Gloucestershire is administered by three levels of council: 1. County, 2. City/District/Borough, 3. Parish/Town.
Local Government functions and responsibilities are governed by Acts of Parliament - principally the The Local Government Act 1972 - but the basic division of functions between Gloucestershire County Council, Stroud District Council and Parish and Town Councils (in the Stroud district) are illustrated in this table.
A printable version of this table is available as an infographic.
| Function | Responsibility |
| Adult social care | Gloucestershire County Council |
| Animal welfare | Stroud District Council |
| Anti-social behaviour & noise complaints | Stroud District Council |
| Archive | Gloucestershire County Council |
| Births, deaths, marriages & civil partnerships | Gloucestershire County Council |
| Blue badge scheme | Gloucestershire County Council |
| Bus services & passes | Gloucestershire County Council |
| Car parks | Stroud District Council (please check signage as some car parks are owned by private or third party companies) |
| Childrens social care | Gloucestershire County Council |
| Community | Share responsibility between Stroud District Council, Gloucestershire County Council and Parish and Town Councils |
| Council tax & housing benefit | Stroud District Council |
| Council housing repairs & maintenance | Stroud District Council |
| Cycling infrastructure | Gloucestershire County Council |
| Early years & childcare | Gloucestershire County Council |
| Economic development | Stroud District Council |
| Employment & skills hub | Gloucestershire County Council |
| Environment | Share responsibility between Stroud District Council, Gloucestershire County Council and Parish and Town Councils |
| Fly tipping & abandoned vehicles | Stroud District Council |
| Food safety | Stroud District Council |
| Fostering & adoption | Gloucestershire County Council |
| Fire & rescue | Gloucestershire County Council |
| Grass cutting | Share responsibility between Stroud District Council, Gloucestershire County Council and Parish and Town Councils |
| Growth hub | Gloucestershire County Council |
| Grounds maintenance | Share responsibility between Stroud District Council, Gloucestershire County Council and Parish and Town Councils |
| Health & wellbeing | Stroud District Council |
| Homes for older people | Stroud District Council |
| Homelessness support & housing advice | Stroud District Council |
| Household waste & recycling | Stroud District Council |
| Leisure centres | Stroud District Council |
| Libraries | Gloucestershire County Council |
| Litter & dog bins | Share responsibility between Stroud District Council, Gloucestershire County Council and Parish and Town Councils |
| Museum in the Park | Stroud District Council |
| Parks & open spaces | Share responsibility between Stroud District Council, Gloucestershire County Council and Parish and Town Councils |
| Pest control | Stroud District Council |
| Planning & building control | Stroud District Council |
| Playing fields | Share responsibility between Stroud District Council, Gloucestershire County Council and Parish and Town Councils |
| Public health | Gloucestershire County Council |
| Public rights of way | Gloucestershire County Council |
| Recreational areas | Share responsibility between Stroud District Council, Gloucestershire County Council and Parish and Town Councils |
| Roads, highways, potholes & pedestrian crossings | Gloucestershire County Council |
| School transport | Gloucestershire County Council |
| Schools, education & learning | Gloucestershire County Council |
| Stratford Park | Stroud District Council |
| Street cleansing | Share responsibility between Stroud District Council, Gloucestershire County Council and Parish and Town Councils |
| Street naming & numbering | Stroud District Council |
| Support for businesses | Stroud District Council |
| Temporary road closures | Stroud District Council |
| Tourism | Stroud District Council |
| Trading standards | Gloucestershire County Council |
| Voting & elections | Stroud District Council |
| Youth projects | Share responsibility between Stroud District Council, Gloucestershire County Council and Parish and Town Councils |