-10 11:26:17 +0100

Day out over the weekend in Lancaster. Working on lots of different awards schemes to support the petition and campaign.
[email protected]

2023-06-12 17:12:31 +0100

Coverage also re Bolton referendum.
Attended Heritage Party meeting in Southend. Good support there.

2023-04-03 12:01:37 +0100

Recent Telegraph coverage re Cumberland and Westmorland
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2023/04/01/cumberland-and-westmorland-return-municipal-map/
In anyone can copy and send all the comments, great!

2023-03-21 15:56:26 +0000

Peter Bottomley MP supporting. Now 28 MPs.

2022-12-23 08:29:24 +0000

https://ydm.org.uk/2021/10/19/yorkshire-features-strongly-in-lords-debate-on-traditional-counties/

The Lords and Commons Spokesman seams to fail to realise that most people today know NOTHING of either the forced change, or The Ridings. They think as they are told by all councils that the present divisions have always existed, not helped by post cards of 'Historic North Yorkshire,' Brimham Rocks. Pam.

2022-11-15 14:57:45 +0000

Pam and Gerard with Nick Buckley.

https://youtu.be/U-N7vh5y09Y

2022-11-08 15:49:53 +0000

Kate Bush released a song about 'Kathy' appealing to Heathcliffe a while ago. They showed a video of the moors and the place where the Brontes lived, at Howarth, now a museum that my friend and I once visited.
But although it was about 150 years ago when the Brontes lived there, the voice-over still had to say 'in West Yorkshire!' I was SO MAD... But Kate Bush carved a message on the rock, with a knife, which the voice-over said would last forever. So, would there be a way for me to do the same about the county change, and the misleading info that makes W. Yorks wrongly 150 years old? There are loads of big rocks on the moors, but maybe too difficult for me? I'm just so mad. A hopeless quest but I want to get the message out. What do you think? Pam.

2022-10-10 13:50:30 +0100

We are working on plans for a Berkshire day event. All invited. [email protected]

2022-10-03 12:17:19 +0100

13 added from the Heritage Party conference. We are hoping to go to all the party conferences in due course.

2022-09-05 17:32:36 +0100

We hope you have had a nice summer. Let's keep on petitioning!

2022-07-01 16:29:02 +0100

Humbs Fire and Rescue sent me a letter by post to 'Grimsby, NEL', asking for help with their research on preventing falls and staying safe in the home, if you can leave safely in the event of a fire, if aged over 70. Also, in Asda's Humbs Police had a stand with leaflets to prevent break ins, 'The Humber Sings.'
There were a man and girl aged about 25 on the stand. 'Do you live in the Humberside Area?'
'NO.'
'Do you live in the Humber Area?'
'NO.'
'Do you live locally?'
'Yes, about 10 mins away. I live in Grimsby, Lincolnshire. They took my name and post code. But I object to them pushing Humbs when we unanimously rejected it 50 years ago, or pushing the council-creation NEL. But they wouldn't take 'no' for an answer. No objections. Just taking Humbs/NEL for granted. Anyway they both took a leaflet.
What can I do against such opposition? Contact Lia Nici, Henry, or the MP chap, in Beverley who tried to get any remaining Humbs refs stopped? Fed up with 'modern' refs. Pam.

2022-06-22 14:35:10 +0100

https://www.englishdemocrats.party/london_migrant_english?utm_campaign=midweek220622&utm_medium=email&utm_source=englishdemocrats

See Pam's comment.

https://www.facebook.com/BritishCounties/?notif_id=1654034246745083&notif_t=page_fan&ref=notif

* A portion of the signature total has been collected offline and has not yet been verified by 38 Degrees.