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Royal Commission on Local Government in Greater London

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	Royal Commission on Local Government in Greater London
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	Topics Royal Commission on Local Government in Greater London Topic Home The Royal Commission on Local Government in Greater London, also known as the Herbert Commission, was established in 1957 and published its report in 1960. The report made recommendations for the overhaul of the administration of the capital that were implemented in a modified form by the London Government Act 1963Facts About London Government Act 1963 The London Government Act 1963 was an Act of the UK parliament, which recognised officially the conurbation known as Greater... . Membership The chairman of the Commission was Sir Edwin HerbertEdwin Herbert, Baron Tangley Edwin Savory Herbert, Baron Tangley KBE was a British lawyer and mountaineer.... The other members were: Paul Cadbury, chairman of Cadbury Brothers, and former member of Birmingham City Council’s reconstruction committee Alice Johnston, member of the National Assistance Board William Lawson, president of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales William Mackenzie, professor of government, Victoria University, Manchester Sir Charles MorrisCharles Morris, Baron Morris of Grasmere Charles Richard Morris, Baron Morris of Grasmere KCMG was a Professor of Philosophy.... , vice-chancellor of the University of LeedsUniversity of Leeds The University of Leeds is a major teaching and research university, one of the largest in the United Kingdom.... Sir John Wrigley, former Deputy Secretary of the Ministry of Housing and Local GovernmentMinistry of Housing and Local Government The Ministry of Housing and Local Government was a United Kingdom government department formed after the Second World War, c... The membership of the commission was notable for not containing anyone with previous involvement with local government in the London area. Terms of reference and area under review The Commission’s terms of reference were to: “examine the present system and working of Local Government in the Greater London area; to recommend whether any, and if so what, changes in local government structure and the distribution of local government functions in the area, or any part of it, would better secure effective and convenient local government.” The review area was: Administrative County of LondonCounty of London The County of London was an administrative county and ceremonial county of England from 1889 to 1965.... Administrative County of MiddlesexMiddlesex Middlesex is one of the 39 historic counties of England and the second smallest.... The county boroughs of CroydonCounty Borough of Croydon Croydon was a local government district in north east Surrey from 1849 to 1965. ... , East HamCounty Borough of East Ham East Ham was a local government district in the far south west of Essex from 1894 to 1965.... and West HamCounty Borough of West Ham West Ham was a borough in the far south west of Essex from 1886 to 1965, forming part of the built-up area of London, althou... The following county districts in the county of SurreySurrey Surrey is a county in southern England, part of the South East England region and one of the Home Counties.... : The boroughs of Barnes, Beddington and Wallington, Epsom and Ewell, Kingston-upon-Thames, Malden and Coombe, Mitcham, Richmond, Surbiton, Sutton and Cheam and Wimbledon The urban districts of Banstead, Carshalton, Caterham and Warlingham, Coulsdon and Purley, Esher, Merton and Morden and Walton and Weybridge, The following county districts in the county of KentKent Kent is a county in England, south-east of London.... : The boroughs of Beckenham, Bexley, Bromley, Dartford and Erith The urban districts of Chislehurst and Sidcup, Crayford, Orpington and Penge, The following county districts and parishesCivil parish A civil parish in England is a subnational entity forming the lowest unit of local government, lower than districts or count... in the county of HertfordHertfordshire Overview Hertfordshire is an inland county in England and is one of the Home Counties.... , The borough of Watford, The urban districts of Barnet, Bushey, Cheshunt, Chorleywood, East Barnet and Rickmansworth, The rural district of Elstree The parish of Northaw in the rural district of Hatfield The parishes of Aldenham and Watford Rural in the rural district of Watford, The following county districts in the county of EssexEssex Essex is a county in the East of England.... : The boroughs of Barking, Chingford, Dagenham, Ilford, Leyton, Romford, Walthamstow and Wanstead and Woodford The urban districts of Chigwell, Hornchurch and Waltham Holy Cross. The existing local authorities varied widely in population and size: the six county councils or county boroughs in the metropolitan area had similar responsibilities, yet the number of inhabitants in their areas under their control varied from over 3,000,000 to 110,000. There were 102 county districts within the review area and these also varied greatly: some had larger populations and rateable value than existing county boroughs, while others had only a few thousand residents. Outside of the County of London the division of functions between county councils and county districts was also unclear: some districts enjoyed considerable independence with a range of delegated “county” powers, while similar districts did not. There were no set criteria for such delegation, which instead came about because of “fortuitous historical, political and personal factors”, a situation leading to “serious administrative friction” in some counties. The work of the Commission The Commission held 114 meetings, heard oral evidence on 70 occasions, and asked nearly 16,000 questions. The Commission was also able to draw on the work of the Greater London Group of the London School of EconomicsLondon School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science, more commonly referred to as The London School of Economics or '... , which had carried out an extensive survey on local government in London. The evidence heard by the Commission was contradictory: that of the Ministry of Local Government and Housing depicted a system that was breaking down while that given by the local authorities vigorously defended the status quo. In the absence of consensus, the Commission drew up two criteria by which to guide its recommendations: Efficiency and economy in the use of human and financial resources The maintenance of healthy local democracy By following these criteria a two-tier system was envisaged, with a regional authority for “technical” services and smaller local authorities for “personal” services. Much of the Commission’s deliberations involved trying to find an optimum size for the sub-units of the proposed system. The general agreement of witnesses was that a basic “many-purpose” unit should have a population of between at least 250,000, with many favouring a range of 500,000 to 1,500,000. It was stressed by council officers and teachers that authorities would need to be of a sufficiently large size to provide promotion prospects and attract good staff. The Commission, however, favoured smaller units. This was due to their second criterion: large authorities, it was felt, would be remote from their citizens. It was also hoped that smaller local authorities would encourage greater participation in local elections. The Commission displayed a dislike of “bigness”, in particular describing the London County Council as “massive”, “inhuman” and “monolithic”. Three criteria were used by the commission to consider if places on the periphery should be included in the review area. They were extent to which a locality was independent and freestanding; the closeness of links with the capital; and the outlook of the district towards or away from London. In 1960 the commission deleted Potter Bar and all parts of Hertfordshire aside from Cheshunt, Barnet and East Barnet from the review area. Report The Report of the Royal Commission on Local Government in Greater London, 1957-60, (Cmnd. 1164) was published on October 19, 1960. The recommendations in the unanimous report were: The establishment of a Regional Council for Greater London. The council was to be entirely elected, with one member for each parliamentary constituency. The Regional council was to administer "strategic services" such as town planning, traffic management, education, fire and ambulance services. A second tier of local units, called "Greater London Boroughs", would be formed by amalgamation of the existing metropolitan boroughs, county boroughs, municipal boroughs and county districts. to Greater London Boroughs were to have a population of between 100,000 and 250,000. Some services would need to be shared between the two tiers. For example, the regional authority would decide on the educational budget, maintenance of standards, planning of location and types of schools and the recruitment of teachers; the boroughs would oversee the day to day administration of all schools in their area. The Commission did not include the entire review area within its proposed Greater London region: they excluded Waltham Holy Cross in Essex, Dartford in Kent, Potters Bar in Middlesex and the Elstree and Watford areas of Hertfordshire. The report proposed a total of fifty-two Greater London Boroughs, to be formed from the following existing areas: City of LondonCity of London The City of London is a small area in Greater London, England.... City of WestminsterMetropolitan Borough of Westminster Summary The Metropolitan Borough of Westminster was a metropolitan borough in the County of London from 1900 to 1965.... Finsbury/Holborn/Shoreditch Islington Hackney/Stoke Newington Bethnal Green/Poplar/Stepney Woolwich Deptford/Greenwich Lewisham Camberwell Bermondsey/Southwark Lambeth Wandsworth (part) Battesea/Wandsworth (part) Hammersmith/Fulham Kensington/Chelsea Paddington/St Marylebone Hampstead/St Pancras ChingfordMunicipal Borough of Chingford Chingford was a local government district in south west Essex from 1894 to 1965 around the town of Chingford.... /WalthamstowMunicipal Borough of Walthamstow Walthamstow was a local government district in south west Essex from 1894 to 1965 around the town of Walthamstow.... ChigwellChigwell Urban District Chigwell Urban District was a local government district in south west Essex, United Kingdom.... /LeytonMunicipal Borough of Leyton Leyton was a local government district in south west Essex from 1894 to 1965 around the town of Leyton.... /Wanstead and Woodford IlfordMunicipal Borough of Ilford Ilford was a local government district in south west Essex, England from 1894 to 1965.... RomfordMunicipal Borough of Romford Romford was a local government district in south west Essex from 1894 to 1965.... HornchurchHornchurch Urban District Hornchurch was a local government district in south west Essex from 1926 to 1965.... BarkingMunicipal Borough of Barking Barking was a local government district in south west Essex from 1894 to 1965 around the town of Barking.... /DagenhamMunicipal Borough of Dagenham estate and industrial use such as the [[Ford Motor Company... East HamCounty Borough of East Ham East Ham was a local government district in the far south west of Essex from 1894 to 1965.... West HamCounty Borough of West Ham West Ham was a borough in the far south west of Essex from 1886 to 1965, forming part of the built-up area of London, althou... BexleyMunicipal Borough of Bexley Bexley was a local government district in north west Kent from 1894 to 1965 around the town of Old Bexley.... /CrayfordCrayford Urban District Crayford was a local government district in north west Kent from 1920 to 1965 around the town of Crayford.... /ErithMunicipal Borough of Erith Overview Erith was a local government district in north west Kent from 1894 to 1965 around the town of Erith.... Chislehurst and Sidcup/OrpingtonOrpington Urban District Orpington was a local government district in north west Kent from 1934 to 1965 around the town of Orpington, England.... BeckenhamMunicipal Borough of Beckenham Beckenham was a local government district in north west Kent from 1894 to 1965 around the town of Beckenham.... /BromleyMunicipal Borough of Bromley Bromley was a local government district in north west Kent from 1894 to 1965 around the town of Bromley.... /PengePenge Urban District Penge was a local government district in north west Kent from 1899 to 1965 around the town of Penge.... CroydonCounty Borough of Croydon Croydon was a local government district in north east Surrey from 1849 to 1965. ... Caterham and WarlinghamCaterham and Warlingham Summary Caterham and Warlingham was an Urban District of Surrey in England until 1974.... /Coulsdon and Purley Banstead/Epsom and EwellEpsom and Ewell !colspan=2 align=center bgcolor="#ff9999"\|Borough of Epsom and Ewell... Beddington and Wallington/CarshaltonCarshalton Urban District Carshalton was a local government district in north east Surrey from 1894 to 1965 around the town of Carshalton.... /Sutton and CheamSutton and Cheam Sutton and Cheam may be:* Municipal Borough of Sutton and Cheam, abolished 1965... Merton and MordenMerton and Morden Urban District Merton Urban District was an urban district in Surrey, England, created in 1907 to cover the parish of Merton.... /MitchamMunicipal Borough of Mitcham in [[Grea... /WimbledonMunicipal Borough of Wimbledon Wimbledon was a local government district in north east Surrey from 1894 to 1965 around the town of Wimbledon.... BarnesMunicipal Borough of Barnes Barnes was a local government district of Surrey from 1894 to 1965.... /Richmond Kingston-upon-ThamesMunicipal Borough of Kingston upon Thames Kingston upon Thames was a local government district and borough in north east Surrey, England from 1835 to 1965 around the ... /Malden and Coombe/SurbitonMunicipal Borough of Surbiton Surbiton was a local government district in north east Surrey, United Kingdom.... Esher/Walton and Weybridge FelthamFeltham Urban District Feltham was an urban district in Middlesex, England from 1894 to 1965.... /StainesStaines Urban District Summary Staines was a local government district from 1894 to 1974 around the town of Staines.... /Sunbury-on-ThamesSunbury-on-Thames Urban District Sunbury on Thames - also known as Sunbury - was a local government district from 1894 to 1974 around the town of Sunbu... TwickenhamMunicipal Borough of Twickenham Twickenham was an urban district and later a municipal borough in Middlesex, England from 1894 to 1965.... Heston and IsleworthHeston and Isleworth Heston and Isleworth may refer to:... ActonMunicipal Borough of Acton Acton was a local government district in Middlesex, England from 1865 to 1965.... /Brentford and ChiswickBrentford and Chiswick Brentford and Chiswick may refer to:... EalingMunicipal Borough of Ealing Overview Ealing was a local government district from 1894 to 1965 around the town of Ealing.... Hayes and HarlingtonHayes and Harlington Hayes and Harlington could bethe former Hayes and Harlington Urban District... /SouthallMunicipal Borough of Southall Southall* was a local government district in the county of Middlesex, United Kingdom from 1894 to 1965.... Ruislip-NorthwoodRuislip-Northwood Ruislip-Northwood could bethe former Ruislip-Northwood Urban District... /UxbridgeMunicipal Borough of Uxbridge Uxbridge* was a local government district in north west Middlesex from 1894 to 1965 around the town of Uxbridge.... /Yiewsley and West Drayton Harrow WembleyMunicipal Borough of Wembley Overview Wembley was an urban district and later a municipal borough in Middlesex, England.... WillesdenMunicipal Borough of Willesden Willesden was a local government district in the county of Middlesex, England from 1874 to 1965.... HendonMunicipal Borough of Hendon Overview Hendon was an ancient civil parish of around 8250 acres which included Mill Hill, 3570 acres, as well as Golders Green and C... BarnetFacts About Barnet Urban District Barnet was a local government district in south Hertfordshire from 1894 to 1965 around the town of Barnet.... /East BarnetEast Barnet Urban District East Barnet was a local government district in south Hertfordshire from 1894 to 1965 around the town of East Barnet.... /FinchleyMunicipal Borough of Finchley Overview Finchley was created an urban district of Middlesex in 1894.... /Friern Barnet HornseyFacts About Municipal Borough of Hornsey Hornsey was a local government district in south east Middlesex from 1867 to 1965.... /SouthgateMunicipal Borough of Southgate Southgate was a local government district of Middlesex from 1894 to 1965.... /Wood GreenMunicipal Borough of Wood Green Overview Wood Green was a local government district in south east Middlesex from 1888 to 1965.... EdmontonMunicipal Borough of Edmonton Edmonton was a local government district in south east Middlesex, England from 1850 to 1965.... /TottenhamFacts About Municipal Borough of Tottenham Tottenham was a local government district in south east Middlesex from 1850 to 1965.... CheshuntCheshunt Overview Cheshunt is a town in the Broxbourne district of Hertfordshire in the East of England with a population of around 50,000 acc... /EnfieldMunicipal Borough of Enfield Enfield was an urban district in Middlesex, England from 1894 to 1965.... Government reaction and legislation By May 1961 the government had announced that a number of areas on the edge of the conurbation would be excluded from Greater London, and this was followed by the publication of a white paperWhite paper A white paper is an authoritative report; a government report outlining policy; or a document the purpose of which is to edu... on November 29, 1961, accepting most of the recommendations. However, they felt education should be a borough-level function in most parts of the capital, with a single authority for central London. They also proposed that boroughs should be larger and fewer in number. In December the government proposed that there be 34 boroughs rather than 52, and detailed their boundaries. By the time of the introduction of legislation in 1962, the number of boroughs had been reduced to 32, and the area of Greater London again reduced. The London Government Act 1963 came into effect on April 1, 1965, with the creation of the Greater London CouncilGreater London Council The Greater London Council was the top-tier local government administrative body for Greater London from 1965 to 1986.... and thirty-two London borough councilsLondon borough The administrative area of Greater London contains 32 London boroughs, of which 12 make up Inner London and 20 Outer London... .