Meltham Local Board

Meltham Local Board was the local authority body primarily responsible for issues relating to public health in the Township of Meltham and was formed in 1860.

Typically elected by local rate payers and property owners, Local Boards were formed following the Public Health Act 1848 and the subsequent Local Government Act 1858, and had responsibility for the oversight of sewers, water supplies, public toilets, street cleaning, slaughterhouses, pavements, and burial grounds within their district.

Huddersfield Chronicle (25/Feb/1860)

The decision to apply the Local Government Act to the township of Meltham was taken at a meeting of ratepayers held at the National School on Wednesday 29 February 1860, chaired by Charles Brook of Healey House. Also recorded as attending were Edward Brook of Bent House, E.C. Goody, Edward Eastwood, James Kilburn, William Bamford, T.D. Scholes, T.A. Haigh, Amos Woodhead, Benjamin Armitage, John Taylor, James Dyson, Daniel Dyson, John Sykes, T.H. Lawford, James Johnson, George Mitchell, James Battye, and Bannister Bower. When the resolution that the act be adopted was proposed, only seven people objected. The meeting reportedly lasted less than ten minutes.[1]

A total of 22 nominations were put forward for the 12 places on the local board, with voting taking place during the week commencing 21 May 1860.[2]

The first meeting took place on 30 May 1860 at the Rose and Crown Inn where Charles Brook of Healey House was unanimously elected the chairman.[3] At their third meeting in July, George Taylor was appointed to the combined role of clerk, assistant surveyor, inspector of nuisances and rate collector on a salary of £50 per year.[4]

Meltham Local Board was superseded by Meltham Urban District Council in 1895.

Notes and References

  1. "Adoption of the Local Government Act at Meltham" in Huddersfield Chronicle (03/Mar/1860).
  2. "Meltham: Local Government Act" in Huddersfield Chronicle (26/May/1860).
  3. "Meltham: The Local Government Act" in Huddersfield Chronicle (02/May/1860).
  4. "Meltham: The Local Board" in Huddersfield Chronicle (14/Jul/1860).