Local Government Reorganisation
| Published date | 01 June 1953 |
| Date | 01 June 1953 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9299.1953.tb01683.x |
Local Government Reorganisat
ion
The
following
Report
has
been prepared by representatives
of
the
County
Councils Association, Urban District Councils Association, Rural District
Councils Association and National Association
of
Parish
Councils
for
the
consideration
of
their Associations.
1.
Following the issue of the Third (1947) Report of the Local Govern-
ment Boundary Commission, which outlined that body’s suggestions for
reform, conferences based
on
those suggestions took place between repre-
sentatives of the three Associations first named above and the Association
of Municipal Corporations with a view to agreement being reached between
them upon the future structure of local government and the functions of
local authorities. These conferences were in progress when the Minister
of
Health announced in Parliament on 27th June, 1949, that the Government
proposed to wind up the Commission. In the course of the Second Reading
of the
Bill
for that purpose the Minister commented on the absence in the
local government world of agreement
on
proposals for local government
reform, and said the Government proposed to introduce, although not in
the life of the then Parliament, their
own
legislative proposals.
2. The Royal Assent was given
on
16th December, 1949, to the Local
Government Boundary Comnission (Dissolution) Act, 1949, and
it
was
considered that no useful purpose would be served by the continuance of
conferences based upon the suggestions of the Commission.
3.
The three Associations and the Association of Municipal Corporations
were, however, of the opinion that they would be well advised to enter upon
discussions
de
novo
in an endeavour to produce
an
agreed reorganisation
scheme for submission to the Government. These continued until May,
1952, when they were adjourned until such time as the Association
of
Municipal Corporations had prepared and were able to submit a document
containing their proposals for long-term reorganisation of local government.
4. Since May, 1952, the representatives of the County Councils Asso-
ciation, the Urban District Councils Association and the Rural District
Councils Association have continued to confer and they later invited the
National Association of Parish Councils to participate in their discussions.
The representatives of the four associations are glad to say that they have
reached agreement
on
proposals to be recommended to their respective
associations and these are contained in the appendix to this report.
5.
The representatives are aware from speeches inside and outside
Parliament that Members of both Houses are intensely interested in the
reorganisation of local government. Thus in 1951 the Minister of Local
Government and Planning said that he was glad to know that the local
authorities’ associations were discussing the subject and that he would await
with interest their conclusions. Later in the year
it
was stated that the
Government were
“
prepared to consider the agreed proposals of the local
authority associations and also to consider legislation arising from them
”
and that they believed that the consolidation and reorganisation of locd
government was best done in consultation with the local authority associations.
In 1952 also the Minister of Housing and Local Government referred
to
176
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