[Report 1925] / Medical Officer of Health, Middlesex County Council.

  • Middlesex (England). County Council. n 99020326.
Date:
1925
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1925] / Medical Officer of Health, Middlesex County Council. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    and the creation of a new Central Authority, having ad¬ ministrative powers over a wide area, comprising the Counties of London and Middlesex, the County Boroughs of Bast and West Ham and Croydon, certain portions of the Counties of Hertfordshire, Essex, Kent and Surrey, and the City of London. The report of the Royal Commission, issued in 1923, definitely negatived the proposal for the formation of this large central authority, and thus the identity and autonomy of the County of Middlesex were preserved. At the same time the close attention which the County Council devoted to the subject of the existing state of public health administration in the County, in connection with the preparation of evidence to be tendered to the Commission, resulted in the conclusion being reached that the suitable combination of smaller sanitary districts, so as to create areas of such a size as to justify the appoint¬ ment of whole-time officers, should lead to an increase in efficiency. In June, 1923, stimulated by the findings of the Royal Commission, further progress was made by the appointment of a Special Committee of the County Council to consider what changes, if any, were desirable for the better govern¬ ance of the County. This Committee is still in existence, and continuing its operations. One of the first activities of the Committee was to ascertain from the district councils whether, in their opinion, amalgamation of any local government areas was desirable, with a view to offering the assistance of the County Council towards arrival at an agreed scheme of amal¬ gamation, if this were in accordance with local wishes. Con¬ ferences between local councils and the County Committee have been held, and the whole subject of amalgamation still is under active consideration in various parts of the County. In 1924, a local inquiry was held by the County Council into a proposal to create a large urban district centred around the present Urban District of Uxbridge. After careful and prolonged hearing the County Council made an order for the suggested amalgamation, but, owing to local opposition, the Ministry of Health was unable to confirm