A Public Assistance Committee (PAC), in the
UK, was a body locally created after the abolition of the
boards of guardians in 1930 by the
Local Government Act 1929
The Local Government Act 1929 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that made changes to the Poor Law and local government in England and Wales.
The Act abolished the system of poor law unions in England and Wales and their board ...
, when their powers and responsibilities for
poor relief
In English and British history, poor relief refers to government and ecclesiastical action to relieve poverty. Over the centuries, various authorities have needed to decide whose poverty deserves relief and also who should bear the cost of hel ...
were passed to county and county borough councils, and
workhouses
In Britain, a workhouse () was an institution where those unable to support themselves financially were offered accommodation and employment. (In Scotland, they were usually known as poorhouses.) The earliest known use of the term ''workhouse' ...
were also abolished. PACs were replaced by Social Welfare Committees from 1940; they were themselves wound up from 1948.
References
Poor Law in Britain and Ireland
{{UK-history-stub