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The Local Government Board (LGB) was a
British Government ga, Rialtas a Shoilse gd, Riaghaltas a Mhòrachd , image = HM Government logo.svg , image_size = 220px , image2 = Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government).svg , image_size2 = 180px , caption = Royal Arms , date_es ...
supervisory body overseeing local administration in
England and Wales England and Wales () is one of the three legal jurisdictions of the United Kingdom. It covers the constituent countries England and Wales and was formed by the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. The substantive law of the jurisdiction is Eng ...
from 1871 to 1919. The LGB was created by the Local Government Board Act 1871 (C. 70) and took over the public health and local government responsibilities of the
Home Secretary The secretary of state for the Home Department, otherwise known as the home secretary, is a senior minister of the Crown in the Government of the United Kingdom. The home secretary leads the Home Office, and is responsible for all national s ...
and the
Privy Council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...
and all the functions of the
Poor Law Board The Poor Law Board was established in the United Kingdom in 1847 as a successor body to the Poor Law Commission overseeing the administration of the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834. The new body was headed by a President, and with the Lord President of ...
, which was abolished. In 1919 the LGB was converted into a new department called the Ministry of Health.


Membership

The board was headed by a
president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
, appointed by and serving at the pleasure of the British monarch. The president was permitted to hold a seat and vote in the
House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...
, and the position was generally held by a cabinet minister. In addition the board had a number of '' ex officio'' members consisting of the Lord President of the Council, the Principal Secretaries of State, the Lord Privy Seal and the
Chancellor of the Exchequer The chancellor of the Exchequer, often abbreviated to chancellor, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom, and head of His Majesty's Treasury. As one of the four Great Offices of State, the Chancellor is ...
. The ''ex officio'' members were not paid a salary. The board itself seldom met, with policy being decided by the president of the board. He was assisted by a Parliamentary Secretary (also a member of the Commons), and a permanent secretary (a civil servant). The practical work of the LGB was carried out by its salaried officers.


Officers

The Local Government Board was permitted to appoint such secretaries, assistant secretaries, inspectors, auditors, clerks, messengers, "and other officers" as they deemed fit, subject to the approval of the
treasury A treasury is either *A government department related to finance and taxation, a finance ministry. *A place or location where treasure, such as currency or precious items are kept. These can be state or royal property, church treasure or i ...
. Salaries paid to officers were required to be confirmed by
parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
. On the formation of the LGB, the existing staff of the Poor Law Board, the Local Government Act Office and the Medical Department of the Privy Council were transferred to the new body.Christine Bellamy, ''Administering Central-local Relations, 1871-1919: The Local Government Board in Its Fiscal and Cultural Context'', Manchester, 1988


Powers and duties

The purpose of the LGB was stated to be ''"the supervision of the laws relating to the public health, the relief of the poor, and local government"''. The act establishing the board listed the duties transferred from existing authorities under various acts of parliament: *Transferred from the Home Office: **Registration of births, deaths, and marriages ( Births and Deaths Registration Act 1836,
Births and Deaths Registration Act 1837 The General Register Office for England and Wales (GRO) is the section of the United Kingdom HM Passport Office responsible for the civil registration of births (including stillbirths), adoptions, marriages, civil partnerships and deaths in Engla ...
) **Public health (
Public Health Act 1848 Local boards or local boards of health were local authorities in urban areas of England and Wales from 1848 to 1894. They were formed in response to cholera epidemics and were given powers to control sewers, clean the streets, regulate environment ...
) **Local government (
Local Government Act 1858 Local boards or local boards of health were local authorities in urban areas of England and Wales from 1848 to 1894. They were formed in response to cholera epidemics and were given powers to control sewers, clean the streets, regulate environmenta ...
,
Local Government Act (1858) Amendment Act 1861 Local Government Act (with its variations) is a stock short title used for legislation in Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Ireland and the United Kingdom, relating to local government. The Bill for an Act with this short title may have been known ...
,
Local Government Amendment Act 1863 Local may refer to: Geography and transportation * Local (train), a train serving local traffic demand * Local, Missouri, a community in the United States * Local government, a form of public administration, usually the lowest tier of administra ...
) **Drainage and sanitary matters (
Sewage Utilization Act 1865 Sewage (or domestic sewage, domestic wastewater, municipal wastewater) is a type of wastewater that is produced by a community of people. It is typically transported through a sewer system. Sewage consists of wastewater discharged from residen ...
,
Sanitary Act 1866 {{Infobox UK legislation , short_title=Sanitary Act 1866 , parliament=Parliament of the United Kingdom , long_title=An Act to amend the Law relating to the Public Health. , year=1866 , statute_book_chapter=29 & 30 Vict c 90 , introduced_by= , terr ...
,
Sewage Utilization Act 1867 Sewage (or domestic sewage, domestic wastewater, municipal wastewater) is a type of wastewater that is produced by a community of people. It is typically transported through a sewer system. Sewage consists of wastewater discharged from residen ...
,
Sanitary Act 1868 Sanitation refers to public health conditions related to clean drinking water and treatment and disposal of human excreta and sewage. Preventing human contact with feces is part of sanitation, as is hand washing with soap. Sanitation systems ...
,
Sanitary Loans Act 1869 Sanitation refers to public health conditions related to clean drinking water and treatment and disposal of human excreta and sewage. Preventing human contact with feces is part of sanitation, as is hand washing with soap. Sanitation systems ...
) **Baths and wash-houses (
Baths and Washhouses Act 1846 Baths and wash houses available for public use in Britain were first established in Liverpool. St. George's Pier Head salt-water baths were opened in 1828 by the Corporation of Liverpool, with the first known warm fresh-water public wash house b ...
, Baths and Washhouses Act 1847) **Public improvements ( Public Improvements Act 1860) **Towns improvement ( Towns Improvement Clauses Act 1847) **Artisans and labourers' dwellings ( Artisans and Labourers' Dwellings Act 1868) **Returns of local taxation ( Local Taxation Returns Act 1861) *Transferred from the Privy Council: **Prevention of Disease (
Public Health Act 1848 Local boards or local boards of health were local authorities in urban areas of England and Wales from 1848 to 1894. They were formed in response to cholera epidemics and were given powers to control sewers, clean the streets, regulate environment ...
, Diseases Prevention Act 1855, Public Health Act 1858, Public Health Act 1859, Nuisances Removal Act 1860,
Sanitary Act 1866 {{Infobox UK legislation , short_title=Sanitary Act 1866 , parliament=Parliament of the United Kingdom , long_title=An Act to amend the Law relating to the Public Health. , year=1866 , statute_book_chapter=29 & 30 Vict c 90 , introduced_by= , terr ...
,
Sanitary Act 1868 Sanitation refers to public health conditions related to clean drinking water and treatment and disposal of human excreta and sewage. Preventing human contact with feces is part of sanitation, as is hand washing with soap. Sanitation systems ...
) **Vaccination ( Vaccination Act 1867) *Transferred from the Poor Law Board **All powers and duties vested in or imposed on the Poor Law Board by the several Acts of Parliament relating to the relief of the poor. In 1872 the Board received further responsibilities, when the Home Office transferred administration of the Turnpike and Highway Acts, Metropolitan Water Act 1852 and the Alkali Act 1863 to the LGB.


Work of the board

The LGB carried out its work in the following ways:


Delegated legislation

The board was empowered to make general orders and regulations enforcing the various statutes for which it was responsible. These orders and regulations had the same force of law as those made by a secretary of state.


Inspection and regulation

The LGB had broad powers of regulation of the bodies under its control. The board's inspectors were able to visit local authorities and ensure that they were performing satisfactorily. They could also act as a medium for resolving disputes between local bodies and ratepayers or other interests.


Provisional orders

The board possessed quasi-judicial powers, being able to make legally binding decisions on the bodies under its supervision. Examples included the changing of boundaries, raising of loans or the taking on of additional powers. These ''provisional orders'' were subject to confirmation by parliament.


Auditing and accountability

The board compiled and published financial summaries for each local authority annually. It also appointed district auditors and supplied such statistics as might be required by parliament.


Abolition

The
Ministry of Health Act 1919 The Ministry of Health Act 1919 was an Act of Parliament which established for the first time in the United Kingdom a Minister of Health. It also established the Consultative Council on National Health Insurance, the Consultative Council on Med ...
abolished the Local Government Board, and all of its powers and duties were transferred to a new department called the Ministry of Health, which also combined the duties of the Insurance Commissioners, the Welsh Insurance Commissioners, the medical duties of the
Board of Education A board of education, school committee or school board is the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or an equivalent institution. The elected council determines the educational policy in a small regional are ...
, the duties of the Privy Council under the Midwives Acts, and the powers of the Home Secretary in relation to the Children Act 1908. Most of the Local Government Board staff transferred to the new ministry.


See also

*
Local Government Board for Scotland The Local Government Board for Scotland was the body charged with overseeing local government, public health, housing and poor law of Scotland from 1894 to 1919. Establishment The board was established by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1894. ...
, a similar body in Scotland from 1894 – 1919 *
Local Government Board for Ireland The Local Government Board for Ireland was an agency of the Dublin Castle administration that liaised with the various local authorities in Ireland. It was created in 1872 and lasted until Partition in 1921–22. History The Board was created u ...
, established in 1872 and abolished in 1922.


References

*Local Government Board Act 1871 (c.70) *Ministry of Health Act 1919 (c.21)


External links

* {{Use dmy dates, date=April 2017 1871 establishments in the United Kingdom 1919 disestablishments History of local government in England Local government in Wales Poor Law in Britain and Ireland