Some History 1853: Middlesbrough becomes a Municipal Borough. 1889: Middlesbrough becomes one of the new County Boroughs and is responsible for all its local government services, including education from 1902. 1968: Middlesbrough County Borough disappears and the town becomes part of a new Teesside County Borough - an area covering both sides of the river, from Billingham through Stockton, Thornaby, Middlesbrough and Eston to Redcar. 1974: Middlesbrough Borough Council reappears as one of the four districts in the newly-created County of Cleveland. 1996: Middlesbrough Council becomes a unitary local authority once more