The London Government Act 1899 (62 & 63 Vict. c. 14) was an Act of the

Parliament of the United Kingdom The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative suprem ...

that reformed the administration of the capital. The Act divided the

County of London The County of London was a county of England from 1889 to 1965, corresponding to the area known today as Inner London. It was created as part of the general introduction of elected county government in England, by way of the Local Government A ...

into 28

metropolitan boroughs A metropolitan borough (or metropolitan district) is a type of local government district in England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972, metropolitan boroughs are defined in English law as metropolitan districts within metropolit ...

, replacing the 41 parish vestries and District Boards of Works administering the area. The legislation also transferred a few powers from the

London County Council London County Council (LCC) was the principal local government body for the County of London throughout its existence from 1889 to 1965, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today kn ...

to the boroughs, and removed a number of boundary anomalies. The first elections to the new boroughs were held on 1 November 1900.

Background

While an elected

had been created by the

Local Government Act 1888 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 administrat ...

, the lower tier of local government still consisted of elective vestries and District boards of works created in 1855 by the Metropolis Management Act. In addition there were a number of areas outside the jurisdiction of any local authority. In 1893, a Royal Commission on the Unification of London had been established with the purpose of making proposals on the amalgamation of the

City of London The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London f ...

with the county. In its report in 1894, the Commission recommended increasing the power of the County Council over the vestries and boards, with county councillors becoming ''

ex officio An ''ex officio'' member is a member of a body (notably a board, committee, council) who is part of it by virtue of holding another office. The term '' ex officio'' is Latin, meaning literally 'from the office', and the sense intended is 'by right ...

'' members of the lower authorities, and the LCC gaining powers to frame by-laws to govern them. In reaction to the report, the vestries sought a strengthening of the second tier of government in the capital. Charters of incorporation as a

municipal borough Municipal boroughs were a type of local government district which existed in England and Wales between 1835 and 1974, in Northern Ireland from 1840 to 1973 and in the Republic of Ireland from 1840 to 2002. Broadly similar structures existed in S ...

were sought in 1896–1897 by Paddington vestry, the parishes of the City of Westminster and in Kensington. The

London Municipal Society The London Municipal Society was formed in 1894 to support the pro-Unionist Moderate candidates in London local elections. It was a Liberal Unionist society, and was wound up in 1963, following the legislation that would create the Greater London ...

had been formed in 1894 to support the pro- Unionist Moderate candidates in London local elections. The stated policy of the Society at the 1897 vestry elections was ''"conferring on the local authorities of the metropolis municipal dignity and privileges"''. In July the Society urged the Government to introduce legislation to create municipalities in London. In February 1898, a deputation attended the

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

, Lord Salisbury, and presented him with a memorial calling for municipal government in London. The common seals of nineteen vestries were affixed to the document. Later in the year two private bills to create boroughs in London were introduced to the Commons, one by the

member of parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

for Islington West,

Thomas Lough The Rt. Hon. Thomas Lough, P.C. (1850 – 11 January 1922), was an Anglo-Irish radical Liberal politician. He was born in County Cavan, Ireland, to Mathew Lough and Martha Steel, and was educated at The Royal School in Cavan Town and at Wesl ...

, and the second by a group of London local authorities.

The Bill

The London Government Bill was introduced to the

House of Commons of the United Kingdom The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. The House of Commons is an elected body consisting of 650 ...

on 1 March 1899, by

Arthur Balfour Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour, (, ; 25 July 184819 March 1930), also known as Lord Balfour, was a British Conservative statesman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1902 to 1905. As foreign secretary in the ...

, Leader of the House. It provided for the division of the

administrative county An administrative county was a first-level administrative division in England and Wales from 1888 to 1974, and in Ireland from 1899 until either 1973 (in Northern Ireland) or 2002 (in the Republic of Ireland). They are now abolished, although mos ...

of London, except the City of London, into metropolitan boroughs. Each borough was to be governed by a borough council consisting of a mayor,

aldermen An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members the ...

and councillors, the total number of which was not to exceed seventy-two. The Bill did not define areas for all the boroughs, but denoted sixteen existing parishes or districts that should become boroughs: *The parishes of Battersea, Camberwell, Chelsea, Fulham, Hammersmith, Hampstead, Islington, Kensington, Lambeth, Lewisham, Paddington, St Marylebone and St Pancras *The districts of Poplar and Wandsworth *The ancient parliamentary borough of Westminster The remaining boroughs were to be made up of combinations of existing authorities with a rateable value exceeding 500,000 pounds or with a population of between 100,000 and 400,000 inhabitants.

The debate

The parliamentary debate centred on three issues: the boundaries of the boroughs, the need for aldermen on the councils and the admission of women to the councils.

Boundaries

Concern was voiced in the Commons by Thomas Lough and

Richard Haldane Richard Burdon Haldane, 1st Viscount Haldane, (; 30 July 1856 – 19 August 1928) was a British lawyer and philosopher and an influential Liberal and later Labour politician. He was Secretary of State for War between 1905 and 1912 during wh ...

(MP for Haddingtonshire (UK Parliament constituency) in Scotland) about the fact that the boundaries of the boroughs not listed in the Bill were to be fixed by boundary commissioners without parliamentary oversight. The conditions for constituting boroughs were altered with rateable value only being considered where the population was less than 100,000, allowing the commissioners to consider the creation of smaller boroughs.

Sydney Buxton Sydney Charles Buxton, 1st Earl Buxton, (25 October 1853 – 15 October 1934) was a radical British Liberal politician of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He also served as the second Governor-General of South Africa from 1914 to 1920 ...

(MP for Tower Hamlets, Poplar) was concerned that the upper population limit would lead to very large boroughs being formed in the east of London. In the Lords, debate on the boundaries continued. An amendment by Lord Tweedmouth to ensure that the "Tower of London, and the liberties thereof" was included in the schedule with the area of the Whitechapel District was accepted. A second, unsuccessful, amendment was tabled by the Peer to divide the Wandsworth District into two boroughs: one comprising the parishes of Wandsworth and Putney; and the other Clapham, Streatham and Tooting. Lord Tweedmouth felt the area of the proposed borough was unwieldy, and his division was a natural one by means of

Wandsworth Common Wandsworth Common is a public common in Wandsworth, in the London Borough of Wandsworth, south London. It is and is maintained and regulated by Wandsworth Council. It is also a Ward of the London Borough of Wandsworth. The population of the ward ...

Lord Hawkesbury Robert Banks Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool, (7 June 1770 – 4 December 1828) was a British Tory statesman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1812 to 1827. He held many important cabinet offices such as Foreign Secret ...

felt that the area of the parliamentary borough of Westminster was ''"far too large to be economically worked"'', and sought to divide it into two. The amendment was defeated.

Aldermen

Edward Pickersgill, member for Bethnal Green South West moved to have

removed from the borough councils. This was partly because he disagreed with aldermen on principle, but also because the creation of 400 or 500 new aldermen would ''"make the institution ridiculous and would accelerate its extinction"''. The amendment was defeated, with 140 votes for and 245 against.

Women members

Edmund Boulnois, member for Marylebone East moved an amendment to ban women from being mayors, aldermen or councillors of the new boroughs. Women had been elected members and chairmen of the existing vestries and district boards, and it followed that they could be elected to the new councils. Mr Boulnois believed that the work of the councils would be ''"distasteful to women"'' and that it would be ''"a pity to drag women into the turmoil of an election on political lines"''. He reminded members ''"If they allowed women to sit on these councils they would not be able to withhold from them the Parliamentary franchise and the right to sit and vote in that house."'' The amendment was carried with a majority of 102. This was not the end of the issue, however. On 6 June at the report stage an amendment was carried allowing women to be councillors or aldermen (but not mayors) of the metropolitan boroughs. This was overturned during the second reading on a motion by Lord Dunraven in the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminst ...

on 26 June. The Lords amendment was accepted by the Commons on 6 July by a majority of 243 to 174. The Bill received the

royal assent Royal assent is the method by which a monarch formally approves an act of the legislature, either directly or through an official acting on the monarch's behalf. In some jurisdictions, royal assent is equivalent to promulgation, while in oth ...

on 13 July.The Times, 14 July 1889

Metropolitan boroughs

Section 1 of the act stated "The whole of the administrative county of London, excluding the city of London, shall be divided into metropolitan boroughs". The boroughs were to be divided into wards, with three councillors for each ward. There were also to be alderman at a ratio of one to every six councillors. This followed the practice for the

, rather than

s, where the ratio was one alderman for every three councillors. The first election of councillors was set for 1 November 1900, with a third of the councillors going out of office each year. The chairman of the council was to have the title of

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

. Unlike the municipal boroughs which received this status by the grant of a charter of incorporation, the metropolitan boroughs had no charters, being created by act of parliament.

Powers transferred to the boroughs

Section 4 (1) provided that every elected vestry and district board in the county of London would cease to exist, with the powers, properties and liabilities of the abolished authorities transferring to the metropolitan boroughs. Section 5 (1) transferred a few minor functions to the boroughs from the

. These were concerned with the licensing of dairymen, removal of obstructions and unauthorised signs and the licensing of wooden structures. The boroughs were also allowed to exercise some powers concurrently with the county council within their own boundaries: these involved the demolition of buildings, the regulation of water companies, the power to acquire land, the housing of the working classes and the power to make byelaws. By section 6 (1), all main roads within a borough were transferred to their charge. The act allowed for the London County Council and the metropolitan boroughs to transfer powers to and from each other, if both the county council and a majority of the boroughs agreed. A similar mechanism was included in the act in regard to the county council and the common council of the

Other measures

Detached parts of parishes

Every part of a parish in the county of London that was wholly detached from the principal part of the parish was to be annexed or divided to the borough which it adjoined. Any detached part of another county surrounded by the county of London was to be transferred to the latter county, and incorporated into a metropolitan borough, while any part of the county of London surrounded by another county was to be similarly transferred. Notable examples of parishes effected were: *

South Hornsey South Hornsey was a local government district in Middlesex, England from 1865 to 1900. The district was formed in 1865 when the Local Government Act 1858 was adopted in the southern part of the parish of Hornsey. South Hornsey Local Board was ...

, in

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a historic county in southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the ceremonial county of Greater London, with small sections in neighbour ...

which consisted of two detached pieces entirely surrounded by the county of London, which was incorporated into the metropolitan borough of

Stoke Newington Stoke Newington is an area occupying the north-west part of the London Borough of Hackney in north-east London, England. It is northeast of Charing Cross. The Manor of Stoke Newington gave its name to Stoke Newington the ancient parish. The ...

* Alexandra Park, an

exclave An enclave is a territory (or a small territory apart of a larger one) that is entirely surrounded by the territory of one other state or entity. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is sometimes used improperly to deno ...

of the parish of

Clerkenwell Clerkenwell () is an area of central London, England. Clerkenwell was an ancient parish from the mediaeval period onwards, and now forms the south-western part of the London Borough of Islington. The well after which it was named was redis ...

and county of London, locally in Middlesex, which was transferred to the parish of

Hornsey Hornsey is a district of north London, England in the London Borough of Haringey. It is an inner-suburban, for the most part residential, area centred north of Charing Cross. It adjoins green spaces Queen's Wood and Alexandra Park to the ...

in the latter county. *

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...

and

Kensington Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in the West of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up by Kensington Garden ...

, both within the county of London had detached pieces adjoining or surrounded by the other parish, which were exchanged.

Woolwich local board

local board 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 ...

had been formed in

Woolwich Woolwich () is a district in southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The district's location on the River Thames led to its status as an important naval, military and industrial area; a role that was maintained thr ...

parish in 1852. It was the only parish in the metropolitan area to adopt legislation forming such a body. The board had a unique constitution, with some members elected and others nominated by the superintendent of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Fr ...

dockyard, the commanding officers of the

Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is head ...

and the

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

, and the storekeeper of Her Majesty's Ordnance. The local board was dissolved by section 19 of the Act, with its powers passing to the metropolitan borough of Woolwich.

Penge

Penge Penge () is a suburb of South East London, England, now in the London Borough of Bromley, west of Bromley, north east of Croydon and south east of Charing Cross. History Penge was once a small hamlet, which was recorded under the name Penc ...

was a detached part of the parish of

Battersea Battersea is a large district in south London, part of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is centred southwest of Charing Cross and extends along the south bank of the River Thames. It includes the Battersea Park. History Batt ...

, several miles from its parent parish, administered by the Lewisham District Board, and on the edge of the county of London as created in 1889. Section 20 of the Act sought to deal with this anomaly. It allowed an

Order in Council An Order-in-Council is a type of legislation in many countries, especially the Commonwealth realms. In the United Kingdom this legislation is formally made in the name of the monarch by and with the advice and consent of the Privy Council (''Kin ...

to either incorporate the township into either of the metropolitan boroughs of

Lewisham Lewisham () is an area of southeast London, England, south of Charing Cross. It is the principal area of the London Borough of Lewisham, and was within the historic county of Kent until 1889. It is identified in the London Plan as one ...

Camberwell Camberwell () is a district of South London, England, in the London Borough of Southwark, southeast of Charing Cross. Camberwell was first a village associated with the church of St Giles and a common of which Goose Green is a remnant. This ...

, or to form it into an

urban district Urban district may refer to: * District * Urban area * Quarter (urban subdivision) * Neighbourhood Specific subdivisions in some countries: * Urban districts of Denmark * Urban districts of Germany * Urban district (Great Britain and Ireland) (his ...

in one or other of the counties of

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant ur ...

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

. In the event, Penge became an urban district in Kent.

Kensington Palace

Section 21 allowed for Kensington Palace to be detached from the borough of

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, B ...

and be transferred to the borough of

by Order in Council, which was duly done. The presence of the palace with the borough led indirectly to its acquisition of "royal" status in 1901.

The Temples

The

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and ...

and

Middle Temple The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's I ...

were deemed to be part of the

for the purposes of the act.

Areas of the Metropolitan Boroughs

Schedule 1 of the Act described the area of each of the 28 boroughs to be created. It did not give them names. Where the borough consisted of a single parish, or followed the area of a parliamentary constituency then it would take its name. In other cases, an "appropriate name" was to be given to the borough by Order in Council.

Sources

* ''London Government Act 1899'

* ''Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England'', Vol. 1, Frederic Youngs, London, 1979

References

{{UK legislation United Kingdom Acts of Parliament 1899 Local government legislation in England and Wales History of local government in London (1889–1965) 1899 in London Acts of the Parliament of the United Kingdom concerning London