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29-594: The British gas industry was nationalised under the provisions of the Gas Act 1948 ( 11 & 12 Geo. 6 . c. 67) which established the Gas Council with effect from 1 May 1949. The council acted as channel of communication between the Minister of Fuel and Power and the industry; it carried out research; undertook labour negotiations on matters such as wages; and acted as the voice of the gas industry. The Gas Council

58-473: A Conversion Executive .  A Gas Conversion Association was also established to represent the interests of contractors. A contract was made with BP in 1967 to purchase natural gas from the West Sole Field. This was to be 50 million cubic feet per day for 15 years. The Gas Council offered 2.5 d . to 4 d . per therm whereas BP proposed 6 d . to 7 d . a therm. After an intervention from the minister

87-542: A figure of 5 d . was agreed. Soon after 25-year contracts were made with Phillips, Shell/Esso and Gas Council/Amoco for gas from fields (Hewett, Leman and Indefatigable) feeding the Bacton terminal in Norfolk. At both Easington , where gas from West Sole landed, and at Bacton the council built terminals to receive cleaned gas which was then metered; blended; had odorant added; and had the flow controlled. The Gas Council built

116-410: A gas consultative council and district committees. They were charged with considering any matter affecting the supply of gas in the area; and of considering and reporting to the area board any such matter. Each council had between 20 and 30 members. The annual reports of the Gas Council identify the work of the consultative councils which recognised that they were an important part of the interpretation of

145-486: A network of 36-inch diameter pipelines to transmit the gas, which was to become the National Transmission System . In 1968 a major restructuring of the Gas Council was undertaken, driven by the advent of natural gas and the need to plan nationally. The area boards which had been accountable directly to the minister, now had their activities channelled though the council. A central marketing office

174-405: A range of activities. In 1953 the Gas Council formed D’Arcy Exploration as a joint venture with BP. It allocated £1 million to search for natural gas on land; in 1954 gas was found at Cousland near Edinburgh. The Midlands Research Station was opened at Solihull in 1954. The Gas Council presided over two major changes in the technological basis of the industry. Firstly, from the late 1950s,

203-498: A shift way from conventional carbonising plant for the production of town gas to chemical reforming using light feedstocks from oil refineries. And secondly the conversion of the gas supply from town gas to natural gas as North Sea gas became available from 1967. The first transnational shipment of liquefied natural gas took place left the USA on 25 January 1959, arriving at a new LNG terminal on Canvey Island 27 days later. The council

232-489: Is a category B listed building . An archaeological survey, the Big Cousland Dig, was carried out in 2007–2008, and focused on the sites of the castle, the windmill and an 18th-century pottery. The ruins of a tower house and enclosure walls are located on the south side of the village. Although formerly thought to be a nunnery, the remains are now attributed to William Ruthven, 1st Lord Ruthven , and dated to

261-574: Is located 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) east of Dalkeith and 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) west of Ormiston , on a hill between the Rivers Tyne and Esk . Cousland was a possession of the Sinclair family of Roslin from the late 12th century, and passed to the Ruthvens in the late 15th century. It formerly had its own chapelry , which was annexed to the parish of Cranston about the time of

290-598: The Association of Gas Corporations . The British Gas Federation was established in 1934 to represent collective interests of the council and association. In 1943 the industry proposed the establishment of the British Gas Council amalgamating the two existing bodies. The new organisation was established in 1946 as a company limited by guarantee. It represented 95 percent of the gas suppliers in Britain. It

319-719: The Reformation . In 1547, during the Rough Wooing , the English army led by Lord Hertford burned the village, around the time of the Battle of Pinkie which was fought nearby. The village was a centre of lime production from the 16th century. Cousland lime was used to build and repair Edinburgh's town walls, and was frequently used at Holyrood Palace for plastering and harling . The Confederate Lords, opponents of Mary, Queen of Scots , gathered at Cousland in 1567 at

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348-510: The Gas Act 1965 to allow it to borrow more money and to manufacture or acquire gas and supply gas in bulk to area boards. The Gas Council consisted of a chairman and a deputy chairman, both appointed by the Minister of Fuel and Power, and the chairman of each of the 12 area boards, as appointed by the minister. In 1951 the council was constituted as shown. The area board represented by each of

377-568: The Gas Council's policy to the public. The councils had a chairman, a deputy chairman and a secretary. There were members appointed as representatives of local authorities (under Section 9(2)(a) of the Gas Act), as representatives of commerce, industry, labour and other interests (Section 9(2)(b)). The North Thames Gas Consultative Council had four district committees for: Berkshire and Buckinghamshire; Central and North London; East London and Essex; and West London and Surrey. Following nationalisation,

406-481: The Minister of Fuel and Power appointed a committee of inquiry under the chairmanship of Geoffrey Heyworth to review the structure and organisation of the industry and advise on changes to develop and cheapen gas supplies. The committee reported in November 1945 and recommended the compulsory purchase by the government of all undertakings and the creation of ten regional gas boards. The Heyworth Committee report formed

435-573: The Minister of Fuel and Power appointed the chairman and deputy chairman of the Gas Council and the chairmen of the twelve area boards until 1957. This function then devolved to the renamed Ministry of Power (1957 – 1969), then to the Ministry of Technology (1969 – 1970), and finally to the Department of Trade and Industry (1970 – 1972) through various government reorganisations. To achieve the Gas Council's aims and statutory obligations it undertook

464-551: The North Sea in 1971, in what were to be named the Arbroath and Montrose oil fields . The Gas Council published a range of material to meet statutory obligations and to inform commercial and domestic consumers. These included: In 1969 the government recognised that to fully exploit the benefits of North Sea Gas a radical reorganisation of the industry was needed with increased power to the centre. A bill to realise these changes

493-865: The basis of the Gas Act 1948. The Gas Act 1948 was one of a number of Acts promulgated by the post-war Labour government to nationalise elements of the UK's industrial infrastructure; other Acts include the Coal Industry Nationalisation Act 1946 ; the Transport Act 1947 (railways and long-distance road haulage); the Electricity Act 1947 ; and the Iron and Steel Act 1949. The industry was fragmented with limited cooperation and coordination between undertakings. The exception were some industry-wide bodies with an interest in aspects of

522-606: The board chairs are given in brackets. Throughout its operational life of 23 years there were four chairmen of the Gas Council: And there were five deputy chairmen: Upon the establishment of the British Gas Corporation on 1 January 1973 the chairman and deputy chairman of the abolished Gas Council, Sir Arthur Hetherington and Denis Rooke, took similar roles in the new corporation to provide continuity. Provisions were made for each area board to have

551-569: The council's borrowing powers to £1,200 million; it was also allowed to manufacture or acquire gas and supply gas in bulk to Area Boards. The new powers allowed it to enter joint ventures with Amoco on parts of the Leman and Indefatigable gas fields. The Gas Advisory Council was established in 1965 to allow workers and management and trade unions to discuss national objectives. The Gas Council chairman Sir Henry Jones announced in 1966 that Britain would convert from manufactured to natural gas and formed

580-493: The gas undertakings. The Act also established the Gas Council. The Act took effect from 1 May 1949. The Gas Council's formal responsibilities were defined in Section 22 of the Gas Act 1948: (a) to advise the Minister in questions affecting the gas industry and matters relating thereto; (b) to promote and assist the efficient exercise and performance by Area Boards of their function. The council's legal powers were extended by

609-623: The industry. These included the National Gas Council which was established in 1916 to deal with matters that affected the whole of the industry, it included representatives of all the governing bodies. The British Commercial Gas Association was founded in 1912 and served as the publicity agency for the industry. There was also the National Federation of Gas Coke Associations , the Federation of Gas Employers , and

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638-422: The late 15th century. The original tower was extended to form a larger residence in the 16th century. The tower house had a vaulted basement, and was extended southwards. It stands at the north-east corner of a walled garden area, 68 metres (223 ft) square, enclosed by walls 85 centimetres (33 in) thick, probably constructed after 1690. The house was demolished after 1760, and the walls survive intact on

667-625: The time of the stand-off at Carberry Hill . After the execution of William Ruthven, 1st Earl of Gowrie , in 1584, Cousland passed successively to the Herries, the Hays of Kinfauns, and the Macgills of Oxenfuird , before coming to the Dalrymples, later Earls of Stair , in the 1690s. Cousland Smiddy is a blacksmith's workshop built in the 18th century, which unusually remains in working order, and

696-538: Was abolished on 31 December 1972 under the terms of the Gas Act 1972 (c. 60). This restructuring of the gas industry, to manage the advent of North Sea gas, established the British Gas Corporation to centralise control and operation of the industry. Prior to nationalisation there were about 1,064 gas supply undertakings in Britain; about one-third were municipal local authority undertakings and about two-thirds were company undertakings. In June 1944

725-545: Was chaired by Sir Edgar Sylvester (later chairman of the Gas Council) and its aim was to oppose nationalisation. The Gas Council, under Section 62 of the 1948 Act, took over these bodies. Ministerial oversight of the gas industry prior to nationalisation was exercised by the Board of Trade until 1942, then the Ministry of Fuel and Power (1942 – 1949). The 1948 Act establish twelve area gas boards, which assumed ownership of

754-451: Was established for selling gas to large industrial customers, the director sat on the Gas Council board. As well as Marketing there were divisions for Economic Planning, Production and Supply; Research and Development and Personnel, whose directors were on the board. The deputy chairman Arthur Hetherington became the chief executive. The Gas Council/Amoco group discovered oil in Block 22/18 of

783-555: Was introduced in Parliament by the Labour government in November 1969. However, this bill failed as Parliament was dissolved for the 1970 general election. The Conservative government introduced a new Bill in 1972 to put full responsibility for the gas industry into a new statutory body the British Gas Corporation. The Gas Act 1972 (1972 c. 60) received royal assent on 9 August 1972 and came into force on 1 January 1973. The Gas Council

812-486: Was responsible for the construction of an 18-inch diameter methane pipeline from Canvey to Leeds to supply methane feedstock for reforming plant to most area boards. Following this successful trial a full scale LNG plant was built at Canvey taking LNG from Algeria. The Gas Act 1960 increased the Gas Council's borrowing powers to £500 million. The Gas Act 1965 (c. 36) and the Gas (Borrowing Powers) Act 1965 (c. 60) increased

841-553: Was thereby abolished. Gas Act 1948 Too Many Requests If you report this error to the Wikimedia System Administrators, please include the details below. Request from 172.68.168.237 via cp1104 cp1104, Varnish XID 194048908 Upstream caches: cp1104 int Error: 429, Too Many Requests at Thu, 28 Nov 2024 07:41:17 GMT Cousland Cousland is a village in Midlothian , Scotland. It

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