There is some debate in my charity whether we still need to put counties in the database address fields.
As a fundraiser, I find they are useful when segmenting geographically but my non-fundraising collegues have no need for them and use city and postcodes. As we share the data we need to agree to use them or lose them.
It doesn't help that there is no concensus between Royal Mail, local government when it comes to address protocols.
On a personal level I think they are part our national/cultural heritage which should be maintained, but that isn't a good enough argument.
What are the pros and cons of keeping/losing them?
Counties
For small family run Trusts and individual fundraising I would always include County names. Many people like to be associated with their County and expect recognition of it by others. For those that don't care either way, it can do no harm.