Tract No. 191. 


BOROUGH COUNCILS 


Their Constitution, Powers 
and Duties 


BY 

C. R. ATTLEE, M.A. 
PUBLISHED AKD SOLD BY THE FABIA:K SOCIETY, 
25, TOTHILL STREET, WESTl\llKSTER, 'LO 'DOK, S.\\'. L 
PRICE TWOPE ·cE . . . . . . . ... MARCH: 1920 


BOROUGH COUNCILS 


Their Constitution, Powers and Duties. 

T
T
HE Borough is one of the most ancient of all English units of 
. Local Government and one of the most important. It is an 
urban community which has received a Charter of Incorporation from 
the Crown and is governed under the Municipal Corporations Acts, 
1835-1882. It is not the purpose of this pamphlet to deal with the 
history of Town Government in this country or to trace the rise and 
declin~ of civic administration prior to 1832, but rather to deal with 
the borough as part of the machinery of local government at the 
present time. It is well, however, to recall that some boroughs are 
-of very ancient origin and may have rights and privileges derived 
from charters and private acts of Parliament, owning property acquired 
many years ago, while others are the creation of yesterda-y, new 
-communities that owing to their size and importance have obtained 
incorporation but derive their powers solely from statute. 
From the fact of their origin it is not surprising that there i; a 
great diversity of area and population among boroughs. Birminghamhas a population of over 830,000, and Manchester an area of 20,000 
.acres, while Winchelsea has but 700 inhabitants, and Blandford only 
145 acres. Boroughs, also, have differences of status among them-
elves, some of practical importance, others of sentimental interest ; 
thus some are Cities in virtue of being seats of bishops or posses ing 
a grant from the Crown, others are allowed to style their chief magisirate 
Lord Mayor instead of Mayor, others have a more importantdistinction in the possession of separate Courts of Quarter Sessions 
.and a paid judge, but the most important difference from the point of 
view of the student of local government and the practical administrator 
is that between County Boroughs and non-County Boroughs. 
The County Borough, which is in all but three cases a town of over 
50,000 inhabitants, stands, for almost all purposes, outside the administrative 
county of which geographically it forms a part and has 
practically all the powers of a county council in addition to those of 
the most powerful municipal borough, while the non-county borough 
like the urban district divides its authority in its area with the county-<'ouncil. The county borough is the completest authority in English 


4 


local government, and when the Boards of Guardians are abolished 
will be the sole authority in its area. At the present time there are 
327· boroughs outside London in England and Wales, of which 80 
are county boroughs. There is a certain amount of promotion among 
urban governing authorities, urban districts applying to the PrivyCouncil may be incorporated and municipal boroughs and urban 
districts of more than 50,000 inhabitants may apply for county powers. 

The Metropolitan Boroughs in London and the City Corporation 
will be discussed in a separate pamphlet. 

CONSTITUTION OF BOROUGH COUNCILS. 

With the exception of the City of London and one or two unreformed 
boroughs, every borough owes its constitution to the 
Municipal Corporations Acts and is governed by a municipal corporation 
which enjoys perpetual succession and a common seal and consists of 
a Lord Mayor or Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors, the number of 
members varying according to the size of the borough. Councillors 
must be either (a) local government electors ; (b) persons possessing 
property in the borough of a certain value; or (c) persons who have 
been resident in the borough for the whole of the 12 months previous 
to the election. There is no property qualification, and the c-ouncillors 
are elected by ballot on the first of November each year for three 
years, one-third of their number retiring each year. 

The qualifications to be enrolled.as a local government elector 
are:-{a) If a man, the occupation on the last day of the qualifyingperiod (six months) as owner or tenant of any land or premises in the 
borough and their occupation for the whole of the qualifying period. 
He must be 21 years of age. (b) If a woman, the same qualification 
as for a man-or being the wife of a man so qualified. In the latter 
case she must be 30 years old. Aldermen are elected by the councillors 
from among their own number or from persons qualified to 
be eouncillors, and their number is one-third of the councillor . 
One-half of their numhcr retire every three year;:. 

The Mayor or Lord Mayor is elected by the councillors from the 
councillors or those qualified to be such. He may receive a salary, 
bnt aldermen and councillors are unpaid. The Mayor is a Justice of 
the Peace for his year of office and one year afterwards. 

POWERS AND DUTIES OF BOROUGH COUNCILS. 

The powers and duties of a borough council are derived partlyfrom its position as the representative body charged with the good 
governance of the town, partly from its being also an urban sanitaryauthority and in the case of a county borough a county authority, 
and partly from its being charged or empowered by the legislature 
to carry out certain duties by public or private Acts of Parliament. 


5 

These powers vary with the size of the borough, those with 10,000 
population and those with 20,000 population having additional powers, 
while county boroughs have most of all. It will be most convenient 
to consider these differences when dealing with the various services 
performed by the councils which may be most easily grouped under 
the following heads. 

(1) As Municipal Authority.-It administers corporate property:
this is in many cases very considerable. Bristol derives £25,000 and 
Nottingham £30,000 from rents, while in the small but ancient town 
of Bodmin the income was enough to preclude the necessity of raising 
a borough rate until the present century. Other examples are Don-
caster, Chester and Brighton that own race-courses, Colchester that 
owns oyster fisheries, and Bath and Harrogate that own baths. Labour 
councillors should look well to see that municipal property is being 
used to the best advantage, as cases have been known where the Cityfathers or grandfathers have leased corporate property to their 
friends for long terms of years at low rentals. The council also makes 
by-laws for the good governance of the town. 
In addition to specific duties the borough council is the representative 
body of the town, and it is its duty to give expression to the 
wishes of the inhabitants and protect their interests. Thus it is the 
duty of the council to keep a careful watch on public and privatebills introduced into Parliament, and where necessary obtain a locus 
standi and offer opposition to bills injurious to the borough. Under 
threat of opposition useful concessions can be obtained from railway 
companies and other bodies. If a railway company or the Postmaster-
General fails to provide adequate services for the town it is the business 
of the council to make representations in the proper quarter. 

The council should also be careful to do all it can to increase the 
amenities of the town. If a town hall or other public building is to 
be erected, it l'lhould be worthy of a city, not a mere ugly block. 

(2) Local Justice.-The Mayor presides over the Borough Bench, 
and in boroughs that have a separate Commission of the Peace the 
J.P.'s are appointed by the Lord Chancellor on the advice of the 
Council, elsewhere by the advice of the Lord-Lieutenant of the County.
Certain boroughs have obtained the appointment of a stipendiarymagistrate, who is a paid justice appointed by the Crown on the advice 
of the Home Secretary. (There are 18 stipendiaries outside London.) 
The Crown may grant a separate Court of Quarter Sessions for a 
borough wheno.the Recorder, who is a barrister appointed by the Lord 
Chancellor, sits as judge and is paid from the borough fund. There 
are 121 Recorders. There are also certain ancient courts in boroughs, 
uch as the Salford Court of Hundred and the Guild Hall Court, 
Norwich. The council of a quarter sessions borough with a population 
of 10,000 or over, which is either a county borough or received its 
arant of quarter sessions before 1888, must appoint a fit person to be 
~roner. A few ancient towns are counties of cities or counties of 


6 

towns, and have power to appoint a sheriff, who must be elected 
annually by the council on NoYember 9th. 

(3) Public Health.-This, with Housing and Education, will be 
dealt with in detail in other Tracts. It is enough to say here that 
the council is the authority for drainage, sewerage, scavenging and 
removal of refuse, treatment of infectiou diseases, provision of hospital-, 
clinics, nursing, mortuaries, cemeteries, the inspection of slaughterhouse 
, bakeries, food and drugs, and the prevention of nuisance . 
County boroughs will also administer the l\IidwiYes Act. 
Under the Kational Health Insurance Acts, 1911-1918, the council 
of a county borough appoints one-fifth of the In urance Committee. 
A district committee is also set up for the area of each borough with 
over 10,000 population. 

(4) Lunacy and Mental Deficiency.-The county borough i the 
authority for carrying out the Lunacy Acts, 1890-1911. It is its duty 
to provide an asylum or asylums for the accommodation of pauperlunatics, and it may also make provi ion for lunatics who are not 
paupers. A Visiting or Asylums Committee is appointed by the 
council which manages the institutions and visits the inmates. The 
expenses are met from the borough fund as far as they are not coYered 
by contributions from the Exchequer and the Board of Guardians. 
Under the Mental Deficiency Act, 1913, the connty borough council 
appoints a committee for the care of the mentally defective, compo ed 
partly of members of the council and partly of guardians and other 
per ons with special knowledge; some women mu t be appointed. 
As a general rule the Visiting or Asylums Committee, with the addition 
of at least two women, acts as the committee, or forms that part of it 
appointed by the council. The duties of the local authority include 
the ascertaining of what persons are defectiYe, the provision of uitable 
supervision and suitable accommodation, and the provision of burial. 
The expenses are met from the borough funds or from the rate . 
(5) Housing and Town Planning.-County borough. are re ponsible 
for carrying out the Housing and Town Planning Act in their entirety ; 
and other boroughs, subject to certain power vested in the countycouncils, are similarly responsible for these dutie , which include the 
provi ion of houses, the clearing of congested area , the ensuring that 
all houses are placed and kept in a proper tate of repair, and the 
preparation of town planning cheme . . 
(6) Education.-The county borough is the authority for Hiaher 
and Elementary Education, and boroughs with a population of owr 
10,000 are authorities for elementary education in their area . Other 
boroughs are iuinor education authorities appointing managers for 
elementary chools, etc., but with little effectiYe control. The borough 
council, where it is the local authority, appoint an education committee, 
the majority of member of which n11d be councillor , but 

7 


there is power to co-opt on the nomination of other bodies and the 
inclus_ion of women is necessary. For higher education, including 
techrucal, all borough councils are authorities, although they can 
surrender their powers to or act jointly with the county councils. 

(7) Highways.-Borough councils are responsible for the paving,
lighting and cleansing of the roads in their area and for the generalregulation, street numbering, tree planting, etc. Certain main roads 
although repairable and maintainable by the county are as a rule 
maintained and repaired by the borough councils receiving a contribution 
from the county councils. The latter may also make grant 
for the widening and improvement of local roads. The Ministry of 
Transport under the Act of 1919 may make grants to a boroughcouncil for the construction or improvement of roads. 
The question of the distribution of the burden for the upkeep of 
main roads is a matter of some dispute at the present time, the burden 
falling heavily on places through which there is heavy traffic, and the 
po sibility is being considered of some division of roads on a system 
analogous to that obtaining in France, whereby some roads would be 
maintained by the State, some by the larger and some by the smaller 
locGLl authorities. County boroughs and boroughs over ] 0,000 population 
may make regulations as to the use of roads by heavy traffic, 
and councillors should not forget that they have power to make user 
pay for exceptional traffic. Borough councils also regulate by by-lawthe display of advertisements and licence hoardings and projections, 
etc., over the roadway. The council also maintains bridges and 
may contribute to the cost of construction by private persons_ 

(8) Parks, Recreation Grounds, Commons, etc.-Borough councils 
have power to purchase or lease land for the provision of parks, 
recreation grounds and open spaces, and to make by-laws for their use; 
they may also provide boats for hire on lakes. Many boroughs, under 
private acts of Parliament, provide bands of music. The council 
may regulate commons and assist in maintaining rights of common 
and rights of way. In most towns there are neglected gardens in 
squares that have " gone down " 'Yhich an alert council can obtain 
for use as open spaces or children's recreation grounds. The council 
can erect swings and gymnastic apparatus in these grounds. 
(9) Allotments and Small Holdings.-Borough councils have 
power to acquire allotments, and if six ratepayers represent that they 
are required, must hold an inquiry, and if the representations are 
correct the council must purchase or hire sufficient land for the 
purpose. The land can, if necessary, be acquired compulsorily, and 
it may lie within or without the boundaries of the borough. A countyborough may also provide small holdings. A small holding is a plot 
of land between 1 and 50 acres or larger if of small value. The council 
may purchase or lease land for the purpose of letting as small holdings, 
or may sell the land to the tenant or assist a small holder in purchasing 

8 


from a private individual. The council may appoint a small holdings 
committee. In the first three years of the 1908 Act county boroughs 
had acquired 1, 655 acres. 

(10) Libraries.-Every borough council has power to provide and 
maintain either alone or in conjunction with neighbouring authorities 
public libraries, but the restriction of expenditure to the product of 
a penny rate has previously prevented the adoption of the Act bysmall boroughs. This has now been re~oved by the Libraries Act of 
1919. The new Act also gives power to the county council to act in 
boroughs where the Libraries Act has not been adopted, and where 
this is done the borough will lose its powers. Museums may also be 
established and maintained. There is power to co-opt outside members 
on the libraries committee. 
(11) Public Utility Services.-A borough council may have its 
own gas or electricity undertaking, its own water supply, and may 
run a tramway service. Municipal slaughterhouses may be providedand public markets, provided that ancient market rights are not 
interfered with. These are the most usual services provided, but 
eouncils may and do carry on other undertakings to meet their special 
requirements. Thus watering-places frequently have piers, sea-walls, 
harbours and bathing places. Bradford has a municipal conditioning 
house for textile fabrics which pays its way. Manchester City Council 
was largely responsible for the Ship Canal and is a large shareholder, 
while Bournemouth has an hotel. 
Baths and washhouses, which may be considered as part of the 
public health work rather than as a trading venture, are provided by 
most boroughs and are almost invariably run at a loss, the pricesbeing fixed to attract users rather than to cover expenses. The 
baths are frequently utilised as public halls in the winter, and there 
is no reason apart from finance why they should not be utilised as 
civic centres for social life with free dances, etc., instead of being let 
to individuals. · 

(12) Protective and Regulative Powers(
A) Police.-County boroughs and some municipal boroughs with 
over 10,000 population maintain their own police forces, but no new 
force can be set up in boroughs where the population is under 20,000. 
The force is controlled by the Watch Committee, consisting of not 
more than one-third of the members of the council and the Mayor.
In other boroughs the police are under the Standing Joint Committee 
of the county council and justices. One-half of the cost of the payand clothing of the police is contributed from the Exchequer on a 
~.:ertificate of efficiency. 
(B) Pt·otection frorn Fire.-The borough council may establish 
and maintain a fire brigade and the necessary appliances under the 
Town and Police Clauses Act, 1847, and provide for a supply of water, 

9 


:fire plugs, etc., under the Public Health Act, 1875, and where there 
is a local police force, may employ the constables as part of the 
fire brigade. 

(c) Employment of Child1"en.-The combined effect of the Employment 
of Children Act, 1903, and the Education Act, 1918, is that 
(1) No child under 12 years may be employed at all; (2) No child under 
14 may be employed in street trading or in any factory, mine or quarry;
(3) No child between 12-14 years of age may be employed on school 
days before the close of school hours or on Sunday for more than 
two hours, or on any day before 6 a.m. or after 8 p.m. But boroughcouncils that are education authorities under Part 3 of the Act maymake by-laws modifying provision (3) and extending (2). They maypermit under certain conditions the employment of children over 12 
before school hours and the employment of children by their parents, 
but such employment before 9 a.m. must be limited to one hour, and 
no child so employed before 9 a.m. must be employed for more than 
one hour in the afternoon. The above provisions of the law, it should 
be noted, are not yet in operation, but it is proposed to fix April 1st, 
1920, " the appointed day " for their corning into force. In the 
meantime the local education authority have the power to prohibit 
or restrict any employment of a child which they are satisfied is 
prejudicial to his health, and by-laws may be made declaring street 
trading illegal by any young person under the age of 16. 
(n) Factories and Workshops-In workshops, including retail 
bakehouses, the law in regard to cleanliness, limewashing, ventila.tion, 
prevention of nuisances and overcrowding, etc., is enforced hy the 
borough council A register of workshops is kept by the council. 
Factvries are inspected by the Home Office, but the Home Office may,
if it considers iL necessary, demand the assistance of the borough council. 
(E) JVtights and Measures.-County boroughs and boroughs with 
over 10,000 population are the authorities for putting into force the 
law relating to weights and measures. Standards of weights and 
measures must be provided and verified from time to time. The 
council appoints inspectors to verify and stamp weights and measures 
brought to them and to inspect those in use in the borough. It can 
also make by-laws regulating the sale of coal retail under the Weightsand Yieasures Act, 1889. 
(F) Gas Mete1"s.-The testing and stamping of gas meters is 
earried out by county boroughs and municipal boroughs where the 
ale of Gas Act, 1859, has been adopted, but where the council itself 
supplies gas, the matter is dealt with by the justices. 

(G) Shops.-In county boroughs and boroughs v.rith ' over 10,000 
population the council is the authority for enforcing the Shops Act, 
1912. It appoints inspectors to see that hours of work for young 
persons are not exceeded and that seats are provided for assistants. 

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The council may also make orders for early closing day and fix time 
of closing for classes of shops. 

(H) Diseases of Animals.-County boroughs and boroughs with. 
more than 10,000 population are the authorities for dealing with 
contagious diseases of animals and to prevent the introduction of 
destructive insects. The council elect an executive committee and 
appoint a veterinary inspector. The diseases dealt with are cattle 
plague, pleuro-pneumonia, foot and mouth disease, sheep pox, sheep· 
scab, and swine fever, anthrax, rabies and other diseases. The council 
may also establish a place for the slaughtering of foreign cattle. 
(I) Licensing and Registration.-The borough council is the 
authorit.y for licensing knacker's yards, game dealers, pawnbrokers, 
hackney carriages, horses or donkElys let out for hire, and pleasureboats. It regi ters and inspects canal boats and old metal dealer;; 
and marine stores. It licenses and regulates the storage and sellingof petroleum. It makes by-laws for the regulation and for the sanitarycondition of tents, vans and other "temporary dwellings." It maybe licensed by the Postmaster-General to provide a system of public 
telephones. And it may apply to the Home Office to abolish anyfair in the borough or to alter the day for holding it. The county 
borough is the authority under the Explosives Act, 1875, and license 
the manufacturer and storage of fireworks and explosives. Countyboroughs also license emigration agents, race-courses, premises for 
the public performance of stage plays. l\Iusic and dancing licence:; 
are granted by the magistrates, except in county boroughs within 
20 miles of the cities of London and Westminster, when thev are 
granted by the Borough Council. Under the Fertilisers and FeedingStuffs Act, 1906, a county borough may appoint an agriculturalanalyst and official sam piers. 
(J) Food Control.-The borough council appoints the Food Control 
Committee from within or without its own body, one member at least 
must be a woman and one a representative of labour. The duties of 
this committee includes granting permission to open retail shops. 
{K) Profiteering.-Under the Profiteering Act of 1919 a borough 
council may establish a profiteering committee or tribunal of not 
less than 7 or more than 25 member , who need not all be members of 
the council. They must include two wemen and at lea t three member" 
of the local food committee and there mu t be adequate representation 
of labour. The duty of the committee is to inYestigate and hear 
complaints of alleged profiteering by local retailers, and they haYe 
power to state what is a rea onable price and order repa~·ment of 
excess charge . The local authority may buy and sell articles, but 
must proceed on a commercial ba i and not by way of sub idy at 
the expense of the ratepayer . Ordinary expen es may be met out 
of the rate . 


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(13) Inebriates' Reformatories.-A borough council may provide 
or contribute towards the provision of an inebriate's reformatory 
and may establish or license a retreat under the Inebriates' Acts, 
1879 and 1881. 
(14) Pensions.-In county boroughs and boroughs with over 
20,000 population the council appoints the local pensions committee. 
The term of office is three years or less if the council so decide. The 
council is also represented on the Soldiers and Sailors Pensions 
Committee. 
(15) Charities.-The Ministry of Health may confer on a borough 
council the powers of a parish council, enabling them to administer 
non-ecclesiastical charities, and a county borough may pay the costs 
of an. inquiry by the Charity Commissioners into the public charities 
of the district. This is worth considering by labour councillors, as 
there are often old charities with funds that might be put to far greater 
use than they are at present. 
(16) Fisheries.-County boroughs and boroughs with a population 
of over 20,000 may apply to the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries 
for the creation of a fishery district under the control of the council 
and those engaged in the l.ndustry. 
(17) Unemployment.-In county boroughs and boroughs with 
over 10,000 population the Distress Committee under the UnemployedWorkmen's Act, 1905, consists partly of members of the council, 
partly of guardians and other persons experienced in the relief of 
distress. Their duty is to make themselves acquainted with the 
conditions of ·labour in their area. They may provide temporaryemployment and assist persons to emigrate. 
FINANCE OF BOROUGH COUNCILS. 

The expenses of a borough council are defrayed from three main 
sources:-


(A) Income from municipal property and from public utility 
undertakings such as gas, electricity, and tramways. 
(B) Rates levied upon owners and occupiers of property within 
the borough. 
(c) Contributions from the central government in the form 
of grants. 
Two principal rates are levied in boroughs for council purposes, 
the Borough Rate and the General District Rate. In boroughs certain 
expenses such as the salary of the mayor, the costs of municipal 


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-elections, education, and libraries are primarily met from the boroughJund, into which are paid the rents and profits of corporate property, 
fines, fees, etc., but when this is insufficient, as it almost always is, 
.a borough rate is levied by the overseers in each parish upon a precept 
served upon them by the borough council. The overseers of the 
poor are appointed as a rule by the council and are substantial householders, 
generally two in number ; the actual work is done by the 
assistant overseer, who is a paid official. It is their duty to preparethe annual valuation list, which is then submitted to the assessment 
committee which is appointed by the Board of Guardians, or where 
the union is co-extensive with the borough, by the guardians and 
council in equal proportions. This committee hears appeals, and 
there is a further appeal from it to the justices. The overseers make 
and levy and collect the Poor Rate. The borough rate is collected 

as part of the Poor Rate and is based on the overseer's valuation, 
though the council may have a separate valuation ma~e if it so 
desires. 

The General District Rate is levied by every borough council 
directly and is generally based on the Poor Rate Valuation. The 
General District Rate is primarily levied to defray any expenses that 
cannot be met out of the district fund, which consists of monies received 
under the Public Health Acts. 

Some boroughs levy special rates under private Acts of Parliament, 
and rates may be levied specially on occupiers of certain property 
where private improvements have been carried out. 

Rates are levied on the rateable value of property which is the 
gross estimated rental, that is the sum at which the property might 
reasonably be expected to let, after deducting therefrom the probable.annual cost of repairs, insurance and other expenses necessary to 
maintain them in a condition to command such a rent. · The occupier 
pays the rates except in cases where the property is of low annual 
value, where the owner pays, the tenant paying his share in his rent. 
The question of rating cannot be dealt with here at any length as it 
is full of complications and there are various exemptions and reductions, 
notably in the case of agricultural land which is assessed at 
half its value. 

The rates are the chief source of income of a borough council, 
and the amount levied in the £ varies very much between different 
boroughs according to their wealth and needs. 

A penny rate in Southport will produce about £2,237, in Rather-
ham £1,128, though the population 'of the former is only 6,000 more 
than the latter, and a penny rate in Hedon will only produce £14, 
in Liverpool £21,030. 

Grants-in-aid from the Central Government are made under 
various Acts and are distributed on principles that frequently conflict. 
Sometimes on rateable value when the rich boroughs profit most, 
sometimes on poverty. Sometimes unconditionally, sometime as 
in the case of the Police Grant, on a certificate of efficiency of work 


13 


doue. Some of the grants-in-aid are paid from the local taxation account. 
into which the product of certain taxes are paid and certain fixed 
sums under the Agricultural Rates Act, 1896, and the Tithe Rent 
Charge Rates Act, 1899. But of more importance are the numerous 
grants made directly in aid of certain services such as education~ 
public health, etc. These are constantly growing, and over two-third& 
of the money received from the central in relief of local government 
now consists of direct grants, and by 1915 the total grants received: 
by all local authorities amounted to nearly £24,000,000. 

It has been mentioned above that many boroughs have considerable 
corporate property, and to the amount received in this way 
must be added the profits on trading undertakings. The amount 
derived from this source will depend on the policy of the council, 
which may either keep the price charged for services, such as light and 
transit, low and take no surplus, or make their charges higher and' 
relieve the ratepayers from the profits thus accruing, or use the 
surplus for further municipal activities. 

LOANS. 

For the purposes of carrying out works of a permanent nature 
and for financing undertakings such as tramways, water works, etc.~ 
a borough council may borrow on the security of the corporate property, 
funds or rates, with the consent of the Ministry of Health. The 
conditions of repayment are laid down in the various enactments. 
empowering councils to carry out such works, and the amount that 
can be raised on the security of the rates under the Public Healtlh 
Acts is limited to two years' assessable value. The limit of time for· 
repayment is generally 60 years, though a longer period is allowed! 
under the Housing and Town Planning Act. The Public Works Loan 
Commissioners lend money to local authorities on the security of the· 
rates, but a council may also with the sanction of the Ministry of 
Health or in some cases under private Acts create stock. 

AUDIT. 

Borough accounts are audited by the Borough Auditors, two of 
whom must be burgesses and qualified to be but not being member · 
of the council who are elected by the burgesses on the 1st of March 
each year, and the Mayor's auditor who is a member of the council 
nominated by the Mayor. Some boroughs are audited by the district 
auditor who also audits the accounts under the Education and Unemployed 
Workmen Acts for all boroughs. 

BOROUGH COUNCIL WORK. 

A borough council does its work through committees. Of these-
some such as the Education Committee are statutory, that is to say, 


14 

the council must appoint them, others are set up for convenience in 
dealing with the business, and their number will depend on the extent 
of the council's activities. In committee the details of the work are 
thrashed out and the officials of the council are in attendance to giveinformation. The eouncil's by-laws lay down what subjects should 
be dealt with by each committee. Each committee makes its recommendations 
and those involving expenditure are submitted to the 
finance committee ; the whole of the transactions of the committees 
with their recommendations are then sent out in the form of minutes 
and are discussed at the council meeting. 

The personnel of the committees should reflect as far as possible 
the strength of the different parties on the council. Not all councils 
are divided on party lines, but in most of the more important boroughsthe need for a policy and the necessities of election work have resulted 
in the formation of parties on much the same lines as in the national 
legislature, though there is a greater number of independent members. 

The hardest and most valuable work of the borough councillor 
is done in committee, and the man who thinks that he can make a show 
by speeches in full meeting reported in the press without thoroughly 
mastering the work in committee will find himself disillusioned. 
While it is desirable to keep in close touch with all the council's 
activities, the work is so great that the ordinary councillor is well 
advised to devote himself to one or two branches of the work: 

THE COUNCIL'S OFFICERS. 

The Town Clerk is the chief executive officer and legal adviser 
<>f the council: he is a barrister or solicitor, and it is his duty to warn 
the council if their proposals are ultra vires. He is primarily responsible 

' for seeing that the decisions of the council are put into effect. 
The Borough Treasurer is head of the Finance Department.
The Medical Officer of Health is the chief official for carrying out 
work under the Public Health Acts and is, of course, a medical man. 
He and the Inspector of Nuisances are appointed and removed subject 
to the approval of the Ministry of Health. The Borough Surveyor 
-or Engineer is the executive officer for works, housing and highways,
while the heads of the various trading undertakings are generallysubordinate to him. Under the new Ministry of Transport Act be 
will be in the same position towards that authority as is the Medical 
Officer of Health to the Ministry of Health. Other important officials 
are the Director of Education, the Borough Librarian and the Chief 
·Constable. The Recorder and Stipendiary Magistrate are paid judges 
in certain towns. 
Beneath the officials comes the salaried staff, and then there are 
the numerous weekly wage earners employed in the various departments. 
Labour councillors may be trusted to see that good conditions 
are given to the council's workmen and that trade union rates of wages 
:are paid by the council and its contractors, but they are not always 


15 


so ready to recognise the claims of the black-coated officials and there 
is even sometimes a tendency to use the council as a means of advance 
to equality of remuneration for all. This is a very shortsighted 
policy, for it must be remembered that the council is not the onlyemployer in the market and that failure to give the usual occupational 
rates will prevent the council obtaining and retaining the services 
Qf a really efficient staff. It is worth while paying a high salary to 
get a really good Medical Officer of Health or Engineer. 

In addition, where possible the council should employ direct 
labour, for especially in an isolated town there will be a tendency for 
rings of contractors to be formed. If the borough is small it maywell join with a neighbouring authority for the provision of various 
services, thus obtaining the advantages of the economy of production 
Qn a large scale. 

CONCLUSION. 

Generally it may be stated that the borough is a natural and 
useful governing body provided that it is big enough to have a separate 
life from the county, but there are very mahy small boroughs that 
are not nearly large enough for economical and efficient administration 
and their position will have to be considered in any scheme for 
reform of areas. 

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