Municipal borough
Municipal boroughs were a type of
local authority which existed in
England and
Wales between
1835 and
1974.
The municipal boroughs were created by the
Municipal Corporations Act 1835 and allowed the creation of an elected
town council, consisting of a
mayor,
aldermen and
councillors to oversee many local affairs.
Boroughs had existed in England and Wales since
mediæval times, as areas governed by a
municipal corporation, which were conferred by
Royal Charter. These corporations were usually self-selecting
oligarchies. The 1835 Act required all municipal corporations to be elected according to a standard franchise, based on property ownership. At the same time, a procedure was established whereby a town could
petition Parliament to be given borough status. The Act reformed 178 boroughs — others were left unreformed and either became irrelevant or were reformed later. Only the
Corporation of London survives as a local authority to today in an unreformed state.
In
1889, the
Local Government Act 1888 created
county councils across England and Wales. Boroughs were divided into two sorts, with some becoming
county boroughs which were entirely self-governing and independent from county council administration.
The non-county boroughs had more limited powers of self-government, and shared power with county councils. In
1894, towns which had not been incorporated as boroughs became
urban districts with similar powers to municipal boroughs.
The title of 'borough' was considered to be more dignified than 'urban district', and so many larger urban districts petitioned Parliament to be granted the status of a municipal borough, and many were granted this right. Borough status did not substantially increase local government powers, although municipal boroughs above a certain size had the right to run
primary education.
See also:
Boroughs incorporated in England and Wales 1835 - 1882,
Unreformed boroughs in England and Wales 1835 - 1886.
Seven municipal boroughs were abolished in the
1960s, and reconstituted as
rural boroughs and
civil parishes in
rural districts. These were
*
Bishops Castle, to
Clun and Bishop's Castle Rural District*
Bridgnorth, to
Bridgnorth Rural District*
Lostwithiel, to
St Austell Rural District*
Ludlow, to
Ludlow Rural District*
South Molton, to
South Moulton Rural District*
Oswestry, to
Oswestry Rural District*
Wenlock, to
Bridgnorth Rural District and others
All municipal boroughs (over 200 of them) were abolished in
1974 (by the
Local Government Act 1972) and many were merged with surrounding
rural districts to form the present pattern of
local government districts. Many present districts which included former municipal boroughs have retained the title of 'borough' from their predecessors. Some small municipal boroughs became
civil parishes with Town Councils, others continued as
Charter Trustees towns.
*
List of rural and urban districts in England*
List of rural and urban districts in Wales*
urban district*
rural district*
county borough*
parliamentary borough
