Improvement commissioners
Encyclopedia
Boards of improvement commissioners were ad-hoc boards created during the 18th and 19th centuries in the United Kingdom
. They were an early form of local government
.
The first Improvement Commission was the Manchester
Police Commission, established in 1765. This was followed by the Birmingham Street Commissioners
in 1769.
Around 300 boards were created, each by a private Act of Parliament
, typically termed an Improvement Act. The powers of the boards varied according to the acts which created them. They often included street paving, cleansing
, lighting
, providing watchmen
or dealing with various public nuisance
s.
Commissions were rate levying
bodies. They maintained themselves either by co-opting new members, by holding elections at which all ratepayers could vote, or by taking all ratepayers taxed over a certain rate as automatic members.
During the mid-19th century, some commissions came under Chartist
control, for example, the Manchester Police and Gas Commissions, the Leeds
Improvement Commission, the Bradford
Highway Commission and the Sheffield
Highway Commission.
Municipal corporation
s and boards of health
would later be able to absorb the powers of the improvement commissioners by promoting private acts.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. They were an early form of local government
Local government
Local government refers collectively to administrative authorities over areas that are smaller than a state.The term is used to contrast with offices at nation-state level, which are referred to as the central government, national government, or federal government...
.
The first Improvement Commission was the Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
Police Commission, established in 1765. This was followed by the Birmingham Street Commissioners
Birmingham Street Commissioners
The Birmingham Street Commissioners were created in Birmingham, England by the Birmingham Improvement Act 1769. Subsequent Improvement Acts 1773, 1801, and 1812 gave increased powers to the Street Commissioners...
in 1769.
Around 300 boards were created, each by a private Act of Parliament
Local and Personal Acts of Parliament in the United Kingdom
Local and Personal Acts of Parliament are laws in the United Kingdom which apply to a particular individual or group of individuals, or corporate entity. This contrasts with a Public General Act of Parliament which applies to the entire community...
, typically termed an Improvement Act. The powers of the boards varied according to the acts which created them. They often included street paving, cleansing
Cleansing
Cleansing may refer to:* Cleansing - by Prong* Ethnic cleansing* Cleanliness* Body cleansing or detoxification - disputed alternative medical practice**Colon cleansing...
, lighting
Lighting
Lighting or illumination is the deliberate application of light to achieve some practical or aesthetic effect. Lighting includes the use of both artificial light sources such as lamps and light fixtures, as well as natural illumination by capturing daylight...
, providing watchmen
Watchmen
Watchmen is a twelve-issue comic book limited series created by writer Alan Moore, artist Dave Gibbons, and colourist John Higgins. The series was published by DC Comics during 1986 and 1987, and has been subsequently reprinted in collected form...
or dealing with various public nuisance
Public nuisance
In English criminal law, public nuisance is a class of common law offence in which the injury, loss or damage is suffered by the local community as a whole rather than by individual victims.-Discussion:...
s.
Commissions were rate levying
Tax
To tax is to impose a financial charge or other levy upon a taxpayer by a state or the functional equivalent of a state such that failure to pay is punishable by law. Taxes are also imposed by many subnational entities...
bodies. They maintained themselves either by co-opting new members, by holding elections at which all ratepayers could vote, or by taking all ratepayers taxed over a certain rate as automatic members.
During the mid-19th century, some commissions came under Chartist
Chartism
Chartism was a movement for political and social reform in the United Kingdom during the mid-19th century, between 1838 and 1859. It takes its name from the People's Charter of 1838. Chartism was possibly the first mass working class labour movement in the world...
control, for example, the Manchester Police and Gas Commissions, the Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
Improvement Commission, the Bradford
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
Highway Commission and the Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
Highway Commission.
Municipal corporation
Municipal corporation
A municipal corporation is the legal term for a local governing body, including cities, counties, towns, townships, charter townships, villages, and boroughs. Municipal incorporation occurs when such municipalities become self-governing entities under the laws of the state or province in which...
s and boards of health
Local board of health
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 slaughterhouses and ensure the proper supply of water to their...
would later be able to absorb the powers of the improvement commissioners by promoting private acts.
See also
- Birmingham Street CommissionersBirmingham Street CommissionersThe Birmingham Street Commissioners were created in Birmingham, England by the Birmingham Improvement Act 1769. Subsequent Improvement Acts 1773, 1801, and 1812 gave increased powers to the Street Commissioners...
- Sheffield Improvement Commission