Local Government

Local government was built and developed around the need to provide the population with services which benefit everyone but that are unlikely to be provided by the private sector.

The Anglo-Saxon system of local government, based on the shire and the hundred, was feudal in character. The Norman conquest saw the King take possession of land and the implementaion of a more rigourous feudal system. Much of the old structure remained, resistant to change and resentful of interference from central government. Although it changed slowly over the years a system that had evolved to meet the needs of a rural population found it increasingly difficult to adjust to the demands arising from the Industrial Revolution. Laws were passed to address some of these problems, mainly centring on the towns and cities because this was were the probems were the most acute. In 1834 a new Poor Law Act was introduced which empowered parishes to join together in unions for the implementation of the poor law. In 1875 further public health acts used these unions to form the basis of the Rural Sanitary Authorities.

The Local Government Act 1888 was the first time that a systematic attempt had been made to introduce a standardised country wide system of local government. This was followed in 1894 by a second Local Government Act and this established the Stapleford Rural District Council and a Parish Council separate from ecclesiastical authority.

The Local Government Act(1972) abolished all the old administrative districts and esablished a two tier system based on the county and the district. The civil parish continued but its duties are mainly review and advisory. In 1987 the Stapleford Parish Council resolved to change its name to Stapleford Town Council and now appoints a mayor and deputy mayor.

This section outlines the history of some of the activities in which local authorites were involved. Their responsibilites changed over the years and some, such as gas, have been run by a wide range of organisations from small local companies to nationalised industries.