Royal Commission on London Government facts for kids

The Royal Commission on London Government, also known as the Ullswater Commission, was a special group set up by the government. Its job was to look at how local government worked in London and the areas around it. They wanted to see if any changes were needed.

This commission was led by Viscount Ullswater. It started in October 1921 and shared its findings in 1923. However, the commission didn't agree on what to do. Most members said almost nothing needed to change. But two other groups of members wrote their own reports with different ideas. Because of this, big changes to London's government didn't happen until 1965, after another similar study.

Why Was the Commission Needed?

This special group was created because the London County Council asked for it in 1919. After World War I, the main political groups in London agreed on one thing: important public services like electricity and public transport needed to be better organised across the whole Greater London area. This was important for planning the city's future.

Many people thought that London's local government needed a complete update. They wanted to include the central City of London and the outer areas into a bigger London. There was also a big problem with housing. London needed many new homes, but the central county didn't have enough money or land. Land was also much cheaper in the areas outside the county.

What Did They Learn?

The commission started its meetings on December 6, 1921, at the Ministry of Health. People expected them to suggest a new main body to run London. Everyone knew that governing London had become "unmanageable."

Many Different Authorities

The first person to speak was a lawyer from the Ministry of Health. He explained that there were many different groups in charge of things in London and nearby. He pointed out that London's boundaries were set way back in 1855. These boundaries were chosen without a clear plan.

He said there were 92 different groups just within London that could ask for money from people's taxes! These included the county council, the city corporation, and many local borough councils. There were also groups for hospitals, schools, and pensions. On top of that, four other groups managed services like water and ports across a wider area.

He described the way these groups worked together as "complicated." They had overlapping jobs and different ways of sharing tax money. For example, the City of London managed parks far outside its own area. The county council's main drainage system went beyond its borders. Both the City and the county council could build houses outside their areas. Even London's tram system worked with trams from nearby towns.

The areas outside London, but still part of the Metropolitan Police District, were also split up. They had five counties, three large towns, and many smaller districts. Their borders were also messy and didn't match how people lived or the land itself.

London County Council's Ideas

The commission then heard from the London County Council on December 13. Ronald Collet Norman, a leader from the council, spoke. He said that when the council was first created in 1889, it was put in charge of a "complicated machine." Over time, problems appeared. He felt the system was getting old.

The council's idea was to create a much larger Greater London. This new area would have a "central authority" in charge. They believed this area should include:

• "...the whole continuous urban area ...together with such a surrounding belt as was likely to become of an urban character within a short time."

They strongly suggested that the boundaries for local government, police, transport, electricity, and water should all be the same. They couldn't say exactly where the new outer boundary would be. But they thought it should be bigger than the police district but smaller than all of London and the nearby counties.

The London County Council also knew that there needed to be smaller local groups too. They thought these groups should have more power than the existing borough councils. To make these local groups "strong," many of the smaller towns and districts would need to join together. The council also suggested that the new central authority should take over all hospitals and manage the port's health.

Middlesex County Council's View

Sir Herbert Nield, a Member of Parliament for Ealing, spoke for the Middlesex County Council. This council agreed that there should be a group to manage traffic for Greater London. But they did not like the idea of a single central authority for all of London.

Lord Ullswater, the commission's chairman, thought their objections were just because Middlesex might be "swallowed up." Nield replied that they believed their county council was better run than London's. He also felt that Greater London was too big for one single authority. He worried that members wouldn't care personally about such a huge area, leading to a massive bureaucracy.

Ministry of Transport's Suggestions

Sir Henry Maybury from the Ministry of Transport spoke about public transport. He explained that after World War I, London had a big problem with traffic jams. Things had improved a bit with more buses, trams, and trains.

He suggested creating a London Traffic Committee with up to 15 members. This committee would oversee traffic in an area within 25 miles of Charing Cross. He also wanted to stop different transport companies from competing. Instead, he wanted the committee to help them work together.

What Did the Report Say?

The commission's report came out on March 21, 1923. It actually contained three different reports: a main report and two other reports from different groups of members.

The Main Report

The main report was signed by Ullswater and three other members. They said that the information they heard didn't convince them that changing the current system would make local government in London better or cheaper.

Instead, they suggested that the existing groups in London should simply share their jobs differently. They also proposed creating a special London and Home Counties Advisory Committee. This committee would give advice to the government minister on things that affected the whole area. They thought this committee would mostly deal with transport, town planning, housing, and main drainage. Its area would be within a 25-mile radius of central London. The committee members would be chosen by the existing local groups, the police, railway companies, bus companies, and trade unions.

The report also suggested "encouraging" smaller groups outside London but within the police district to join together. They didn't say how this should happen or which groups should merge. They hoped councils would volunteer to create larger units. They felt this needed to happen soon before new buildings made it even harder.

Sharing Tax Money Fairly

The report noted that there was a big difference in how much tax money people paid in different parts of London. These differences were even bigger in the outer areas of Greater London. The members felt these differences were "unjustifiable."

They suggested creating an "equalisation area" where districts closely linked to London by business would share tax money with London. This area would include the County of London and 55 other urban areas within 10 miles of Charing Cross.

Within this area, two special taxes would be collected:

• An Equalisation Rate (General) of 1 shilling and 6 pence for every pound of property value.
• An Equalisation Rate (Poor) of 1 shilling for every pound of property value.

These taxes would raise about 8 million pounds. The money from the general tax would be shared among the local groups based on how many people were in their area during the day. This would make people who lived outside London but worked in the center help pay for services in the central areas. The money from the poor tax would be shared based on how many people lived in each area at night.

The commission members said their plan could start quickly. It didn't need any new local or central groups or staff. It would also stop groups from spending too much because the tax rate would be the same across the capital.

Other Reports

Hiley and Talbot's Ideas

Two members, Hiley and Talbot, did not sign the main report. They felt that simply having an advisory committee was "altogether inadequate."

They believed London's local government really needed to be changed. They thought the area was too big for one group to manage. So, they suggested dividing Greater London into several smaller areas, each like a large town. However, some jobs would be kept for a "central authority." These London-wide jobs included trams, water supply, and main drainage. They didn't go into detail about the exact areas or how jobs would be split.

Donald and Walsh's Ideas

Donald and Walsh couldn't sign any of the other reports. They wrote their own 62-page document. They felt they had to suggest a complete overhaul of local government, not just adding advisory groups.

They proposed one single central authority for the entire Greater London area (the Metropolitan Police District with small changes). This new authority would replace many existing groups, including the London County Council. It would be directly elected by the people. This authority would manage public transport, town planning, big housing projects, main drainage, water supply, hospitals, fire protection, large parks, and special education.

Below this, there would be a lower level of local authorities. These would be based on existing areas like metropolitan boroughs and urban districts. But each would have the same powers and status. They would have more responsibilities, like taking over the duties of poor law guardians and managing elementary education in their area.

What Happened Next?

The only part of the report that was put into action was about public transport. Colonel Wilfrid Ashley, from the Ministry of Transport, made suggestions in July 1923:

• The Ministry should become the traffic authority for an area within 25 miles of Charing Cross.
• An advisory committee should be formed with representatives from local groups, police, and other interests.
• The Ministry would work with this advisory committee.
• The advisory committee should have 15 to 21 members, as suggested in the main report.

It took some time for a law to be passed because of political changes. But in March 1924, the new government agreed to introduce the bill. The London Traffic Bill was introduced to the United Kingdom House of Commons on March 26. This law created the London and Home Counties Traffic Advisory Committee for a specific London Traffic Area. The bill became law by August and started on October 1, 1924.