The Election of the First Durham County Council
| Author | STUART DRUMMOND |
| Published date | 01 June 1962 |
| Date | 01 June 1962 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9299.1962.tb02957.x |
The Election
of
the First Durham County Council
STUART DRUMMOND
Mr
Drummond
is
Organi.&g Tutor
for
th
Durham Area
of
th
Workers’ Educational Association
When the first details of Ritchie’s local government legislation became
known
in the spring of
1888,
many London papers were alarmed that the
measure would lead to the most radical or even socialist government in the
counties. However, with the passage of months: and observation of the
actual nominations for county councillors, their fears began to subside.
lh
Tim,
having noted that the Duke
of
Marlborough had come forward
in Oxfordshire, admitted
in
its leader of 14th January
1889
that: ‘By
this
time it is tolerably certain that country gentlemen will secure
suilicient representation upon the new County Councils.’
THE PRESS AND THE POLITICAL PARTIES
The local press, at least in the north-east, had treated the comment in
the London press with scorn and derision,
as
yet further evidence, should
any be needed,
of
the’utter ignorance of the provinces existing in the
metropolis.
Noting
the ‘sigh of relief’ of
Th
Times,
the Darlington daily,
the
Northern
Echo
retorted:
‘Of
course they will, how could it be otherwise?
.
.
.
there never could have been any doubt as to English country
gentlemen
manning
the new institution. There never was any doubt
beyond a radius ten
miles
from Fleet Street’.
The
Durham
County Advertiser,
the Conservative weekly published in the
capital of the County Palatine, seems never to have shared the doubts of
London. It spoke rather of a quiet revolution, praising Ritchie for having
produced a bill based on sound conservatism. ‘The Landowners and
Gentry
of
the county
.
. .
’,
it said, ‘instead of
making
any effort to retain
the privileges and powers they have enjoyed
as
a
class,
.
.
.
have wisely
decided to accept the altered condition of affairs’. It went
on
to talk of
the
bill
as
‘
.
.
.
a
scheme which may
well
be described
as
revolutionary
in the
changes
it
prooposcs,
but
which
is
intended
and
calculated
to carry
Whe
Local
Gavemment
Bill
(intrdud
originally
ad
the
County
Councils
Bill
in
March
1888)
received
the
Royal
Asscnt
on
13th
Augwt,
1888,
and
the
elections
far
the
newly
created
County
Councils
were
to
take
place
during
the
first
half
of
January
1889.
141
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