County Borough of Teesside
Encyclopedia
Teesside was, from 1968 to 1974, a local government district in northern England
Northern England
Northern England, also known as the North of England, the North or the North Country, is a cultural region of England. It is not an official government region, but rather an informal amalgamation of counties. The southern extent of the region is roughly the River Trent, while the North is bordered...

. It comprised a conurbation that spanned both sides of the River Tees
River Tees
The River Tees is in Northern England. It rises on the eastern slope of Cross Fell in the North Pennines, and flows eastwards for 85 miles to reach the North Sea between Hartlepool and Redcar.-Geography:...

 from which it took its name. The district had the status of a county borough
County borough
County borough is a term introduced in 1889 in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland , to refer to a borough or a city independent of county council control. They were abolished by the Local Government Act 1972 in England and Wales, but continue in use for lieutenancy and shrievalty in...

 and so was independent of the County Council of the North Riding
North Riding of Yorkshire
The North Riding of Yorkshire was one of the three historic subdivisions of the English county of Yorkshire, alongside the East and West Ridings. From the Restoration it was used as a Lieutenancy area. The three ridings were treated as three counties for many purposes, such as having separate...

 of Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...

, in which it was geographically located.

Predecessor authorities

The River Tees
River Tees
The River Tees is in Northern England. It rises on the eastern slope of Cross Fell in the North Pennines, and flows eastwards for 85 miles to reach the North Sea between Hartlepool and Redcar.-Geography:...

 formed the historic county boundary
Historic counties of England
The historic counties of England are subdivisions of England established for administration by the Normans and in most cases based on earlier Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and shires...

 between Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...

 and Durham
County Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...

. A continuous conurbation had built up around the mouth of the river, increasing greatly in population from the nineteenth century as the industrial potential of the area was developed.
County District Created Changes
Durham
County Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...

Billingham UD 1923 (Previously a parish in Stockton Rural District) Enlarged in 1937
Stockton-on-Tees MB Reformed by Municipal Corporations Act 1835
Municipal Corporations Act 1835
The Municipal Corporations Act 1835  – sometimes known as the Municipal Reform Act, was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in the incorporated boroughs of England and Wales...

Until 1889 partly in Yorkshire: in that year the county boundary was altered so that the entire borough was in County Durham
North Riding of Yorkshire
North Riding of Yorkshire
The North Riding of Yorkshire was one of the three historic subdivisions of the English county of Yorkshire, alongside the East and West Ridings. From the Restoration it was used as a Lieutenancy area. The three ridings were treated as three counties for many purposes, such as having separate...

Eston LGD Formed under Local Government Act 1858 in 1884 Became Eston UD in 1894, absorbed Normanby UD 1915
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough is a large town situated on the south bank of the River Tees in north east England, that sits within the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire...

 MB
Incorporated by charter of 1853 Enlarged 1866, 1887. Became a county borough
County borough
County borough is a term introduced in 1889 in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland , to refer to a borough or a city independent of county council control. They were abolished by the Local Government Act 1972 in England and Wales, but continue in use for lieutenancy and shrievalty in...

 in 1889. Extended 1913 (absorbed Ormesby), 1929, 1932
Ormesby
Ormesby
Ormesby is a former village, and now suburb, spanning the Middlesbrough and Redcar and Cleveland unitary authorities in north east England, within the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire. It forms part of the Middlesbrough urban agglomeration...

 LGD
Formed under Local Government Act 1858 in 1865 Became Ormesby UD, abolished 1913: most absorbed by Middlesbrough CB, part to Middlesbrough RD
Redcar LGD Formed under Local Government Act 1858 in 1885 Became UD in 1894, incorporated as MB in 1922
South Bank in Normanby LGD Formed under Local Government Act 1858 in 1865 Renamed Normanby LGD 1888, became an UD in 1894, absorbed by Eston UD 1915
South Stockton LGD Formed under Local Government Act 1858 in 1863 Incorporated as Thornaby on Tees MB 1892


LGD = Local Government District MB = Municipal Borough, CB = County Borough, UD = Urban District

Local Government Commission for England

Under the Local Government Act 1958
Local Government Act 1958
The Local Government Act 1958 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom affecting local government in England and Wales outside London...

 a Local Government Commission for England
Local Government Commission for England (1958 - 1967)
The Local Government Commission for England was established by the Local Government Act 1958 to review the organisation of local government, and make "such proposals as are hereinafter authorised for effecting changes appearing to the Commissions desirable in the interests of effective and...

 was established to review administrative structures throughout the country.
The commission published draft proposals for the North Eastern General Review Area in April 1962 and a final report in October 1963. The report recommended the creation of a single county borough for the Teesside area as it:
...seemed to us necessary to ensure that the pattern of local government was such as to make the planning of development and the organisation of services fully effective, and to make certain that new development, such as houses, main roads, bridges and shops would match the growth and location of industry instead of perpetuating the patterns of the past. We were impressed by the need on Tees-side for more housing to relieve overcrowding, to replace outworn properties, and to meet the increase in population due to industrial expansion. Yet unless Teesside could be planned as a whole, it seemed to us impossible to ensure that new houses would be built in places most convenient for the people who would live in them, as it was difficult for the present ten separate housing authorities, each with their own housing list, to do other than build within or near their own boundaries...

With the southern moorland, the coast and the river, Tees-side has a splendid setting and it ought to be made worthy of its 400,000 inhabitants. This task requires a comprehensive plan for the whole area designed to secure the benefit of its port, its industries and its commerce, the reclamation of its marshlands, the building of new roads and bridges, the renewal of obsolete parts of the old riverside development, the designing of new centres and the provision of new amenities. This formidable task gives scope not for ten authorities to develop or redevelop ten towns but for a single authority to work out the details of the probable future growth and needs of Tees-side, and then prepare and carry out a single plan for the whole area.

Reaction

Reaction to the proposals was divided. The councils of Middlesbrough, Stockton, Thornaby, Redcar and Saltburn & Marske warmly welcomed the report. The two other towns due to be amalgamated, Billingham and Eston, were opposed.

The two county councils of Durham and Yorkshire, North Riding, completely rejected the commission's report. The chairman of Durham County Council, whose county was also to lose areas to the county boroughs of Hartlepool
Hartlepool
Hartlepool is a town and port in North East England.It was founded in the 7th century AD, around the Northumbrian monastery of Hartlepool Abbey. The village grew during the Middle Ages and developed a harbour which served as the official port of the County Palatine of Durham. A railway link from...

 and Sunderland, described it as "the biggest menace to the north-east since the war". Sir Timothy Kitson
Timothy Kitson
Sir Timothy Peter Geoffrey Kitson is a British Conservative politician who was Member of Parliament for Richmond, North Yorkshire. He was first elected in the 1959 general election, and stood down at the 1983 general election....

, Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...

 for the Yorkshire constituency of Richmond, set out the losses to the North Riding: the administrative county was to lose about 25% of its population (reduced from about 428,000 to 318,000), and about 40% of its rateable value (down from £15.8 to £9.3 million). The chairman of North Riding County Council believed the proposals to be detrimental to the majority of the inhabitants of the administrative county.

The Teesside Order 1967

The recommendations were accepted, with boundary adjustments, by the Government in October 1965. The main changes were to exclude most of Saltburn & Marske, and the extension of the boundary of the county borough southwards. Part of Preston-on-Tees
Preston-on-Tees
Preston-on-Tees is a civil parish situated on the northern edge of Eaglescliffe, in the borough of Stockton-on-Tees and ceremonial county of County Durham, England. It is home to Preston Park and Preston Hall.-Governance:...

 was added to include Preston Hall, an art gallery and museum owned by Stockton Corporation within the county borough.

In January 1967, Anthony Greenwood, Minister of Housing and Local Government
Ministry of Housing and Local Government
The Ministry of Housing and Local Government was a United Kingdom government department formed after the Second World War, covering the areas of housing and local government....

, made the Teesside Order 1967 to carry the recommendations into effect.
The new borough of Teesside was to combine the areas of:
Abolished† or reduced‡ district Area Notes
County Borough of Middlesbrough† 2886 acres (11.7 km²)
Municipal Borough of Redcar† (most) 2089 acres (8.5 km²) Remaining 1 acre (0.00404686 km²) passed to Saltburn & Marske by the Sea UD
Municipal Borough of Stockton-on-Tees† 2423 acres (9.8 km²)
Municipal Borough of Thornaby-on-Tees† 779 acres (3.2 km²)
Billingham Urban District† 2934 acres (11.9 km²) Remaining 245 acre (0.9914807 km²) passed to Stockton RD
Eston Urban District† (most) 1873 acres (7.6 km²) Remaining 218 acre (0.88221548 km²) passed to Guisborough UD
Guisborough
Guisborough
Guisborough is a market town and civil parish within the unitary authority of Redcar and Cleveland and the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England....

 Urban district‡ (part)
1236 acres (5 km²)
Saltburn
Saltburn-by-the-Sea
Saltburn-by-the-Sea is a seaside resort in the unitary authority of Redcar and Cleveland and the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England. The town is around east of Middlesbrough, and had a population of 5,912 at the 2001 Census.-Old Saltburn:...

 and Marske by the Sea Urban District‡ (small part)
12 acre (0.04856232 km²)
Stockton Rural District‡ (part) 895 acres (3.6 km²) Parts of the parishes of Carlton, Elton, Grindon, Norton, Preston-on-Tees
Stokesley Rural District
Stokesley Rural District
Stokesley was a rural district in the North Riding of Yorkshire from 1894 to 1974. It was named after the town of Stokesley, which it contained....

‡ (part)
2600 acres (10.5 km²) Parishes of Hemlington and Marton, parts of the parishes of Maltby, Newby, Nunthorpe, Ormesby and Stainton


Following its passing by both Houses of Parliament, the order came into effect, with the first election to the new borough council taking place in May 1967, serving as a shadow authority until it came into its full powers on 1 April 1968.

Inauguration

In a ceremony held at Middlesbrough Town Hall, the charter of the new borough was presented by Lord Normanby
Oswald Phipps, 4th Marquess of Normanby
Oswald Constantine John Phipps, 4th Marquess of Normanby, KG, CBE was a British peer and philanthropist for blind people.-Early life:...

, the Lord Lieutenant of the North Riding of Yorkshire
Lord Lieutenant of the North Riding of Yorkshire
The post of Lord Lieutenant of the North Riding of Yorkshire was created in 1660, at the Restoration, and was abolished on 31 March 1974. From 1782 until 1974, all Lords Lieutenant were also Custos Rotulorum of the North Riding of Yorkshire....

. Sir William Crosthwaite, who had served as Middlesbrough's mayor on five occasions, presented a new gold civic mace to the corporation. The maces of the former boroughs of Middlesbrough, Stockton, Redcar and Thornaby along with the orders of constitution of the urban district councils of Eston and Billingham were handed over to the new authority for safekeeping.

Borough council

The county borough was divided into twenty-six wards, each represented by three councillors and one alderman
Alderman
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 themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...

, so that the council had a total membership of 104: 78 councillors and 26 aldermen.

The wards were:

  • Acklam
  • Ayresome
  • Berwick Hills
  • Billingham East
  • Billingham West
  • Coatham
  • Eston Grange
  • Grangefield
  • Gresham

  • Hartburn
  • Kirkleatham
  • Linthorpe
  • Marton
  • Mile House
  • North End
  • North Ormesby
  • Norton
  • Ormesby

  • Redcar
  • St Hilda's
  • South Bank
  • Stockton South
  • Thornaby East
  • Thornaby West
  • Thorntree
  • Tollesby

The first election was held in May 1967 with the council forming a "shadow authority" until April 1968. Annual elections were then held, with one third of the councilors retiring each year. Aldermen had a six-year term of office, with half being elected by the council every three years.
Year Conservative Labour Independent
and Citizen's Party
CONTROL
1967 56 39 9 Conservative
1968 61 34 9
1969 65 30 9
1970 63 33 5
1971 53 46 5
1972 44 57 3 Labour

Coat of arms

The county borough corporation was granted armorial bearings
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...

 by the College of Arms
College of Arms
The College of Arms, or Heralds’ College, is an office regulating heraldry and granting new armorial bearings for England, Wales and Northern Ireland...

 on 26 March 1968. the arms were blazon
Blazon
In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image...

ed as follows:
Argent an ancient ship sails furled pennons flying Sable, on a chief Azure on a pale Sable fimbriated and between two crucibles Argent a basilisk Or.

Crest: On a wreath Argent and Azure on a grassy mount Proper an anchor Or between two cogwheels Sable.

Supporters: On the dexter side a lion Or resting the interior hind paw on three ingots of steel Proper and on the sinister side a seahorse Argent scales, dorsal fin and tail Or, each collared Azure thereon a barrulet wavy Argent .The whole upon a compartment per pale of a grassy mount and waves of the sea Proper.

Badge: A tau cross Azure enfiled by a mural crown Or.


The ship on the shield and the anchor in the crest depicted trade and shipbuilding. The crucibles stood for the iron and steel industry. The basilisk
Basilisk
In European bestiaries and legends, a basilisk is a legendary reptile reputed to be king of serpents and said to have the power to cause death with a single glance...

, a fabulous creature whose gaze could turn people to stone, represented the chemical industry. The narrow silver fimbriations on either side of the basilisk were intended to represent the rails of the Stockton and Darlington Railway
Stockton and Darlington Railway
The Stockton and Darlington Railway , which opened in 1825, was the world's first publicly subscribed passenger railway. It was 26 miles long, and was built in north-eastern England between Witton Park and Stockton-on-Tees via Darlington, and connected to several collieries near Shildon...

, the world's first passenger, that lay partly in the borough. The engineering industry was represented by the cogwheels in the crest. The supporters
Supporters
In heraldry, supporters are figures usually placed on either side of the shield and depicted holding it up. These figures may be real or imaginary animals, human figures, and in rare cases plants or inanimate objects...

 on either side of the arms were a lion for the land connections of the borough and a seahorse for the sea. Both supporters had blue collars bearing a silver wave for the River Tees.

Teesside Municipal Transport

The county borough took over three public transport undertakings: Middlesbrough Corporation Transport, Stockton Corporation Transport (which also operated services on behalf of Thornaby Corporation) and the Tees-Side Railless Traction Board (TRTB). The TRTB had been formed by Eston and Middlesbrough councils in 1918, and was a pioneer operator of electric trolleybus
Trolleybus
A trolleybus is an electric bus that draws its electricity from overhead wires using spring-loaded trolley poles. Two wires and poles are required to complete the electrical circuit...

es.

The three undertakings adopted a common livery of turquoise and cream in 1967 in preparation for their amalgamation. On 1 April 1968 the combined fleet became Teesside Municipal Transport. Teesside initially operated a mixed fleet of trolleybuses and omnibuses, but on 4 April 1971 trolleybus operation ended. A formal closure ceremony was held two weeks later.

Teesside Constabulary

Prior to 1968 the Teesside area was served by three police forces: Middlesbrough Borough Police
Middlesbrough Borough Police
Middlesbrough Borough Police, sometimes referred to as Middlesbrough Constabulary, was the police force of Middlesbrough, England. On 1 April 1968, the force was amalgamated into Teesside Constabulary, which itself became part of Cleveland Constabulary in 1974.In 1934, the force had a strength of...

, Durham Constabulary
Durham Constabulary
Durham Constabulary is the territorial police force responsible for policing the non-metropolitan county of County Durham and the unitary authority of Darlington. The force covers the 2,232 km² of the county which has a resident population of 595,308. It is one of the smaller forces of the...

 and the North Riding of Yorkshire Constabulary. It was originally envisaged that the new county borough would form a joint constabulary with the North Riding under the provisions of the Police Act 1964
Police Act 1964
The Police Act 1964 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that updated the legislation governing police forces in England and Wales, constituted new police authorities, gave the Home Secretary new powers to supervise local constabularies, and allowed for the amalgamation of existing...

. The amalgamation scheme was later modified, and under the Teesside (Amendment) Order 1968, the county borough formed its own Constabulary. The new force had a strength of approximately 725 officers, comprising the entire Middlesbrough force of 350, 200 from the North Riding Constabulary and 175 from the Durham force.

Abolition

The county borough had a short existence of just six years. By the time the order creating the borough was passing through parliament, the Redcliffe-Maud Commission
Redcliffe-Maud Report
The Redcliffe–Maud Report is the name generally given to the report published by the Royal Commission on Local Government in England 1966–1969 under the chairmanship of Lord Redcliffe-Maud.-Terms of reference and membership:...

 had been appointed to completely review local government structures in England and Wales. Opposition MP Graham Page
Graham Page
For the American automobile company, see Graham-Paige.Sir Graham Page was a British Conservative Party politician....

 attacked the government for creating county boroughs in Teesside and other areas such as the Hartlepools and Torbay
Torbay
Torbay is an east-facing bay and natural harbour, at the western most end of Lyme Bay in the south-west of England, situated roughly midway between the cities of Exeter and Plymouth. Part of the ceremonial county of Devon, Torbay was made a unitary authority on 1 April 1998...

 before the commission reported:
"Do the Government consider that these piecemeal orders represent dynamic policy? Do they think that these Measures – one or two orders a week presented to Parliament during farcical morning sittings at which the honourable gentlemen opposite do not bother to turn up to support their Ministers represent dynamic local government policy?"


Another round of local government reorganisation took place under the Local Government Act 1972
Local Government Act 1972
The Local Government Act 1972 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974....

, which introduced a uniform two-tier system of counties and districts. One of the new counties "Area No.4" was based on the Teesside conurbation. The county was eventually named Cleveland on the suggestion of several local authorities in the area.

Originally it was intended that Teesside wold continue as non-metropolitan district
Non-metropolitan district
Non-metropolitan districts, or colloquially shire districts, are a type of local government district in England. As created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan counties in a so-called "two-tier" arrangement...

 of Cleveland. Peter Walker
Peter Walker, Baron Walker of Worcester
Peter Edward Walker, Baron Walker of Worcester, MBE, PC , was British politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he served in the Cabinet as the Environment Secretary , Trade and Industry Secretary , Agriculture Minister , Energy Secretary and Welsh Secretary...

, Secretary of State for the Environment
Secretary of State for the Environment
The Secretary of State for the Environment was a UK cabinet position, responsible for the Department of the Environment . This was created by Edward Heath as a combination of the Ministry of Housing and Local Government, the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Public Building and Works on 15...

 stated in January 1972:

"It would be wholly wrong... to divide again the County Borough of Teesside... it has made all its investment in a county borough of that size, and it would be wholly wrong to tear it to pieces."


However, the boundaries of the proposed county of Cleveland were considerably altered, with a number of marginal areas removed. Under the revised scheme, the Teesside district would have 70 percent of the county's population, and it was felt that it would dominate the county. Accordingly new guidelines were issued to the Local Boundaries Commission
Local Government Boundary Commission for England (1972)
The Local Government Boundary Commission for England was the statutory body established under the Local Government Act 1972 to settle the boundaries, names and electoral arrangements of the non-metropolitan districts which came into existence in 1974, and for their periodic review...

 in March 1972 that was charged with drawing up district boundaries: Cleveland "should be divided into not less than four new districts with populations comparable as is reasonably practicable having regard in particular to the pattern of local government before the establishment of the Teesside county borough".

The county borough was abolished on 1 April 1974, and its area was divided between three of the four districts of Cleveland. The fourth district was based on the County Borough of Hartlepool. Teesside was divided as follows:
Wards of county borough New district Areas added
Coatham, Eston Grange, Kirkleatham, Ormesby, Redcar and South Bank Langbaurgh
Redcar and Cleveland
The borough of Redcar & Cleveland is a unitary authority in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England consisting of Redcar, Saltburn-by-the-Sea, Guisborough, and small towns such as Brotton, Eston, Skelton and Loftus. It had a resident population of 139,132 in 2001, and is part of the Tees...

Guisborough, Loftus, Saltburn & Marske-by-the-Sea and Skelton & Brotton Urban Districts
Acklam, Ayresome, Berwick Hills, Gresham, Linthorpe, Marton, North Ormesby, St Hilda's, Thorntree, Tollesby Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough is a large town situated on the south bank of the River Tees in north east England, that sits within the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire...

The parish of Nunthorpe
Nunthorpe
Nunthorpe is a small outer suburb of the town of Middlesbrough, England. Nunthorpe is served by Nunthorpe and Gypsy Lane railway stations, both of which are on the Esk Valley Line from Middlesbrough to Whitby...

 from Stokesley Rural District
Billingham East, Billingham West, Grangefield, Hartburn, Mile House, North End, Norton, Stockton South, Thornaby East, Thornaby West Stockton-on-Tees
Stockton-on-Tees
Stockton-on-Tees is a market town in north east England. It is the major settlement in the unitary authority and borough of Stockton-on-Tees. For ceremonial purposes, the borough is split between County Durham and North Yorkshire as it also incorporates a number of smaller towns including...

Part of Stockton Rural District, parishes of Castlelevington, Hilton, Ingleby Barwick, Kirklevington, Maltby and Yarm from Stokesley Rural District
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