Assistance to council. and the provisional councils of Middlesex and Surrey. The officers of the Metropolitan Board of Works are required to act as the officers of the council, but no provision is made as to arrangements with the board.1 The provisional council will also have power to appoint and to pay interim officers to act during the period of the work of the council.2 For the costs of the provisional council or for the future costs of the London Council the provisional council may levy a rate in the same manner as the council itself.3 Provision is made in the Local Government Act for assistance provisional being given by existing authorities to the provisional council. The quarter sessions of Middlesex, Surrey, and Kent, and the liberty of the Tower Hamlets are each of them required to hold meetings to appoint committees and otherwise unite in joint action with the provisional council in making arrangements to bring the Act into effect. So also the provisional council may join with the justices of London acting provisionally in appointing a joint committee for the same object.5 Distribution of duties amongst officers. Control of officers. The same duty of assisting the provisional council is imposed upon the Metropolitan Board of Works, and probably committees of the board and of the council will meet to discuss the best methods of dealing with the powers transferred by the Act from one body to the other. Functions. The provisional council will arrange for the distribution of duties amongst the different officers and the organisation of committees. Certain existing officers are transferred by the Act to the London Council. Thus all officers of the Metropolitan Board of Works who are in office on April 1 become officers of the new council. It is not clear whether county and other officers performing duties in respect of business transferred from Middlesex, Surrey, and Kent, to the London Council also become officers of such council." The final distribution of the business to be performed by existing officers is to be made by the council after coming into office.8 The London Council will have full control over the appointment and dismissal of its officers. They may appoint such officers as they may from time to time think necessary, or may discontinue the appointment of such officers as they may think unnecessary. They may pay to such officers whatever remuneration they think fit.9 1 L. G. A., sec. 106 (3 and 5). For a list of the officers of the Metropolitan Board with their salaries, etc.: see M. B. W. diary for 1888, pp. 82-97. 2 Ibid., sec. 106 (3). 4 Ibid., sec. 106 (7). 5 Ibid., sec. 115 (1). Ibid., sec. 118 (14). 7 Ibid., sec. 118 (13). 8 Ibid., sec. 119 (2). 9 M. C. A., 1882, secs. 19 and 20. officers. The transferred officers are to hold their offices upon the same Tenure of terms and conditions, and by the same tenure as at present, and office by whilst performing the same duties are to be entitled to the same remuneration and to have the same right to pensions as at present.' Where the council abolish any existing office, then the office-holder is to be compensated. Also where any existing officer suffers loss by diminution of fees or salary, he is entitled to be compensated by the council. officers. The compensation payable under the Act is not to exceed the Compensaamount paid under the rules of the Civil Service upon the tion to abolition of an office, and in estimating the amount of compensation regard must be had to the nature of the office, length of service, and to the emoluments which the officer may have received from any other office given him, or by virtue of anything done in pursuance of the Act, or which he might have received if he had accepted any office under the Act which may have been offered to him.3 The claim for compensation will, in the first instance, be made to the London Council, and is to be supported by a statutory declaration. The council then assess the compensation. If any person claiming compensation is aggrieved by the amount awarded, he may appeal to the Treasury, whose decision is to be final. If one third of the members of the council subscribe a protest against the amount of any compensation awarded by the council as excessive, then they, or any of them, may also appeal to the Treasury. The council or any member of it may have the claimant for compensation summoned before the council and examined on his claim.5 Provision is made for the diminution or suspension of such compensation where the officer is appointed to any other office under the council. council as The provisional council are not themselves empowered to Duty of deal finally with the questions as to officers and compensation, provisional and the day from which these questions will arise is April 1, to officers. 1889. But they will be able to make full arrangements as to the distribution of business, the proposed abolition of the offices of transferred officers, or the modifications of any officer's duties. They may also prepare for the appointment of any new officers that may be required. The person who is clerk of the peace for Middlesex will be clerk of the peace for the new county of London, but whilst in every other county the clerk of the peace will also be the clerk to the county council, it is provided that in London the clerk to the council is to be a different person." 1 L. G. A., sec. 119 (1). 2 Ibid., sec. 119 (3). 3 Ibid., sec. 120 (1). 4 L. G. A., sec. 120 (2 and 3). 5 Ibid., sec. 120 (5). For details as to method of dealing with compensation : L. G. A., secs. 119 and 120 and notes thereto, post. 7 L. G. A., sec. 83 (11). Duties of chairman The arrangements for the appointment of a county clerk may be made by the provisional council. The provisional council may also make arrangements for the distribution of duties between the chairman and deputy chairman and deputy of the council, and for the amount of remuneration to be paid to them. The duties which will have to be divided are numerous. The present chairman of the Metropolitan Board presides at the weekly general meetings of the board. chairman. Acts: how signified. Adjustment and apportionment. He has introduced into Parliament the yearly Money Bill and the "Various Powers" Bills, and has watched over the interests. of the board in the various bills before Parliament. He exercises control over the staff of the board. He has to sign various consents, &c. under the building and other Actsprobably something like 2000 in the course of the year-and also signs something like 5000 cheques in the course of the year.1 He also exercises general control over the working of the board. He is chairman of the works and general purposes committee, and of the appeal committee, which are committees of the whole board, and is ex-officio a member of every other committee. The provisional council may arrange for the provision of a new seal for the London Council. Any act of the provisional council may be signified under the hand of the chairman, and any two members of the council present at the meeting, and countersigned by the officer acting as their clerk.2 The proceedings of the London Council under the Act are discussed in Chapter III., and the provisions as to the proceedings of the county council will apply to the proceedings of the provisional council.3 One of the most difficult duties of the London Council will be the adjustment of the property, debts and liabilities of the counties of Middlesex, Surrey and Kent between the parts of those counties now situated within the metropolis and the parts situated outside. The Act provides generally that on and after the appointed day all property of the quarter sessions of a county or held by the clerk of the peace or any justice or justices of a county, or treasurer or commissioners, or otherwise, for any public uses and purposes of a county, shall pass to, and vest in, and be held in trust for the council of the county, subject to all debts and liabilities affecting it. This provision is to apply to the administrative county of London as if the quarter sessions, justices, and clerks of the peace of the counties of Middlesex, Surrey and Kent had been, so far as regards the metropolis, the quarter sessions justices and clerk of the peace for the administrative county of London, but the Act goes on to provide that the property, debts and liabilities of the counties of Middlesex, 5 1 As to signing of cheques under new council: see L. G. A., sec. 80 (1). 2 L. G. A., sec. 106 (2). 3 Ibid. 4 L. G. A., sec. 64 (1). Surrey, and Kent shall be apportioned between the portions of those counties situate within the metropolis, and the portions situate outside, in such manner as may be determined by agreement between the respective county councils, or in default by the Commissioners under the Act, and that the property, debts and liabilities apportioned to the portions within the metropolis shall be the property, debts and liabilities of the whole of the administrative county of London.1 The arrangement and preliminary agreements for adjustment and apportionment may be made by the provisional council. The present total income, expenditure, and debt of Middlesex, Surrey, and Kent are set out in Appendix II., Tables VIII, IX., and X., and these tables shew the matters that will have to be dealt with in adjustment. The rateable value of each of these counties within and without the metropolis is also added in order that an idea may be formed of the proportions of liability which may have to be adjusted. The council may arrange for the adjustment of the amount payable in respect of the salaries, fees and expenses of coroners where their districts are now partly within and partly without the county of London, and also for the future rearrangement of coroners' districts.2 The provisional council will probably decide what course should Other duties be taken as to the Coal and Wine Dues Continuance Bill, of of provisional which notice of introduction has been given for 1889 by the council. Board of Works and the City Corporation.3 When the Local Government Bill was passing through Parliament the Government undertook to introduce at an early date a measure for the reform of interior London government, and the President of the Local Government Board promised that "full consideration" would be given to any representations made by the London Council as to the form any scheme should take.1 Either the provisional council or the London Council will probably consider it well to make such representations. The provisional council may also draft the standing orders, which shall guide the proceedings and business of the council and other matters. The Board of Works have a large body of standing orders. They ought to make bye-laws under the Municipal Corporations Act, 1882, s. 34, as to fines on resignation of office. They ought to arrange for the appointment of a returning officer to act after April 1. They may also arrange for the appointment of the Standing Joint Committee. 1 L. G. A., sec. 40 (7). 2 Ibid., sec. 114 (1 and 2), and see Appendix II., Table XIV., for present coroners' districts. 3 See Chapter V. "Coal and Wine Dues." 4 Hansard, vol. 328, col. 1853. F Works and general purposes committee. Drainage and sewage committee. Fire brigade committee. Streets and buildings committee. Parks, commons, and open spaces committee. Arrangement of Committees. The provisional council will probably make arrangements for the appointment of committees and for the distribution of work amongst them. The number of the committees of the Metropolitan Board has been limited in consequence of the limited number of its members. The London Council, with more than twice the number of members, may have a sufficient number of committees to enable the work to be thoroughly divided and effectively done. The following summary of committees and their work is, of course, merely suggestive, but is based upon an examination of the division of work amongst committees in the Metropolitan Board of Works,' and in some of the larger English corporations. The board have a "Works and General Purposes" committee, to which is entrusted the street improvements and the other great undertakings of the Board. It is composed of the whole board. Probably the council will have such a committee, but composed of a limited number of members. The City Corporation delegate some part of this class of work to an "Improvements" Committee. A committee controlling the drainage and sewage of the town is to be found in some corporations. Although in London the work of main drainage is practically complete, there yet remains the control over local drainage, the maintenance of the main drainage system, and the extremely important question of the disposal of the sewage. These subjects would be amply sufficient to occupy the time of any committee. The board have a committee to which is entrusted the control and management of the fire brigade. The new London Council would probably think it well to constitute such a committee. The board have a "Building Act" committee, and committees with analogous functions are to be found in most corporations. Such a committee of the council would deal with all questions of frontage-line, width, names, numbers, closure, and other matters connected with street jurisdiction. As to buildings, it would deal with the district surveyors and with new buildings, special buildings, dangerous structures, dilapidated buildings, &c. It might also undertake duties as to tramways and locomotives, the inspection of theatres and music halls, and the main road jurisdiction of the council. The maintenance of the thirty-six parks, commons, and open spaces of the board, and the decision of the questions arising with respect to them, and the consideration of proposals to acquire further open spaces, would fully occupy the time of a committee. The Metropolitan Board has a "Parks, Commons, and Open Spaces" committee discharging these functions. |