By Correspondent
There are 28 Urban Councils which have been established throughout the country as provided for in the Urban Councils Act.
While these are established under the same Act, the urban councils have been accorded different status.
Local Boards
The lowest on the hierarchy of urban councils are local boards.
These are established in settlements that have very small populations but have a potential to grow into big urban centres.
Local Boards are also established where a centre has peculiar circumstances and where they would require Government assistance to sustain themselves.
There are four such local boards established at Hwange, Ruwa, Epworth and Chirundu.
Town Councils
The second on the hierarchy are town councils.
There are 8 in number namely Karoi, Norton, Shurugwi, Zvishavane, Rusape , Chipinge, Plumtree and Chiredzi.
These are centres that have grown from service centres in the rural areas to a size sufficient for them to stand alone.
Municipal Councils
There are ten municipal councils which occupy the third position in the hierarchy of local authorities.
These include, Bindura, Chegutu, Chinhoyi, Chitungwiza, Gwanda, Kariba, Marondera, Masvingo, Redcliff and Victoria Falls.
City Councils
The councils with the highest status in the country are the city councils.
These are Harare, Bulawayo, Gweru, Mutare, Kwekwe and Kadoma- Courtesy of Veritas
