The present city boundaries were set in 1974 (with slight modification in 1994), when the former county borough of Sheffield merged with StocksbridgeUrban District and two parishes from the Wortley Rural District.[9] This area includes a significant part of the countryside surrounding the main urban region. Roughly a third of Sheffield lies in the Peak District National Park. No other English city had parts of a national park within its boundary,[10] until the creation in March 2010 of the South Downs National Park, part of which lies within Brighton and Hove.
Gleadless Valley, demonstrating the hilly terrain within the city
Governance
Sheffield City Council is the local authority for the district. The council is composed of 84 councillors, three for each of the city's 28 wards. It is currently under No Overall Control. The city was under Labour control from its creation until 1999, when the Liberal Democrats took control of the council. The Labour Party regained control of the council in 2002 with power shifting back to the Liberal Democrats in 2008. However, Labour took control once again in 2011. Following the 2021 elections, the council is now in No Overall Control. As a metropolitan county, South Yorkshire does not have a county council, so Sheffield City Council is the primary provider of local government services. The district forms part of the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England.