Metropolitan Board of Works established in London

Background. An attempt in 1837 to set up an elected authority covering the whole metropolis failed, resisted by the wealthier districts of Marylebone and Westminster, which feared losing local powers and low rates. In 1854 the Royal Commission on the Corporation of the City of London proposed dividing an urban area around the City of London into seven boroughs, each represented on a Metropolitan Board of Works; a Royal Commission on the City of London likewise considered the case for a whole-London authority and recommended a limited-function Metropolitan Board of Works alongside seven municipal corporations based on existing parliamentary representation. The metropolis to be served included parts of Middlesex, Surrey, and Kent around the City of London and Westminster, including built-up areas south of the Thames.

Legislative Framework. The Metropolis Management Act 1855 created the Metropolitan Board of Works as a London-wide body. It also established a second tier of local government consisting of parish vestries and district boards. The Act dissolved the short-lived Metropolitan Buildings Office and Metropolitan Commission of Sewers, transferring their responsibilities to the new Board. The Board's area was defined as the London Division from the 1851 census.

Establishment Process. The first election of Board members was scheduled to take place on 12 December 1855. The first nominations took place in December 1855, and the Board held its first preliminary meeting on 22 December 1855, electing John Thwaites as chairman. The Board formally came into being on 1 January 1856, when it took over the powers, duties and liabilities of the Commission of Sewers and the Buildings Office dissolved by the Act.