Clive D. W. Feather wrote:
In article m,
Martin Underwood writes
Ask a resident which county they live in and they'll
say "Berkshire" not "Windsor and Maidenhead" or "Bracknell Forest".
According to Simon Gardner who regularly posts in
uk.local.thames-valley, the strictly correct, hair-splitting answer
to the question would be "I don't" - because Bracknell Forest etc
aren't even counties - they are Unitary Authorities.

I haven't checked the case of Bracknell Forest, but the correct titles
of two other unitary authorities are the County of Peterborough and
the County of Southend-on-Sea.

I don't think that's strictly true. There is a County of Southend-on-Sea
(and also a County of Thurrock), and those areas are no longer part of the
(administrative) county of Essex. But these new counties do not have
councils. The relevant unitary authority for Southend is still
Southend-on-Sea Borough Council. Indeed there is no mention of the "County
of Southend-on-Sea" on www.southend.gov.uk .

--
Richard J.
(to e-mail me, swap uk and yon in address)