The county boroughs were abolished in 1974, with some being made metropolitan boroughs, and others being made districts of administrative counties. This situation did not persist and many of the old county boroughs that were annexed, have now regained independence as unitary authorities - essentially the same as county boroughs, but renamed. Some unitary authorities in Wales today use the style 'county borough' in their name.
It is also used, perhaps anachronistically, to refer to the counties of Bristol, Coventry, London, Reading, that had been created long before 1889.
England
Wales