View source for Local Government Commission for England (1958–1967)

{{for|the 1992 body|Local Government Commission for England (1992)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2023}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2023}}
The '''Local Government Commission for England''' was established by the [[Local Government Act 1958]] to review the organisation of local government, and make ''"such proposals as are hereinafter authorised for effecting changes appearing to the Commissions desirable in the interests of effective and convenient local government"''. Most of the commission's proposals failed to reach consensus and were not implemented, and the body was dissolved in 1967.

==Membership==
The initial members of the commission were appointed by warrant dated 31 October 1958.<ref>''London Gazette'', issue no.41540, 4 November 1958</ref> The chairman was Sir Henry Drummond Hancock and the deputy chairman was Michael Edward Rowe. The other members of the commission were Ruth Burton Buckley, Bernard Donald Storey and Ernest William Woodhead. They were joined on 14 January 1959 by Professor Ely Devons and on 15 July 1959 by Robert Hughes Parry.<ref>''London Gazette'', issue no.41611, 20 January 1959</ref><ref>''London Gazette'', issue no.41771, 21 July 1959</ref> On the death of Woodhead, Leslie Robert Missen was made a member.<ref>''London Gazette'', issue no.42620, 13 March 1962</ref> The last member to be appointed was Professor Bryan Keith-Lucas on 24 June 1965.<ref>''London Gazette'', issue no.43702, 2 July 1965</ref>

==The Review process==
The Commission carried out reviews of two types of areas: five Special Review Areas, covering the major conurbations outside London, and seven General Review Areas, covering regions comprising a number of [[administrative county|administrative counties]] and [[county borough]]s. The commission's remit did not extend to the [[Local Government Act 1958#Metropolitan area|Metropolitan Area]] which was under review by the [[Royal Commission on Local Government in Greater London]].

{| class="wikitable"
! Review Area
! Review Commenced
! Draft Proposals
! Report presented
|-
|West Midlands SRA
|3 April 1959
|4 April 1960
|31 July 1961†
|-
|East Midlands GRA
|9 March 1959
|4 April 1960
|31 July 1961
|-
|West Midlands GRA
|9 March 1959
|4 April 1960
|31 July 1961
|-
|South Western GRA
|1 December 1959
|7 July 1961
|5 February 1963
|-
|North Eastern GRA
|15 December 1959
|13 April 1962
|22 November 1963
|-
|Tyneside SRA
|16 January 1960
|16 February 1962
|16 July 1963‡
|-
|York and North Midlands GRA
|25 April 1960
|7 September 1962
|26 May 1964
|-
|West Yorkshire SRA
|25 April 1960
|20 July 1962
|13 March 1964
|-
|Lincolnshire and East Anglia GRA
|1 August 1961
|17 May 1963
|7 May 1965
|-
|Merseyside SRA
|29 October 1962
|17 December 1965
|Not presented
|-
|South East Lancashire SRA
|29 October 1962
|17 December 1965
|Not presented
|-
|North Western GRA
|29 October 1962
|29 October 1965
|Not presented
|-
|Southern GRA
|17 May 1965
|Not presented
|Not presented
|}

† An enquiry into the Commission recommendations was ordered to be held, commencing on 18 October 1961.

‡ An enquiry into the Commission recommendations was ordered to be held, commencing on 23 March 1964.

The North-Western GRA consisted of the administrative counties of [[Cheshire]], [[Lancashire]], [[Cumberland]] and [[Westmorland]] (except those areas in the Merseyside and South East Lancashire SRAs), and the [[county borough]]s of [[County Borough of Barrow-in-Furness|Barrow-in-Furness]], [[County Borough of Blackburn|Blackburn]], [[County Borough of Blackpool|Blackpool]], [[County Borough of Burnley|Burnley]], [[County Borough of Carlisle|Carlisle]], [[County Borough of Chester|Chester]], [[County Borough of Preston|Preston]], [[County Borough of St Helens|St. Helens]], [[County Borough of Southport|Southport]], [[County Borough of Warrington|Warrington]] and [[County Borough of Wigan|Wigan]].<ref>''London Gazette''. 22 June 1965</ref>

The Southern GRA consisted of the administrative counties of [[Berkshire]], [[Buckinghamshire]], [[Dorset]], [[Hampshire]], [[Isle of Wight]], [[Oxfordshire]] and [[Wiltshire]], along with the county boroughs of [[County Borough of Bournemouth|Bournemouth]], [[County Borough of Oxford|Oxford]], [[County Borough of Portsmouth|Portsmouth]], [[County Borough of Reading|Reading]] and [[County Borough of Southampton|Southampton]].<ref>''London Gazette'', 2 March 1965</ref>

No reviews were commenced for the administrative counties of [[Essex]], [[Hertfordshire]], [[Kent]], [[Surrey]], [[East Sussex|East]] or [[West Sussex]], or in the county boroughs of [[County Borough of Brighton|Brighton]], [[County Borough of Canterbury|Canterbury]], [[County Borough of Eastbourne|Eastbourne]], [[County Borough of Hastings|Hastings]] or [[County Borough of Southend-on-Sea|Southend-on-Sea]]. Parts of Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent and Surrey (including the county boroughs of [[County Borough of East Ham|East Ham]], [[County Borough of West Ham|West Ham]] and [[County Borough of Croydon|Croydon]]) were included in the [[Local Government Act 1958#Metropolitan area|Metropolitan Area]].

=== Dissolution ===
On 10 February 1966, the Prime Minister, [[Harold Wilson]] announced in the Commons the appointment of a [[Redcliffe-Maud Report|Royal Commission]] chaired by [[Lord Redcliffe-Maud]], to review the structure of local government in England more radically.<ref>"Radical Review of Local Government".  ''The Times''. 11 February 1966.</ref>

The reviews were formally brought to an end in 1967 by the [[Local Government Act 1958#End of the review process|Local Government (Termination of Reviews) Act 1967]], which dissolved the commission.  Most outstanding recommendations were abandoned by the government.<ref>"Halt to local reorganization".  ''The Times''.  4 May 1967.</ref><ref name="Times1266">"How Local government Areas Stand Today", ''The Times'', 12 February 1966</ref>

==The Commission's recommendations==
The commission's reports made a number of recommendations for the completed reviews. Only some of these were carried into effect.

===West Midlands Special Review Area (Report No.1)===
The special review area had been defined in Schedule 3 of the [[Local Government Act 1958]]. It comprised the [[West Midlands conurbation|conurbation]] of Birmingham and the [[Black Country]], and included six county boroughs, four non-county boroughs and ten urban districts in the administrative county of [[Staffordshire]], three boroughs in [[Worcestershire]] and two boroughs and two rural parishes in Warwickshire.

The commission recommended the creation of five enlarged county boroughs in the Black Country, based on the existing county boroughs of [[Dudley]], [[Smethwick]], [[Walsall]], [[West Bromwich]] and [[Wolverhampton]].  [[Solihull]] was also to be constituted a county borough, while [[Aldridge]] and [[Brownhills]] urban districts were to merge to form [[Aldridge-Brownhills Urban District|Aldridge-Brownhills]] and a new non-county borough was to be formed from the borough of Stourbridge and the urban district of Amblecote.  Draft proposals had [[Halesowen]] becoming part of the Smethwick borough.<ref>"Mergers of Midland Counties Proposed".  ''The Times''.  2 March 1960.</ref>

The recommendations were largely implemented in 1966, with Solihull becoming a county borough in 1964. The enlarged county borough based on Smethwick was named [[County Borough of Warley|Warley]].

===West Midlands General Review Area (Report No.2)===
The area consisted of the administrative counties of [[Herefordshire]], Salop (or [[Shropshire]]), [[Warwickshire]], [[Staffordshire]] and [[Worcestershire]] (except the parts included in the West Midlands SRA), and the county boroughs of [[Burton upon Trent]], [[Coventry]], [[Stoke-on-Trent]] and [[Worcester, England|Worcester]].
<ref>Local government Commission for England: Report. number 2. West Midlands general review area at BOPCRIS website {{cite web |url=http://www.bopcris.ac.uk/bopall/ref9918.html |title=Local government Commission for England: Report. Number 2. West Midlands general review area |accessdate=14 August 2006 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060927075020/http://www.bopcris.ac.uk/bopall/ref9918.html |archivedate=27 September 2006 }}</ref>

The main changes implemented in the area were the realignment of the Staffordshire/Warwickshire county boundary in the Tamworth area, with the abolition of the [[Tamworth Rural District]] and extension of the borough of [[Tamworth, Staffordshire|Tamworth]] in 1965; the inclusion of a number of small urban districts and boroughs (which became rural boroughs) in rural districts in Shropshire in 1967; and the abolition of two small urban districts in Herefordshire in 1968.

The proposals to make [[Burton upon Trent]] and [[Worcester, England|Worcester]] into non-county boroughs were not implemented : Burton had brought a court case challenging the action.<ref name=Times1266 />

===East Midlands General Review Area (Report No.3)===
The area consisted of the administrative counties of [[Bedfordshire]], [[Cambridgeshire]], [[Isle of Ely]], [[Leicestershire]], [[Northamptonshire]], [[Rutland]] and the [[Soke of Peterborough]]; and the county boroughs of [[Leicester]] and [[Northampton]].

The review area included some of the smallest (in both area and population) administrative counties in England.<ref>"Outcry Grows Over Midland Counties", ''The Times'', 8 March 1960.</ref> Draft proposals were quite radical, as follows
*[[Cambridgeshire]], [[Isle of Ely]], [[Huntingdonshire]] and the [[Soke of Peterborough]] to unite and form a new county of Cambridgeshire
*to this would also be added the [[Ketton Rural District]] from Rutland, [[Stamford, Lincolnshire|Stamford]] from Kesteven in Lincolnshire, and [[Royston, Hertfordshire|Royston]] in Hertfordshire
*the remainder of Rutland - the [[Oakham Rural District]], [[Uppingham Rural District]] and [[Oakham]] urban district - would be added to [[Leicestershire]]
*[[Cambridge]] would become a county borough

These proposals were greatly controversial (especially in Rutland, which put forth a counter-suggestions to add surrounding areas to Rutland instead from surrounding counties) and the final proposals were watered down somewhat<ref>"New amalgamations proposed for small counties". ''The Times.'' 2 August 1961.</ref>

*merger of [[Huntingdonshire]] and the [[Soke of Peterborough]] to form [[Huntingdon and Peterborough]], to which would be joined [[Thorney Rural District]] from the Isle of Ely
*merger of [[Cambridgeshire]] and [[Isle of Ely]] to form [[Cambridgeshire and Isle of Ely]] (including Royston)
*the merger of [[Leicestershire]] and [[Rutland]], which was to form a single [[rural district]] in a "county of Leicester and Rutland"

Extension of the two county boroughs of Leicester and Northampton was also recommended, and that the existing borough of Luton in Bedfordshire be constituted a county borough, but declined to recommend that Dunstable should be added to Luton.<ref>Local Government Commission for England: report and proposals for the East Midlands general review area (report number 3) at BOPCRIS website {{cite web |url=http://www.bopcris.ac.uk/bopall/ref9920.html |title=Local Government Commission for England: Report and proposals for the East Midlands general review area (Report number 3) |accessdate=14 August 2006 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060927052620/http://www.bopcris.ac.uk/bopall/ref9920.html |archivedate=27 September 2006 }}</ref>

The proposal to merge Leicestershire and Rutland remained controversial, and an inquiry into objections made to this part of the report was held between 17 and 26 July 1962.  Objections were voiced by Rutland County Council, a number of district and parish councils in that county as well as local individuals and organisations.<ref>"Report of the inquiry into objections to the proposal to amalgamate Leicestershire and Rutland, and to the recommendations that the present county of Rutland (subject to minor boundary adjustment) should form a single rural district'" at BOPCRIS website {{cite web |url=http://www.bopcris.ac.uk/bopall/ref9920.html |title=Local Government Commission for England: Report and proposals for the East Midlands general review area (Report number 3) |accessdate=2006-08-14 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060927052620/http://www.bopcris.ac.uk/bopall/ref9920.html |archivedate=2006-09-27 }}</ref>  In August 1963 it was announced that the merger would not go ahead.<ref>"New Amalgamations Proposed For Small Counties", ''The Times'', 6 August 1961.</ref>

The other two mergers of administrative counties did take place, with the creation of new administrative counties of [[Huntingdon and Peterborough]] and [[Cambridgeshire and Isle of Ely]] (excluding Royston) in 1965.  A larger non-metropolitan county of Cambridgeshire, covering all four administrative counties, would be formed in 1974.

Luton became a county borough in 1964, and the extensions to Northampton and Leicester were made in 1966 and 1967 respectively.<ref name=Times1266 />

===South Western General Review Area (Report No.4)===
The area consisted of the administrative counties of [[Cornwall]], [[Devon]], [[Gloucestershire]] and [[Somerset]]; the [[Isles of Scilly]]; and the county boroughs of [[Bath, Somerset|Bath]], [[Bristol]], [[Exeter]], [[Gloucester]] and [[Plymouth]].

The commission's proposals included the creation of two new county boroughs: one based on the existing borough of [[Cheltenham]] in Gloucestershire (also including [[Charlton Kings]] urban district), the other to be formed from the areas of the borough of [[Torquay]], the urban districts of [[Brixham]] and [[Paignton]], and parts of [[Newton Abbot Rural District|Newton Abbot]] and [[Totnes Rural District|Totnes]] rural districts in Devon. Extensions were also recommended for the existing county boroughs of Bristol, Gloucester, Bath and Exeter, and alterations were proposed for the Gloucestershire/Somerset Devon/Cornwall county boundaries.<ref>Local Government Commission for England: report and proposals for the South Western general review area (report number 4) at BOPCRIS website {{cite web |url=http://www.bopcris.ac.uk/bopall/ref9922.html |title=Local Government Commission for England: Report and proposals for the South Western general review area (Report number 4) |accessdate=14 August 2006 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060927053117/http://www.bopcris.ac.uk/bopall/ref9922.html |archivedate=27 September 2006 }}</ref> The draft proposals had not recommended the creation of these county boroughs.

Of the two proposed county boroughs, only the Devon one was formed, as [[Torbay]], in 1967. None of the extensions of existing county boroughs was made, and no alteration in the boundary between Gloucestershire and Somerset was made. The county boundary between Devon and Cornwall was realigned by the abolition of [[Broadwoodwidger Rural District]] in 1966.

A number of small urban districts and boroughs were merged into rural districts in Devon in 1967 and Cornwall in 1968, under reviews made by the two county councils.

The final proposals also proposed transferring [[Lyme Regis]] from Dorset to Devon (with the backing of the local council which made a "unanimous decision" to seek the transfer).  Ambitions of Wiltshire on [[Frome]] and Dorset on [[Yeovil]] were rejected.<ref>"Somerset Unlikely to Lose Towns". ''The Times''. 5 July 1961</ref><ref>Letter to the Editor, by Ralph Oliver, Mayor of Lyme Regis, 27 December 1961</ref><ref>"County borough status advised for Cheltenham and Torbay". ''The Times''. 3 February 1963</ref>

The proposal for a Cheltenham county borough was rejected in October 1965.<ref name=Times1266 />

===Tyneside Special Review Area (Report No.5)===
The Tyneside SRA had been defined in the 1958 Act, and consisted of the [[Tyneside]] conurbation.

The commission recommended in 1963 the creation of a new County of Tyneside, divided into four boroughs. There was to be a redistribution of services between the county and borough tiers.<ref>Local Government Commission for England: report and proposals for the Tyneside special review area (report number 5) at BOPCRIS website {{cite web |url=http://www.bopcris.ac.uk/bopall/ref9924.html |title=Local Government Commission for England: Report and proposals for the Tyneside special review area (Report number 5) |accessdate=14 August 2006 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060927053040/http://www.bopcris.ac.uk/bopall/ref9924.html |archivedate=27 September 2006 }}</ref><ref>"Tyneside Hearing Opens". ''The Times''. 25 July 1962.</ref>  The final proposal was published on 16 July 1963, and proposed a Tyneside county roughly as follows :-<ref>"Tyne Plan "Already Obsolete". ''The Times''. 17 July 1963</ref>
*[[Newcastle upon Tyne]], [[Gosforth]], [[Newburn]], part of [[Castle Ward Rural District]]
*[[Tynemouth]], [[Wallsend]], [[Whitley Bay]], part of [[Longbenton]]
*[[Gateshead]], [[Felling (UK)|Felling]], [[Whickham]], [[Blaydon]], [[Ryton, Tyne and Wear|Ryton]]
*[[South Shields]], [[Jarrow]], [[Hebburn]], [[Boldon]]

Following a number of objections, an inquiry was held into the proposals in 1964.  Newcastle City Council wanted a single [[county borough]], whilst the other county borough councils wished to see an area of contiguous county boroughs.<ref>"Tyneside Boundary Decision Soon". ''The Times''. 12 October 1965.</ref> The decision was put to the Minister in late 1965.

On 14 December 1965, the Minister, [[Richard Crossman]], proposed a large single [[county borough]] of Tyneside, which would have had a population of 900,000, making it the second largest in England after [[Birmingham]].<ref>"More Groups of Towns".  ''The Times''. 15 December 1965.</ref>  He wrote to authorities asking for comments ahead of a public inquiry in March.<ref>"Minister wants all-purpose borough for Tyneside".  ''The Times''. 15 December 1965</ref>

On 3 March 1966, the [[Minister for Housing and Local Government]], being ''"of the opinion that the proposals of the Commission&nbsp;... are not apt for the purpose of securing effective and local government in the area"'' formally rejected the commission's scheme, and substituted his own proposal.<ref>''London Gazette'', 8 March 1966</ref>

The county borough was not formed, and local government in the area remained unchanged until the Local Government Act 1972 included Tyneside in the [[metropolitan county]] of [[Tyne and Wear]], along with [[Sunderland, Tyne and Wear|Sunderland]] from [[Wearside]].

===North Eastern General Review Area (Report No.6)===
The area consisted of the administrative county of [[North Riding of Yorkshire]] and those parts of the counties of [[County Durham|Durham]] and [[Northumberland]] not part of the Tyneside special review area; and the county boroughs of [[Darlington]], [[Middlesbrough]], [[Sunderland, Tyne and Wear|Sunderland]] and [[West Hartlepool]].

The commission's proposals included the creation of  a new [[County Borough of Teesside]] including Middlesbrough and other adjacent boroughs and urban districts, the merger of the county borough of West Hartlepool with the non-county borough of [[Hartlepool]] and part of [[Stockton Rural District]], and the extension of the areas of Sunderland and Darlington county boroughs.<ref>Local Government Commission for England: report and proposals for the North Eastern general review area (report number 6) at BOPCRIS website {{cite web |url=http://www.bopcris.ac.uk/bopall/ref9926.html |title=Local Government Commission for England: Report and proposals for the North Eastern general review area (Report number 6) |accessdate=14 August 2006 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060927074333/http://www.bopcris.ac.uk/bopall/ref9926.html |archivedate=27 September 2006 }}</ref>

The proposals were carried out in 1967.

===West Yorkshire Special Review Area (Report No.7)===
The West Yorkshire SRA had been defined in the 1958 Act, covering the western industrialised part of the [[West Riding of Yorkshire]].  The commission proposed the enlargement of the county boroughs of [[Bradford]] and [[Leeds]], the amalgamation of a number of county districts to form three new districts, and the creation of a new non-county borough.<ref>Local Government Commission for England: report and proposals for the West Yorkshire special review area (report number 7) at BOPCRIS website {{cite web |url=http://www.bopcris.ac.uk/bopall/ref9928.html |title=Local Government Commission for England: Report and proposals for the West Yorkshire special review area (Report number 7) |accessdate=14 August 2006 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060927053911/http://www.bopcris.ac.uk/bopall/ref9928.html |archivedate=27 September 2006 }}</ref><ref>"Heavy Woollen Area Plan", ''The Times'', 19 July 1962</ref><ref>"Wakefield angered by plan to lower status" ''The Times'', 12 March 1964</ref>
*Bradford county borough was to absorb part of [[Queensbury and Shelf]] urban district, but was to lose the Tong area
*Halifax county borough was to take in part of [[Sowerby Bridge]] urban district
*Leeds and Huddersfield county boroughs were to remain unchanged
*The county borough of [[Dewsbury]] was to be enlarged (and possibly renamed) to include the [[municipal borough]]s of [[Batley]] and [[Ossett]], most of [[Spenborough]] borough and [[Heckmondwike]] and [[Mirfield]] urban districts
*A new non-county borough was to form by the merger of the county borough of [[Wakefield]], [[Horbury]] urban district and most of [[Stanley, West Yorkshire|Stanley]] urban district
*The borough of [[Keighley]] was to be left unchanged
*The borough of [[Brighouse]] was to merge with [[Elland]] urban district and part of Queensbury and Shelf UD
*The boundaries of the borough of [[Pudsey]] were to change by gaining the Tong area from Bradford county borough
*The borough of [[Pontefract]] was to merge with the urban districts of [[Featherstone]] and [[Knottingley]] (with boundary changes)
*The borough of [[Castleford]] was to unite with [[Normanton, West Yorkshire|Normanton]] urban district (with boundary changes)
*The borough of [[Morley, West Yorkshire|Morley]] was to be enlarged by absorbing part of Spenborough
*[[Garforth]] and [[Rothwell, West Yorkshire|Rothwell]] urban districts were to be united with part of Stanley urban district and part of [[Tadcaster Rural District]]
*[[Denby Dale]], [[Kirkburton]] and [[Holmfirth]] urban districts were to merge
*[[Colne Valley]] and [[Meltham]] urban districts were to be united
*[[Baildon]], [[Bingley]], [[Denholme]] and [[Shipley, West Yorkshire|Shipley]] urban districts were to form a district
*[[Aireborough]] and [[Horsforth]] urban districts were to unite

===York and North Midlands General Review Area (Report No.8)===
The area consisted of the administrative counties of [[Derbyshire]], [[Nottinghamshire]], [[East Riding of Yorkshire|Yorkshire East Riding]], and the part of [[West Riding of Yorkshire|Yorkshire West Riding]] not included in the West Yorkshire Special Review Area; and the county boroughs of [[Barnsley]], [[Derby]], [[Doncaster]], [[Kingston-upon-Hull]], [[Nottingham]], [[Rotherham]], [[Sheffield]] and [[York]].

The commission recommended that the county borough of Barnsley be reduced to a non-county borough in the administrative county of Yorkshire West Riding, and that all the remaining county boroughs continue to exist, all with extended boundaries.<ref>''London Gazette''. 26 June 1964</ref><ref>"Boundary extensions proposed for seven county boroughs".  ''The Times''.  25 June 1964.</ref>

It was also recommended that part of the administrative county of Yorkshire West Riding be transferred to the North Riding. The area concerned was:
*The boroughs of [[Harrogate]] and [[Ripon]]
*The urban district of [[Knaresborough]]
*[[Ripon and Pateley Bridge Rural District]]
*Most of [[Nidderdale Rural District]]

Part of the administrative county of Yorkshire North Riding was to be transferred to the East Riding, namely:
*The borough of [[Scarborough (borough)|Scarborough]]
*The urban district of [[Scalby, North Yorkshire|Scalby]]
*Most of the rural district of [[Scarborough Rural District|Scarborough]]

The expansions of county boroughs proposed were
*Sheffield to take in part of the rural district of [[Chesterfield Rural District|Chesterfield]] in Derbyshire, and [[Wortley, South Yorkshire|Wortley]]
*Nottingham to take in "nearly all" of the urban districts of [[Carlton Urban District|Carlton]], [[West Bridgford Urban District|West Bridgford]] and [[Beeston and Stapleford]], parts of [[Arnold Urban District]], the rural districts of [[Basford Rural District|Basford]] and [[Bingham Rural District|Bingham]], and some of [[Long Eaton Urban District]] in Derbyshire.  This would have increased the population of Nottingham greatly, from 315,000 to 469,000.
*Hull to take in most of [[Haltemprice]] urban district and parts of the rural districts of [[Beverley Rural District|Beverley]] and [[Holderness Rural District|Holderness]]
*Derby would expand greatly with parts of the rural districts of [[South East Derbyshire Rural District|South East Derbyshire]], [[Belper Rural District|Belper]] and [[Repton Rural District|Repton]], nearly doubling its population from 132,000 to 215,000
*Rotherham would increase its population substantially by taking in most of [[Rawmarsh]] urban district and part of [[Rotherham Rural District]]
*York would expand into [[Nidderdale Rural District|Nidderdale]], [[Flaxton Rural District|Flaxton]] and [[Derwent Rural District]]s
*Doncaster would be extended slightly by adding part of [[Doncaster Rural District]]

Ideas not taken up included the amalgamation of the three Yorkshire administrative counties to form a single administrative county of Yorkshire and the request of [[Chesterfield, Derbyshire|Chesterfield]] to become a county borough.  A draft proposal for an area of 100&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup> with a population of 34,000, including [[Swadlincote]] to be transferred to Leicestershire was withdrawn in the final recommendations.<ref>"Wider Frontiers Planned for Seven Towns".  ''The Times''.  6 September 1962.</ref>

None of these recommendations was put into force.  Objections were voiced to the extensions of Nottingham, Sheffield and York county boroughs into adjoining areas.  The area proposed to become part of the North Riding became part of [[North Yorkshire]] in 1974.

===Lincolnshire and East Anglia General Review Area (Report No.9)===
The area consisted of the administrative counties of [[Holland, Lincolnshire|Lincolnshire, Parts of Holland]], [[Kesteven|Lincolnshire, Parts of Kesteven]], [[Parts of Lindsey|Lincolnshire, Parts of Lindsey]], [[Norfolk]], [[East Suffolk (county)|East Suffolk]] and [[West Suffolk (county)|West Suffolk]]; and the county boroughs of [[Great Yarmouth]], [[Grimsby]], [[Ipswich]], [[Lincoln, Lincolnshire|Lincoln]] and [[Norwich]].

The Commission recommended the amalgamation of the counties of Holland and Kesteven, but the retention of two county councils for Suffolk. The report called for the enlargement of four of the county boroughs (with Grimsby absorbing the non-county borough of Cleethorpes), with the fifth, Great Yarmouth being reduced to a municipal borough in the county of Norfolk. Changes in county boundaries proposed would have led to an area of East Suffolk adjoining Great Yarmouth passing to Norfolk.<ref>"Boundary Changes Proposed in East Anglia".  ''The Times''.  13 May 1963.</ref>  The draft proposals had also suggested that [[Stamford, Lincolnshire|Stamford]] and area be transferred to the [[Soke of Peterborough]] (or rather, to [[Huntingdon and Peterborough]]), most of [[Marshland Rural District]] to be transferred to Cambridgeshire from Norfolk, and that the area of [[Cambridgeshire]] around [[Newmarket, Suffolk|Newmarket]] should be transferred to West Suffolk.  These proposals were toned down or withdrawn in the final proposals.<ref>"Bigger Towns Emerge in Plans for East Anglia". ''The Times''. 6 May 1965.</ref>

Inquiries were held on some of the proposed changes (the extension of Norwich, demotion of Yarmouth and amalgamation of Holland and Kesteven), but no alterations were made in the local government of the area until 1974.<ref name=Times1266 />

===North Western General Review Area===

No final proposals were produced for the North West region, consisting of Cumberland, Westmorland, Lancashire and Cheshire (except those parts in the South East Lancashire and Merseyside special review areas).

Draft proposals were presented in October 1965, and were limited in scope.  It was proposed that [[Barrow-in-Furness]] become a non-county borough, and extensions to the boundaries of the other county boroughs in the area.

The creation of a county of [[Cumbria]] to cover [[Cumberland]], [[Westmorland]] and [[Furness]], although floated, was not in the draft recommendations.

===South East Lancashire Special Review Area===

The county boroughs of [[Bolton]], [[Bury, Greater Manchester|Bury]], [[Oldham]], [[Rochdale]], [[County Borough of Salford|Salford]] and [[County Borough of Stockport|Stockport]] and the municipal boroughs of [[Stretford]] and [[Ashton-under-Lyne]] put forward a joint proposal for consideration by the Commission in July 1960.  This proposal would have seen an extension of county boroughs, and the creation of two new county boroughs based on Stretford and Ashton, such that the core urban area was contiguous county boroughs.<ref>"Struggle for Survival in South-East Lancashire". ''The Times''. 18 July 1960.</ref>

Draft proposals were presented in December 1965 and would have seen a new county created based on the Manchester conurbation, divided into nine most-purposes boroughs, based on Manchester, Salford, Altrincham/Sale/Stretford (the future [[Trafford]]), Stockport, Ashton-under-Lyne/Hyde/Mossley (the future [[Tameside]]), Oldham, Rochdale, Bury, Bolton.<ref>"New County Proposed for North West".  ''The Times''.  15 December 1965.</ref>

===Mersey Special Review Area===

Draft proposals were presented in December 1965.  They were limited in scope and proposed boundary alterations in county boroughs and county districts only.

===Southern General Review Area===

No proposals were put forward by the commission for this area before their dissolution. Among the representations made during this review were:
*The county boroughs of Oxford and Reading sought boundary extensions
*The county borough of Bournemouth proposed an extension to absorb the boroughs of Christchurch and Poole. The borough of Poole itself sought county borough status, while Dorset county council strongly objected to both ideas<ref>"Dorset fights to keep Poole", ''The Times'', 27 July 1965</ref>
*The municipal boroughs of High Wycombe and Slough sought county borough status<ref>"County borough status for Slough opposed" ''The Times'', 23 July 1965</ref>
*The Berkshire and Oxfordshire Federations of Labour Parties suggested the creation of "Thameshire" by the amalgamation of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire and southern Northamptonshire. The idea was opposed by the county councils of Berkshire and Oxfordshire<ref>"Merger of three counties sought", ''The Times'', 27 October 1965</ref>
*Aldershot sought county borough status on much larger boundaries including [[Farnham]] and [[Frimley and Camberley]] in [[Surrey]].<ref>"Aldershot's ambitions opposed by Surrey". ''The Times''.  15 July 1965.</ref>

==Achievements and effectiveness==

The commission met with limited success with only a few recommendations carried out. Typically there was a lack of consensus for proposals and all met with some level of appeal or disdain. As a result, the reporting process could take as long as four years. The lack of executive powers meant that proposals could be rejected entirely and the reviews did not allow for suggested changes to the functions of local authorities. Throughout the period, actioning the recommendations of the commission was kept off the policy agenda because of pressure on legislative timetables with other issues (such as post-war redevelopment), lack of money to fund reorganisation and public apathy towards the issue.<ref>Bryne, T., ''Local Government in Britain'', (1994)</ref>

== See also ==

* [[Local Government Commission for Wales]], also created by the 1958 Act

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Local Government Commission For England (1958-1967)}}
[[Category:Local government in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Local government commissions in the United Kingdom]]