ABSTRACT
Local government, at both the county and the district level, is an important planning and managerial agency on land. It follows therefore that it is an important planning and managerial agency in coastlands where, in England and Wales, some 30 Counties and over 110 Districts adjoin coastal waters and where proximity to the sea has prompted numerous area specific responses. This chapter examines some of the maritime boundaries spawned by local government, including the forces behind their conception and their relationship to ocean resources. Ocean resources includes for instance the quality of coastal waters, their flora and fauna and the availability of water space for recreation and communication. The chapter illustrates the fact that local government jurisdiction possesses a maritime dimension, or rather several separate maritime dimensions. It considers the possible evolution of the sphere of local government organisation. The area beyond low watermark where local government boundaries are most prolific is in the field of port and harbour administration.
