Peterborough has seen a multitude of different local authorities
over the years and it is often difficult for a newcomer to grasp
which local government bodies were active when. Below is a very
simplified potted history of the various local government bodies
which have operated in this area: all the names typed in blue have
their own entries in the A-Z Guide, to which you can refer for more
information.
Counties
In 1889 the Soke of Peterborough County
Council was created. Although separate from the County of
Northampton it was not entirely autonomous and is often considered
as being nominally part of Northamptonshire at this time. In 1965
both this Council and Huntingdonshire County Council were abolished
and replaced by a single Huntingdon and
Peterborough County Council. In 1974 this too was abolished and
replaced by Cambridgeshire County
Council. In 1998 Peterborough and some parishes in the north of
Huntingdonshire were granted unitary status, becoming Peterborough
City Council. This new Peterborough City
Council is a different body from the old Peterborough City
Council (1974-1998), which was a district, not a county, level
authority.
Districts
Historically, parishes were grouped into four areas, called
'hundreds'. These hundreds formed the basis of some judicial and
local government bodies, such as Petty
Sessions districts. From 1835 parishes were also grouped
together as poor law unions,
administered by Boards of Guardians: irritatingly, the poor law
union areas did not coincide with the old hundreds. The poor law
union areas were further sub-divided into four sanitary districts under the 1872 Public Health
Act. In 1894 these unelected rural sanitary authorities became
elected rural district councils: see District Councils 1894-1974. Every single one of
these bodies was abolished in 1974. Peterborough area districts
were replaced by Peterborough City
Council (a district of Cambridgeshire County
Council until 1998 when it became a unitary authority).
Parishes and towns
During the 17th and 18th centuries ecclesiastical parishes were the main units of local government
in villages, and records of local poor relief, rates, road upkeep
etc. can therefore be found in the deposited archives of Anglican
churches. In 1894 parish councils were
created, taking over the churches' civil responsibilities. Towns,
however, operated slightly differently. Peterborough received an
Act of Parliament in 1790 which created an Improvement Commission,
and they remained the effective unit of local government until 1874
when Peterborough was incorporated as a municipal borough. In 1974
the borough was abolished and its responsibilities were inherited
by Peterborough City Council.
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