Local Government Act 1972

The Local Government Act 1972 was an act passed by the 1970-74 government of Edward Heath that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974. (1)

In England, the act reduced the total number of councils from 1,245 to 412 (excluding parish councils), Its pattern of two-tier metropolitan and non-metropolitan county and district councils remains in use today in large parts of England, although the metropolitan county councils were abolished in 1986, and both county and district councils have been replaced with unitary authorities in many areas since the 1990s. (2)

The background to the act in England

Elected county councils had been established in England and Wales for the first time in 1888, covering areas known as administrative counties. Some large towns, known as county boroughs, were politically independent from the counties in which they were physically situated. The county areas were two-tier, with many municipal boroughs, urban districts and rural districts within them, each with its own council.

Apart from the creation of new county boroughs, the most significant change since 1899 had been the establishment in 1965 of Greater London and its 32 London boroughs, covering a much larger area than the previous county of London. A Local Government Commission for England was set up in 1958 to review local government arrangements throughout the country.

It was generally agreed that there were significant problems with the structure of local government. Despite mergers, there was still a proliferation of small district councils in rural areas, and in the major conurbations the borders had been set before the pattern of urban development had become clear. Many county boundaries reflected traditions of the Middle Ages or even earlier; industrialisation had created new and very large urban areas like the West Midlands, Liverpool and Manchester which spanned traditional county boundaries and were now often bigger than and far from their traditional county towns. (3)

White Paper

The government's proposals for England were presented in a White Paper published in February 1971. The White Paper substantially trimmed the metropolitan areas, and proposed a two-tier structure for the rest of the country. The proposals were in large part based on ideas of the County Councils Association, the Urban District Councils Association and the Rural District Councils Association. (4)

The Local Government act introduced 'agency', where one local authority (usually a district) could act as an agent for another authority. For example, since road maintenance was split depending upon the type of road, both types of council had to retain engineering departments. A county council could delegate its road maintenance to the district council if it was confident that the district was competent. Some powers were specifically excluded from agency, such as education.

The act abolished various historic relics such as aldermen. The office previously known as sheriff was renamed high sheriff. Many existing boroughs that were too small to constitute a district, but too large to constitute a civil parish, were given charter trustees.

Following the publication of the White Paper, a bill was introduced to Parliament in November 1971 which passed through to legislation during 1972. In the area that was to become Trafford, a Steering Committee was formed made up of representatives of the districts affected, to tackle all the issues that needed to be considered, including proposals for a name for District 12G. It held its inaugural meeting at Bowdon on 14 April 1971.(5)

A Shadow Management Team for the new district was established in October 1972, prior to senior leadership appointments being made.(6)  

Election to the new councils took place in 1973 with “shadow authorities” being established, before taking over full legal responsibilities at midnight on 1 April 1974.

The system established by the act was gradually changed. In England, the county councils of the metropolitan counties, as well as the Greater London Council, were abolished in 1986 by Margaret Thatcher's government with the Local Government Act 1985, effectively re-establishing county borough status for the metropolitan boroughs. Second, a review of local government outside the metropolitan counties was announced in 1989.(7) The local government reform in the 1990s led to the creation of many new unitary authorities, and the complete abolition of others. Additionally, another wave of unitary authorities was formed in 2009.

Changes in our area

The county of Greater Manchester was created on 1 April 1974 from parts of north-west Cheshire, south-east Lancashire, and a small part of the West Riding of Yorkshire (Saddleworth). It comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford and Wigan, whose councils collaborate through Greater Manchester Combined Authority.

Trafford

The new metropolitan borough of Trafford consists of Altrincham, Bowdon, Carrington, Dunham Massey, Hale, Old Trafford, Partington, Sale, Stretford, Urmston and Warburton. Stretford and Urmston were previously part of the administrative county of Lancashire, while the other areas belonged to Cheshire, with Carrington, Dunham Massey, Partington and Warburton part of Bucklow Rural District (also Cheshire). The new district was awarded borough status from its creation, allowing the chairman of the council to take the title of mayor. The first mayor and deputy mayor of Trafford were Councillors Warbrick and Carnall.(8)

A new coat of arms was produced to reflect the history and geography of Trafford’s component parts. On the shield, a griffin used on the de Trafford arms is completed at the bottom by the white lion of the Masseys from the south of the borough. A wavy line runs through the griffin/lion figure, symbolizing the rivers and canal running through Trafford. Lightning bolts at the top of the arms, crossed into a Roman X, represent the electrical industry and suggest the ten communities of Greater Manchester A gold cogwheel refers to engineering industries and branches of oak are a nod to the wooded and rural areas of Trafford. The shield is supported by two unicorns, one from the crest of the Earls Grey of Stamford and the other from the crest of the Carringtons, referring to family lands in Sale and Carrington.(9)

The postcodes system established between 1971-74 was unchanged by the re-organisation. Altrincham and surrounding areas came under the Warrington post town area and used WA postcodes.  Following the Local Government Act, Warrington moved from Lancashire to Cheshire, therefore, although the Cheshire element was not a necessary part of the address, it can be used. Other areas of Trafford kept their historic M for Manchester codes.

Interestingly, another effect of the Act was to take Lancashire Cricket Club out of Lancashire. Manchester Cricket Club had been founded in 1816 and moved to Old Trafford (then in Lancashire) in 1857. In 1864, the Manchester club joined teams from other Lancashire towns to form Lancashire Cricket Club and since then the Old Trafford Cricket Ground on Warwick Road, now known as Old Trafford Emirates, has been the home of the club. Manchester City FC fans are quick to point out that the home ground of Manchester United is in Trafford, not Manchester; similarly the Manchester Storm ice hockey team has its home in Trafford, at the Altrincham Ice Dome. Conversely, rugby union side Sale Sharks now play at the AJ Bell Stadium in Salford, although their former home ground at Heywood Road in Sale is still used for training. 

Article by Trafford Local Studies volunteer Sue Arcangeli.

References

1. Long Shadows: 50 Years of the Local Government Act 1972, Mark Sandford, House of Commons Library
2. Local Government Act 1972. 1972 c.70. The Stationery Office Ltd. 1997. ISBN0-10-547072-4.
3. Bryne, T. (1994). Local Government in Britain
4. Stretford and Urmston Journal, 14 Apr 1971, p.5.
5. Local Government Reorganisation, Trafford Local Studies, TRA/1/6/5.
6. Wood, Bruce. Process of Local Government Reform: 1966–1974. 1976
7. County review ordered". The Times. 18 March 1989
8. Stretford and Urmston Journal, 1971-4
9. Trafford Coat of Arms, Trafford Council, trafford.gov.uk