Town commissioners were elected local government bodies that existed in urban areas in Ireland from the 19th century until 2002. Larger towns with commissioners were converted to urban districts by the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 , with the smaller commissions continuing to exist beyond partition in 1922. The idea was a standardisation of the improvement commissioners established in an ad-hoc manner for particular towns in Britain and Ireland in the eighteenth century. The last town commissioners in Northern Ireland were abolished in 1962. In the Republic of Ireland , the remaining commissions became town councils in 2002, and abolished in 2014.
35-497: The first town commissioners were established by the Lighting of Towns (Ireland) Act 1828 ( 9 Geo. 4 . c. 82). This was "adoptive" legislation, which ratepayers in a borough or market town could choose to enact in their community. As the existing borough corporations were ineffective as local authorities the act came into force in sixty-five towns. William Neilson Hancock explained the act in 1877 thus: The first clause repealed
70-498: A boundary or distance inside which the commissioners' powers would be confined, no such limit was specified in the 1828 act. Thomas Larcom of the Irish Ordnance Survey wrote of the commissioners in 1846: The boundaries of their assessments are very vaguely defined. Sometimes a mile, or half a mile around the town, or from its centre; sometimes the whole or part of the parish . An attempt was made to survey them for
105-541: A grant of a coat of arms by the Chief Herald of Ireland in 1980 – the grant being to "Limerick County Council for the Town of Newcastle West". In 1994, these towns were abolished as distinct entities. The Local Government Act 2001 redesignated both town commissioners and urban district councils as town councils from 1 January 2002. The Local Government Reform Act 2014 abolished town councils. Municipal districts of
140-563: A number of Acts of Parliament, those of 1765, 1773, 1785, and 1796. Those were all temporary Acts of the Irish Parliament , and the British Parliament in 1807 renewed all of them for 21 years, and that renewal came to expire in the year 1828. It was then renewed for one year for that Session of Parliament to allow legislation to take place. Those Acts are all founded upon the vestry system of management of towns. Some of
175-458: Is cited as "39 & 40 Geo. 3 c. 67", meaning the 67th act passed during the session that started in the 39th year of the reign of George III and which finished in the 40th year of that reign. Note that the modern convention is to use Arabic numerals in citations (thus "41 Geo. 3" rather than "41 Geo. III"). Acts of the last session of the Parliament of Great Britain and the first session of
210-677: The City of London Corporation , and Inner Temple and Middle Temple sanitary authorities. A system of sanitary districts was established in Ireland by the Public Health (Ireland) Act 1878 , modelled on that in England and Wales. Urban sanitary districts were established in the following categories of towns: The existing corporation or commissioners became the urban sanitary authority. The Local Government Board for Ireland , created by
245-686: The Local Government Act 1894 ( 56 & 57 Vict. c. 73) by the more general rural districts and urban districts . A similar reform was carried out in Ireland in 1899 by the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 . Sanitary districts were formed under the terms of the Public Health Act 1872 ( 35 & 36 Vict. c. 79). Instead of creating new bodies, existing authorities were given additional responsibilities. The sanitary districts were created on 10 August 1872, when
280-539: The list of acts of the Parliament of England and the list of acts of the Parliament of Scotland . For acts passed from 1707 to 1800, see the list of acts of the Parliament of Great Britain . See also the list of acts of the Parliament of Ireland . For acts of the devolved parliaments and assemblies in the United Kingdom, see the list of acts of the Scottish Parliament , the list of acts of
315-499: The urban district governed by an urban district council. All town commissioners that were sanitary authorities became urban district councils. In addition, the Local Government Board was given the power to constitute any other local government town with a population of more than 1500 as an urban district, although the ratepayers could petition to prevent the application of this section of the act. The effect of this
350-482: The 1828 Act, was to establish "municipal commissioners". There was, in fact, only one town to which this applied: Carrickfergus in County Antrim . The Towns Improvement (Ireland) Act 1854 ( 17 & 18 Vict. c. 103) allowed electors of populous places to choose to establish town commissioners. This enabled many newer communities that had never had municipal status to gain local government bodies. Many of
385-414: The 1854 act, and for alteration of the areas of existing local government towns. The board issued annual reports on its activities, detailing the finances and condition of the various municipalities under its control. In 1878 Ireland was divided into sanitary districts , with all commissioners in towns with a population of more than 6000 becoming urban sanitary authorities . The Local Government Board had
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#1732772501137420-534: The Northern Ireland Assembly , and the list of acts and measures of Senedd Cymru ; see also the list of acts of the Parliament of Northern Ireland . The number shown after each act's title is its chapter number. Acts passed before 1963 are cited using this number, preceded by the year(s) of the reign during which the relevant parliamentary session was held; thus the Union with Ireland Act 1800
455-637: The Ordnance Maps, but they could not be ascertained with sufficient precision. In 1840 the majority of Irish boroughs were abolished by the Municipal Corporations (Ireland) Act 1840 , and the commissioners established by the 1828 act became the only local council. The town commissioners were recognised as successor to the borough, retaining corporate property and the municipal coat of arms . Any town with property of more than £100 that lost its borough corporation, but had not adopted
490-612: The Parliament of the United Kingdom are both cited as "41 Geo. 3". Acts passed from 1963 onwards are simply cited by calendar year and chapter number. All modern acts have a short title , e.g. the Local Government Act 2003. Some earlier acts also have a short title given to them by later acts, such as by the Short Titles Act 1896 . The second session of the 8th Parliament of the United Kingdom , which met from 29 January 1828 until 28 July 1828. This session
525-453: The act received royal assent , and the existing authorities were able to exercise their new powers from their first meeting after that date. The powers and responsibilities initially given to sanitary authorities in 1872 were relatively limited. They had to appoint a medical officer, but other powers were generally permissive rather than compulsory. Three years later the Public Health Act 1875 ( 38 & 39 Vict. c. 55) substantially broadened
560-412: The act: There were 14 towns with commissioners formed under such legislation: Only one town had established Municipal Commissioners following the 1840 Act : In addition to these 102 towns there were 11 boroughs, making 113 towns and cities with some form of local government on Ireland. For completeness, the boroughs were The Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 created a new type of local council,
595-411: The county council perform the functions previously performed by the separate town councils. 9 Geo. 4 This is a complete list of acts of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for the year 1828 . Note that the first parliament of the United Kingdom was held in 1801; parliaments between 1707 and 1800 were either parliaments of Great Britain or of Ireland ). For acts passed up until 1707, see
630-553: The county council; this happened only in County Cork , the largest county, which was split into three health districts. Sanitary districts were not formed in Scotland. By the Public Health (Scotland) Act 1867 ( 30 & 31 Vict. c. 101) public health duties were given to the town councils, commissioners or trustees of burghs , and to parochial boards . In 1890 the public health duties of parochial boards were allocated to
665-424: The existing poor law guardians for the rural parishes involved. The Local Government Act 1894 ( 56 & 57 Vict. c. 73) brought an end to sanitary districts in England and Wales. In boroughs, the corporation was already the sanitary authority. All other urban sanitary districts were renamed as urban districts , governed by an urban district council. Rural sanitary districts were replaced by rural districts , for
700-497: The first members and provided a procedure for subsequent elections. The majority of townships were formed in the rapidly growing suburbs of Dublin . To gain further powers or adjust their boundaries the township commissioners had to apply for a further act of parliament. In 1872 the Local Government Board of Ireland was formed. One of its duties was to consider applications for the formation of commissioners under
735-421: The first time with a directly elected council. It was a requirement that whenever possible a rural district should be within a single administrative county , which led to many districts being split into smaller areas along county lines. A few rural districts with parishes in two or three different counties persisted until the 1930s. The Local Government Act 1972 made district councils, London borough councils,
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#1732772501137770-416: The large towns had by local Acts got lighting and other matters under vestries in the parishes, and all those Acts were founded upon the idea of extending the vestry system to the management of towns; but the vestries never made the way in Ireland which they did in England, because there was no poor law. The basis of vestries being so popular in England, being on account of the poor law administration . There
805-465: The power to designate additional towns with commissioners as sanitary districts. There were 76 such towns in 1881: According to the 1878 report of The Local Government Board, the 1854 Act was adopted in Strandtown , County Antrim on 25 February 1878. However the town is not listed in later reports, and was subsequently incorporated into the borough of Belfast. Only 11 towns were still governed by
840-480: The rural district council: In the Irish Free State ( Ireland from 1937), town commissioners continued to exist until 2002. The 1854 Act was still occasionally used to create new local government towns. The Local Government Act 1925 enabled existing town commissioners to dissolve themselves and for urban district councils to downgrade themselves to commissioners. Where commissioners ceased to exist, in
875-554: The same act, could designate other towns with commissioners as urban sanitary districts. Rural sanitary districts were formed in the same way as those in England and Wales, from the poor law unions with the boards of guardians as the rural sanitary authorities. The urban and rural sanitary districts were superseded in 1899, under the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 , by urban and rural districts . Unlike rural sanitary districts, rural districts could not cross county boundaries: so for instance, Ballyshannon rural sanitary district
910-479: The same period numerous urban sanitary districts were absorbed into expanding boroughs. Rural sanitary districts were formed in all areas without a town government. They followed the boundaries of existing poor law unions , less the areas of urban sanitary districts. Any subsequent change in the area of the union also changed the sanitary district. At the time of abolition in 1894, there were 572 rural sanitary districts. The rural sanitary authority consisted of
945-518: The scope of powers and expectations on sanitary authorities. Urban sanitary districts were formed in any municipal borough governed under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835 , in any improvement commissioners district formed by private act of Parliament, and in any local government district formed under the Public Health Act 1848 ( 11 & 12 Vict. c. 63) or Local Government Act 1858 . The existing governing body of
980-518: The town (municipal corporation, improvement commissioners or local board of health) was designated as the urban sanitary authority . When sanitary districts were formed there were approximately 225 boroughs, 575 local government districts and 50 improvement commissioners districts designated as urban sanitary districts. Over the next nineteen years the number changed: more urban sanitary districts were formed as towns adopted legislation forming local boards and as additional boroughs were incorporated; over
1015-401: The towns governed by the 1828 act replaced this with the new legislation as it provided the commissioners with greater powers. A number of towns took a different route to establish local authorities in their areas, by having private acts passed in parliament. These acts established "townships" with defined boundaries, defined the powers of the commissioners, gave them powers to make rates, named
1050-469: The towns of Callan, Fethard, Newcastle West, Rathkeale, Roscommon and Tullow, their duties were taken over by the county council . However, the town still had a legal existence and separate rates were levied in its area, and the county council had to prepare accounts as commissioners for the town. For example, Newcastle West in County Limerick , whose commissioners were dissolved in 1941, received
1085-487: The urban district councils, who enjoyed considerable powers. Over the next few years the number varied as some towns became urban districts and other communities adopted the act of 1854. Following partition in 1922, four towns with commissioners situated in the six counties of Northern Ireland. The number was reduced to three in 1925 when Downpatrick became an urban district. The remaining town commissioners were dissolved in 1959 and 1962, their functions being transferred to
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1120-630: Was also traditionally cited as 9 G. 4 . Sanitary district Sanitary districts were established in England and Wales in 1872 and in Ireland in 1878. The districts were of two types, based on existing structures: Each district was governed by a sanitary authority and was responsible for various public health matters such as providing clean drinking water, sewers, street cleaning, and clearing slum housing. In England and Wales, both rural and urban sanitary districts were replaced in 1894 by
1155-526: Was no poor law in Ireland until 1838, and the vestries had no real basis to rest on; and in 1828 they were in a most unpopular position, because the agitation which overthrew them in 1833 by the extinction of what is called parish cess, the same as the church rates in England, was just at its height. 1828 was within five years of the total extinction of Irish church rates, so that they had become quite unpopular and unmanageable bodies. Whereas local acts appointing commissioners for particular places specified
1190-520: Was split into Ballyshannon No. 1, Ballyshannon No. 2 and Ballyshannon No. 3 rural districts in Counties Donegal, Fermanagh and Leitrim respectively. The Local Government Act 1925 abolished rural districts in the Irish Free State , creating a single rural sanitary district for the non-urban portion of each county, called the "county health district". The Local Government (Amendment) (No. 2) Act, 1934 allowed this district to be split on request of
1225-454: Was that the number of towns with commissioners was greatly reduced. Two towns still operating under the 1828 Act, Monaghan and Wicklow, were promoted to the 1854 Act by section 41 of the 1898 Act. By 1902, 74 urban districts had been formed, leaving only 30 towns still governed under the 1854 Act. These towns formed part of the surrounding rural district also created by the Local Government Act for nearly all local government purposes, compared with
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