s of the United Kingdom as of 2012. In 1996 Scottish regions and districts were abolished on further local government reorganisation, and since that date Lord-Lieutenants have been appointed to
"lieutenancy areas", in most places roughly equivalent to the historic Scottish counties. Partial reform of local government in England since 1995 has led to the creation of so-called
"ceremonial counties" to which Lord-Lieutenants are now appointed. The
Lieutenancies Act 1997 (c. 23) is the most recent piece of primary legislation dealing with lieutenancies in England and includes the definitive list of the current areas used. Ceremonial counties may comprise combinations of county council areas and unitary authority areas, or even parts of them. Since the local government re-organisation of 1996 in
Wales, Lord-Lieutenants are now appointed to
"preserved counties", i.e. the counties used for administrative purposes from 1974 to 1996. The
City of London was unaffected by changes introduced since 1882. It has a Commission of Lieutenancy rather than a Lord-Lieutenant, headed by the
Lord Mayor of the City of London.
Duties Lord-Lieutenants are the monarch's representatives in their lieutenancies. Their foremost duty is to uphold the dignity of
the Crown, and in so doing they seek to promote a spirit of co-operation and good atmosphere through the time they give to voluntary and benevolent organisations and through the interest they take in the business and social life of their counties. presenting medals in November 2012, as
Lord-Lieutenant of Suffolk. The modern responsibilities of Lord-Lieutenants include: • Arranging visits of members of the
royal family and escorting royal visitors; • Presenting medals and awards on behalf of the sovereign, and advising on
honours nominations; • Participating in civic, voluntary and social activities within the lieutenancy; • Acting as liaison with local units of the
Royal Navy,
Royal Marines,
Army,
Royal Air Force and their associated Cadet Forces; • Leading the local
magistracy as chairman of the Advisory Committee on
Justices of the Peace; and • Chairing the local Advisory Committee for the Appointment of the General Commissioners of
Income Tax, a tribunal which hears appeals against decisions made by the
HM Revenue and Customs on a variety of different tax-related matters. As the Sovereign's representative in each county, a Lord-Lieutenant remains non-political and may not hold office in any political party. They are appointed for life, although the customary age of retirement is 75 and the Sovereign may remove them.
Deputies Each Lord-Lieutenant appoints a Vice-Lieutenant and a number of
deputy lieutenants to support them. The Vice-Lieutenant assumes the Lord-Lieutenant's duties when they are abroad, ill, or otherwise incapacitated. The number of deputy lieutenants appointed, typically between thirty and forty, depends on the county's population.
Remuneration They are unpaid, but receive minimal allowances for secretarial help, mileage allowance and a driver. Lord-Lieutenants receive an allowance for the ceremonial uniform, worn when receiving members of the Royal Family and on other formal occasions.
Uniform in uniform as
Lord-Lieutenant of North Yorkshire, 2014. Since at least the 18th century, a military-style uniform has been worn by lord-lieutenants (appropriate to the military origins of the post). Since 1831 this has been analogous to the uniform worn by a general staff officer, but with silver lace in place of the gold worn by regular officers. Over time, the design of the uniform changed in line with changes made to army uniform. At present, it is a dark blue uniform in the style of a General Officer's
Army No. 1 dress (but with shoulder cords, sash, collar patch cord, buttons etc. in silver rather than gold). A cap with two rows of silver oak leaf embroidery around the peak is worn, as well as a sword with a steel scabbard. The badge used on the uniform varies depending on where the lieutenant's county is situated – a rose is worn in England, shamrocks in Northern Ireland, a thistle in Scotland and Prince-of-Wales feathers in Wales. On the whole, the lord-lieutenant's insignia resemble a
Lieutenant-General of the British Army. The uniform for a vice lord-lieutenant and for
deputy lieutenants is of a similar style, but with features to distinguish it from that of a lord-lieutenant – on shoulder boards, no crown above the national symbol (rose, shamrocks, or thistle); blue cord instead of silver on the red gorget tabs aka collar patches; and only a single row of gold braid around the peak of the cap. In addition, deputy lieutenants wear narrower shoulder boards than their superiors and a crimson sash rather than the lord-lieutenant's silver sash. The vice lord-lieutenant's dress resembles that of a former
Brigadier-General of the British Army, while a deputy lieutenant's dress resembles that of a field officer. ==Lord Lieutenant of Ireland==