1.1 ABC exists to maintain, enhance and promote the identities of the Counties of the United Kingdom and their role in the cultural life, geography and history of the nation.
ABC asserts that:
2.1 the Counties were created in a variety of ways over a long period of history. While each County may have originally been set up for some public purpose or other, long before the beginning of the nineteenth century it was their geographical and cultural identities that were paramount. No single administrative function defined them. Rather, the Counties were considered to be territorial divisions whose names and areas had been fixed and universally accepted for centuries.
2.2 the counties have a separate existence from the administrative areas created by the Local Government Act 1888, the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889, the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 and by subsequent local government legislation. These acts created statutorily defined administrative areas which, although initially based on the Counties, have always been understood to be legally distinct from them.
2.3 the most authoritative definition of the boundaries of the Counties of Great Britain is that obtained by the Ordnance Survey during its first national survey of Great Britain, commenced in 1841, and presented on the resultant First Edition 1:2500 and 1:10560 maps; the most authoritative definition of the boundaries of the Counties of Ireland is that obtained by the OS during its survey of Ireland commenced in 1824, and presented on the resultant 1:10560 maps.
2.4 there have been few (reliably documented) changes to County boundaries during recorded history: any such changes have not been such as to undermine the historical continuity of the Counties as geographical and cultural entities. Of particular note are:
2.5 following historical precedent, detached parts of Counties should be considered to be associated with both their parent County (from which they are detached) and the County in which they locally lie.
2.6 the “county corporate” status granted to some towns and cities has always been considered to be an extra civic dignity bestowed on the town/city and not to imply that these towns/cities are the equivalent of the Counties or no longer lie in their parent County.
2.7 the unqualified term “County” should be understood to refer to one of the Counties described here: if qualification is needed then the adjective “historic”, i.e. having a long history, is the most appropriate term.
ABC believes that:
3.1 the Counties as described in section 2 should be the standard used in studies of history, and in references to historical events.
3.2 the Counties as described in Section 2 should form the fixed framework against which the suitability of any administrative area or organisation to use a County name should be judged: no organisation (local authority, sports association etc.) should use the unqualified name of a County unless the geographical area it represents is a close match to the County of that name.
3.3 neither the media nor publications (e.g. guide books, architectural guides, tourist literature etc.) should use the name of a County to describe a geographical area unless that geographical area is a close match to the County of that name.
3.4 the close association (with the exception of the “County of London”) which existed between lieutenancy areas and the Counties from 1889 to the enactment of the London Government Act 1963 has meant that those small changes made to lieutenancy areas between 1889-1964 have, in many cases, led to changes in the public perception of County areas and in the areas of County-based organisations; and that such small deviations from the strict geography of the Counties may be considered acceptable for the purposes described in 3.2 & 3.3, but should not be considered as actual territorial changes to the Counties.
4.1 Public Understanding and Appreciation of the Counties: ABC seeks to encourage public understanding and appreciation of the geography, history, natural history, architecture, culture and identity of the Counties. It aims to:
4.2 Cultural Identity: ABC seeks to sustain and enhance the affection and affinity which people have for individual Counties and for the Counties in general. It aims:
4.3 The Sporting, Social and Cultural Life of the Counties: ABC seeks to sustain and enhance the role of the Counties as a basis for sporting, social and cultural activities. It aims to lobby for:
4.4 The Geography of the Counties: ABC seeks to promote the geography of the Counties as the basis for a standard general-purpose geography for the UK. It aims to:
4.5 The History of the Counties: ABC seeks to promote an appreciation of the role the Counties have played in the history of the nation and an appreciation of the history of the individual Counties. It aims to:
4.6 The Counties and Administrative Areas: ABC seeks to promote the fact that the Counties have an existence and importance totally separate from that to any set of administrative areas. It aims to lobby for:
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