London

The Act comes into operation as from the beginning of the financial year, April 1, 1930, except as regards derating, which operates from Oct. 1, 1929.

Local Government Units.

The principal local government authorities in England and Wales are the councils of the adminis trative counties, county and non-county boroughs, urban and rural districts and parishes. Their numbers on April 1, 1929, including those within the administrative county of London (q.v.), were as follows:— Administrative county councils 62 County borough councils . . . . . . 83 Non-county borough councils 255 Urban district councils 785 Rural district councils 646 Parish councils ....... . . c. 7,166 Parish meetings . . . . . . . . . c. 5,646 The Local Government Act of 1929 sought to remedy consid erable defects in local government arising out of economically obsolete boundaries of local authorities. Accordingly a revision of boundaries is contemplated. By Cl. 46 of the Act every county council is required to review the districts within or partly within the county and before April 1, 1932, to submit to the minister of health proposals for alterations of boundaries, the conversion of rural districts into urban and vice versa, or the formation of new districts or parishes. The proposals may include alterations of the boundaries of non-county boroughs and agreed alterations of the boundaries of county boroughs. No changes will be made, however, except by government order, and after full inquiry and representation by the parties concerned. Means are also provided for the rectification of the county boundaries themselves, and for an eventual resurvey of the electoral divisions.

County Councils.

The present administrative counties were set up by the Local Government Act of 1888 to take over the powers (other than judicial) previously administered by the justices of the peace in quarter sessions. Thus, in place of the 52 historical and geographical counties of England and Wales, there are, for local government purposes, 62 administrative coun ties (5o in England, 12 in Wales) including the Isle of Ely, the Soke of Peterborough, the three Ridings of Yorkshire (East, North, and West), East and West Suffolk, East and West Sussex, the Isle of Wight and the three Parts, so-called, of Lindsey, Hol land and Kesteven in Lincolnshire, and London. The admin istrative counties thus constituted include, for administrative pur poses, the "non-county" or municipal boroughs and urban and rural districts, and unite the county administration as a whole. That is to say, the administrative county includes all places within its area, except the county boroughs, and, for certain purposes, the "quarter sessions" boroughs. Its powers are considerably

extended and enlarged by the Local Government Act of 1929. The powers of a county council may be concurrent with those of a subordinate authority within its area, or supervisory, with power to act in case of the subordinate authority's default. Or it may delegate certain powers for convenience, or delegate the execution of certain works, while maintaining ultimate responsi bility. The council is the chief administrative and financial authority for the county.

The county council is a popularly elected body. Elections are held triennially, in March. Councillors themselves are, therefore, elected for a term of three years. But the council has power to elect from its own body or from outside a prescribed number of aldermen who hold office for six years, half of them retiring every three years. The county council is the authority for secondary, and (outside certain boroughs and urban districts) for elementary education; police; parliamentary elections and registration; main roads and bridges; for a long series of public health services, including the provision of treatment for tuberculosis and mental disease; the supervision of food supplies; also the administration of the licensing and coroners' acts, etc. The Act of 1929 provides for the transfer in 193o to the county councils and county bor oughs of the functions of the boards of guardians which include, besides the administration of the poor law, the registration of births and marriages and other services. Details of these services are to be locally administered by sub-committees. Under the same act the county becomes the authority, not only for main roads, but for all classified roads, though with powers of delegation. The county council received by the Act of 1929 new powers and duties in respect of medical and health services under the act. The allocation of certain services depends on circumstances; the maternity and child welfare services are placed under the local education authority which may or may not be the county council. One important change is that while in the past both county and district councils might provide general hospital accommodation, in future practically the whole of the public institutions (including eventually the infirmaries) will pass under the control of the county, which can thus classify the institutions for the treatment of disease and may assist the district councils which have to provide hospital accommodation for fever patients.