- Sanitary district
Infobox subdivision type
name= Sanitary district
alt_name=
alt_name1=
alt_name2=
alt_name3=
alt_name4=
category= Local government district
territory=England and Wales andIreland
upper_unit= County
start_date= flagicon|England flagicon|Wales 1875
start_date1= flagicon|Ireland 1878
start_date2=
start_date3=
start_date4=
legislation_begin=Public Health Act 1873
legislation_begin1=Public Health Act 1875
legislation_begin2=Public Health (Ireland) Act 1878
legislation_begin3=
legislation_begin4=
legislation_end=Local Government Act 1894
legislation_end1=Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898
legislation_end2=
legislation_end3=
legislation_end4=
end_date= flagicon|England flagicon|Wales 1894
end_date1= flagicon|Ireland 1899
end_date2=
end_date3=
end_date4=current_number=
number_date=type= Urban
type1= Rural
type2=
type3=
type4=
status=
status1=
status2=
status3=
status4=
exofficio=
exofficio1=
exofficio2=
exofficio3=
exofficio4=population_range=
area_range=government= Sanitary authority
government1=
government2=
government3=
government4=subdivision=
subdivision1=
subdivision2=
subdivision3=
subdivision4=Sanitary Districts were established in
England andWales in1875 and inIreland in1878 . The districts were of two types, based on existing structures:
*Urban sanitary districts in towns with existing local government bodies
*Rural sanitary districts in the remaining rural areas ofpoor law unions .Each district was governed by a sanitary authority and was responsible for various public health matters such as providing clean drinking water, sewers, street cleaning, and clearing
slum housing.In England and Wales, both rural and urban sanitary districts were replaced in
1894 by theLocal Government Act 1894 by the more generalrural district s andurban district s. A similar reform was carried out in Ireland in1899 by theLocal Government (Ireland) Act 1898 .England and Wales
Sanitary districts were formed under the terms of the
Public Health Acts 1873 and 1875. Instead of creating new divisions, existing authorities were given additional responsibilities.Urban sanitary districts were formed in any
municipal borough governed under theMunicipal Corporations Act 1835 , in any Improvement Commissioners District formed by private act of parliament, and in any Local Government District formed under the Public Health Act 1848 or Local Government Act 1858.The existing governing body of the town (municipal corporation, improvement commissioners or local board of health) was designated as the urban sanitary authority.
When sanitary districts were formed there were approximately 225 boroughs, 575 local government districts and 50 improvement commissioners districts designated as urban sanitary districts. Over the next nineteen years the number changed: more urban sanitary districts were formed as towns adopted legislation forming local boards and as additional boroughs were incorporated; over the same period numerous urban sanitary districts were absorbed into expanding boroughs.
Rural sanitary districts were formed in all areas without a town government. They followed the boundaries of existing
poor law union s formed in1837 , less the areas of urban sanitary districts. Any subsequent change in the area of the union also changed the sanitary district. At the time of abolition in 1894, there were 572 rural sanitary districts.The rural sanitary authority consisted of the existing poor law guardians for the rural parishes involved.
The
Local Government Act 1894 brought an end to sanitary districts in England and Wales. In boroughs, the sanitary authority was merged into the corporation. All other urban sanitary districts were renamed asurban district s, governed by an urban district council. Rural sanitary districts were replaced byrural districts , for the first time with a directly elected council. It was a requirement that whenever possible a rural district should be within a singleadministrative county , which led to many districts being split into smaller areas along county lines. A few rural districts with parishes in two or three different counties persisted until the 1930s.The
Local Government Act 1972 made district councils,London borough councils, theCity of London Corporation , andInner Temple andMiddle Temple be the sanitary authorities.Ireland
A system of sanitary districts was established in Ireland by the Public Health (Ireland) Act 1878, modelled on that in England and Wales.
Urban sanitary districts were established in the following categories of towns:
*The City ofDublin
*Boroughs governed under theMunicipal Corporations (Ireland) Act 1840
*Towns havingTown Commissioners and a population exceeding 6,000
*Townships with Town Commissioners under private acts of parliamentThe existing corporation or commissioners became the urban sanitary authority. The
Local Government Board of Ireland , created by the same act, could designate other towns with commissioners as urban sanitary districts.Rural sanitary districts were formed in the same way as those in England and Wales, and with similar rural sanitary authorities.
The sanitary districts were abolished in 1899, under the
Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 , being merged in boroughs, or forming urban and rural districts. A large number of the rural sanitary districts were broken up into smaller rural districts along county lines, often taking the name of the sanitary district followed by a number - for instance, Ballyshannon rural sanitary district was split into Ballyshannon No. 1, Ballyshannon No. 2 and Ballyshannon No. 3 rural districts in Counties Donegal, Fermanagh and Leitrim respectively.cotland
Sanitary districts were not formed in Scotland. By the Public Health (Scotland) Act 1867 public health duties were given to the town councils, commissioners or trustees of
burgh s, and toparochial boards . In 1890 the public health duties of parochial boards were allocated to the newly createdcounty council s, administered by district committees.ee also
List of sanitary districts in Dorset ources
*"Local Government Areas 1834 - 1945", V D Lipman, Oxford, 1949
*"Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England" (2 vols.) F A Youngs, London, 1991
*Public Health Act 1873 (35 & 36 Vict. c.79)
*Public Health Act 1875 (38 & 39 Vict. c.55)
*Public Health (Ireland) Act 1878 (41 & 42 Vict. c.52)References
*http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/types/status_page.jsp?unit_status=RSD
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