A rural district was a type of local government area – now superseded – established at the end of the 19th century in England , Wales , and Ireland for the administration of predominantly rural areas at a level lower than that of the administrative counties .
22-627: 53°52′59″N 1°15′50″W / 53.883°N 1.264°W / 53.883; -1.264 Tadcaster Rural District was a rural district in the West Riding of Yorkshire from 1894 to 1974. It was named after Tadcaster . It was created by the Local Government Act 1894 ( 56 & 57 Vict. c. 73) from the Tadcaster rural sanitary district . It was enlarged in 1937 by the abolition of Bishopthorpe Rural District . It
44-405: A rural district was a doughnut-shaped ring around a town (which would be either an urban district or a municipal borough ). A good example of this is Melton and Belvoir Rural District , which surrounded the town of Melton Mowbray . Some rural districts were fragmented, consisting of a number of detached parts , such as Wigan Rural District . Some rural districts had a more rounded shape and had
66-518: A single site, proposing a new municipal building and public hall at Oakmere House, but that scheme did not proceed either. Potters Bar Urban District was abolished under the Local Government Act 1972 , merging with Elstree Rural District , Bushey Urban District and part of Watford Rural District to form the district of Hertsmere with effect from 1 April 1974. Hertsmere Borough Council chose to build its main offices in Borehamwood , and
88-542: A small town or village as the administrative centre. A few rural districts consisted of only one parish (for example, Tintwistle Rural District , Alston with Garrigill Rural District , South Mimms Rural District , King's Lynn Rural District , Disley Rural District and Crowland Rural District ). In such districts there was no separate parish council, and the rural district council exercised its functions. All rural districts in England and Wales were abolished in 1974 (by
110-506: The Barnet Poor Law Union , which had been created in 1835. In 1872, rural sanitary districts were created, with the boards of guardians of poor law unions being made responsible for public health and local government for the rural parts of their districts. Under the Local Government Act 1894 , rural sanitary districts became rural districts from 28 December 1894, and were split where they straddled county boundaries, as
132-742: The Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 . They were subdivided into district electoral divisions . In 1921, Ireland was partitioned with Northern Ireland remaining within the United Kingdom, and the rest of the country leaving as the Irish Free State in 1922. In the Irish Free State, rural districts outside of County Dublin were abolished in 1925 under the Local Government Act 1925 amid widespread accusations of corruption . Their functions were transferred to
154-513: The Local Government Act 1894 ( 56 & 57 Vict. c. 73) along with urban districts . They replaced the earlier system of sanitary districts (themselves based on poor law unions , but not replacing them). Each rural district had an elected rural district council (RDC), which inherited the functions of the earlier sanitary districts, but also had wider authority over matters such as local planning, council housing , and playgrounds and cemeteries. Matters such as education and major roads were
176-574: The Local Government Act 1972 ) and were typically merged with nearby urban districts or boroughs to form " districts ", which included both urban and rural areas. See Rural districts formed in England and Wales 1894–1974 for the districts created in 1894; List of rural and urban districts in England , and List of rural and urban districts in Wales for a list of rural districts at abolition in 1974. Rural districts were created in Ireland in 1899 under
198-703: The Barnet Rural Sanitary District did. South Mimms Rural District was therefore created from those parts of the Barnet Rural Sanitary District which were within Middlesex, whilst the remainder of the Barnet Rural Sanitary District was in Hertfordshire, and became the Barnet Rural District . South Mimms Rural District contained the single parish of South Mimms. As a rural district which contained only one parish, there
220-528: The chairman of the old Barnet Rural Sanitary Authority. Until 1932 the council continued to meet in Barnet rather than in the district itself, meeting either at the workhouse or at 93 High Street, Barnet, which was the solicitor's office where the council's clerk was based. In 1932 the council moved to a house called Tancreed on Darkes Lane in Potters Bar, but would only be based there for three years. In 1935
242-501: The council purchased the neighbouring Osborne Nursery site, and converted the existing house there to become the council's offices and council chamber, holding its first meeting there in July 1935. The council quickly outgrew the space at the former Osborne Nursery building on Darkes Lane, and in 1937 it purchased both Wyllyotts Manor , at the other end of Darkes Lane, and Oakmere House on High Street. The Osborne Nursery building remained
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#1732781042364264-480: The council's main office and meeting place, but Wyllyotts Manor and Oakmere House were used to provide extra office accommodation. In 1939 a new Potters Bar and District Hospital was built on Mutton Lane, and the council proposed building a new civic centre alongside it, but the scheme was abandoned due to the outbreak of the Second World War . In 1963 the council tried again to consolidate its functions onto
286-550: The county councils The remaining rural districts in County Dublin were similarly abolished in 1930 by the Local Government (Dublin) Act 1930 . The former boundaries of the rural districts in the Republic of Ireland continue to be used for statistical purposes and defining constituencies. In Northern Ireland, rural districts continued to exist until 1973 when they were abolished (along with all other local government of
308-463: The following decades led to some rural districts being redefined as urban districts or merging with existing urban districts or boroughs. Other rural districts proved to be too small or poor to be viable, and under the Local Government Act 1929 , 236 rural districts were abolished and merged or amalgamated into larger units. Further mergers took place over following decades and by 1965 the number of districts had been reduced to 473. The typical shape of
330-486: The former South Mimms parish in Barnet became a new parish called South Mimms Urban , whilst the part of South Mimms within East Barnet Valley was added to the parish of Monken Hadley . The reduced South Mimms parish assumed its new boundaries with effect from the first parish meeting on 4 December 1894, ahead of the new rural district's creation on 28 December 1894. The South Mimms parish and rural district
352-711: The old pattern) and replaced with a system of unitary districts . Rural districts also existed in the Canadian province of Newfoundland to govern certain rural communities. Under Newfoundland's Local Government Act , rural districts and towns together formed the province's municipalities. Under the Municipalities Act , effective April 1, 1980, rural districts where abolished and automatically turned into towns. South Mimms Rural District 51°41′N 0°12′W / 51.683°N 0.200°W / 51.683; -0.200 Potters Bar Urban District
374-410: The responsibility of county councils . Until 1930 the rural district councillors were also poor law guardians for the unions of which they formed part. Each parish was represented by one or more councillors. Originally there were 787 rural districts in England and Wales, as they were based directly upon the sanitary districts and poor law unions which had preceded them. Gradual urbanisation over
396-547: Was a local government district in England from 1894 to 1974, covering the town of Potters Bar and the village of South Mimms . The district was initially called the South Mimms Rural District , being renamed in 1934. Potters Bar Urban District was transferred from Middlesex to Hertfordshire in 1965, and abolished in 1974 to become part of Hertsmere . South Mimms Rural District had its origins in
418-641: Was abolished and most of its former area was transferred to Greater London under the London Government Act 1963 , the Potters Bar Urban District was instead transferred to Hertfordshire . South Mimms Rural District Council held its first meeting on 3 January 1895 at the Barnet Union Workhouse at 17 Wellhouse Lane in Barnet, when John Osmond was appointed the council's first chairman. He had previously been
440-759: Was abolished in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972 . The parishes of Aberford , Austhorpe , Barwick in Elmet and Scholes , Great and Little Preston , Ledsham , Ledston , Lotherton cum Aberford , Micklefield , Parlington , Sturton Grange and Swillington became part of the Metropolitan District of Leeds in West Yorkshire , with the rest going to the district of Selby in North Yorkshire . Rural district In England and Wales rural districts were created in 1894 by
462-631: Was affected by further boundary changes in 1896, 1924 and 1926. On 1 April 1934 the South Mimms Rural District was reconstituted as an urban district and renamed Potters Bar Urban District, covering the same area. The district was part of the review area of the Royal Commission on Local Government in Greater London , however it did not form part of the proposed Greater London area. In 1965, when Middlesex
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#1732781042364484-491: Was no separate parish council established for South Mimms; the South Mimms Rural District Council performed the duties that would otherwise have been a parish council's responsibility. The parish of South Mimms had been reduced in size shortly before the new rural district came into being, as parts of the old parish were within the urban districts of Barnet and East Barnet Valley . The part of
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