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22-474: Wycombe Rural District was, from 1894 to 1974, a rural district in the administrative county of Buckinghamshire , England . The district had its origins in the Wycombe Poor Law Union , which had been created in 1835, covering High Wycombe and several surrounding parishes. In 1872 sanitary districts were established, giving public health and local government responsibilities for rural areas to

44-566: A more rounded shape and had a small town or village as the administrative centre. A few rural districts consisted of only one parish (for example, Tintwistle Rural District , Alston with Garrigill Rural District , South Mimms Rural District , King's Lynn Rural District , Disley Rural District and Crowland Rural District ). In such districts there was no separate parish council, and the rural district council exercised its functions. All rural districts in England and Wales were abolished in 1974 (by

66-536: A newly built office building called Bellfield House at 80 Oxford Road in High Wycombe. The council remained at Bellfield House until its abolition in 1974. Wycombe Rural District was abolished under the Local Government Act 1972 , merging with the borough of High Wycombe and Marlow Urban District to become Wycombe District . Bellfield House was used as secondary offices for the new council for some years, but

88-399: A number of rural districts created in 1894 that had small and irregular areas. There were also a few areas where parishes in one county were administered by a rural district council in another. Section 46 of the act provided for a review of districts in each administrative county in England and Wales, with a view to forming more effective areas for administrative purposes. The process involved

110-711: The Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 . They were subdivided into district electoral divisions . In 1921, Ireland was partitioned with Northern Ireland remaining within the United Kingdom, and the rest of the country leaving as the Irish Free State in 1922. In the Irish Free State, rural districts outside of County Dublin were abolished in 1925 under the Local Government Act 1925 amid widespread accusations of corruption . Their functions were transferred to

132-565: The Local Government Act 1972 ) and were typically merged with nearby urban districts or boroughs to form " districts ", which included both urban and rural areas. See Rural districts formed in England and Wales 1894–1974 for the districts created in 1894; List of rural and urban districts in England , and List of rural and urban districts in Wales for a list of rural districts at abolition in 1974. Rural districts were created in Ireland in 1899 under

154-507: The Ministry of Transport . Urban district councils continued to be in charge of unclassified roads in their areas. The 1929 act sought to solve a problem that had arisen in the existing scheme of local government, with administrative counties divided into many small urban and rural districts. Some urban districts had a population of just a few hundred and did not have the resources to deliver modern local government services. Similarly, there were

176-640: The National Assistance Board and the National Health Service . The Metropolitan Asylums Board was also abolished, and the London County Council became responsible for its institutions. County councils gained increased powers as the ultimate highway authority for all roads in the county. They acquired direct responsibility for all roads in the charge of rural district councils , as well as retaining control of roads classified by

198-527: The Minister of Health, was able to report that the process was nearly completed. The last order, affecting districts in the West Riding of Yorkshire , came into effect on 1 April 1938. In the counties of Radnorshire and Rutland no changes were made to the existing structure. The effects of the review orders made in the period 1932–1938 on the county districts was as follows: The act did not allow for

220-485: The abolition of municipal boroughs , so a number of small boroughs continued in existence. This power was later incorporated in the Local Government Act 1958 . At the same time as reorganising rural districts, many parishes within them were also amalgamated. It was originally envisioned that reviews would be carried out every ten years, but the intervention of the Second World War and legislation in 1945 creating

242-429: The act all boards of guardians for poor law unions were abolished, with responsibility for public assistance transferred to public assistance committees of county councils and county boroughs . The local authorities took over infirmaries and fever hospitals, while the workhouses became public assistance institutions. Later legislation was to remove these functions from the control of councils to other public bodies:

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264-538: The county councils The remaining rural districts in County Dublin were similarly abolished in 1930 by the Local Government (Dublin) Act 1930 . The former boundaries of the rural districts in the Republic of Ireland continue to be used for statistical purposes and defining constituencies. In Northern Ireland, rural districts continued to exist until 1973 when they were abolished (along with all other local government of

286-440: The existing boards of guardians of poor law unions. The Wycombe Rural Sanitary District therefore covered the area of the poor law union except for the town of High Wycombe, which was a municipal borough (officially called Chepping Wycombe until 1946) and so became its own urban sanitary district. The Wycombe Rural Sanitary District was administered from Wycombe Union Workhouse, which had been built in 1843 in open countryside in

308-533: The functions of the earlier sanitary districts, but also had wider authority over matters such as local planning, council housing , and playgrounds and cemeteries. Matters such as education and major roads were the responsibility of county councils . Until 1930 the rural district councillors were also poor law guardians for the unions of which they formed part. Each parish was represented by one or more councillors. Originally there were 787 rural districts in England and Wales, as they were based directly upon

330-448: The number of districts had been reduced to 473. The typical shape of a rural district was a doughnut-shaped ring around a town (which would be either an urban district or a municipal borough ). A good example of this is Melton and Belvoir Rural District , which surrounded the town of Melton Mowbray . Some rural districts were fragmented, consisting of a number of detached parts , such as Wigan Rural District . Some rural districts had

352-638: The old pattern) and replaced with a system of unitary districts . Rural districts also existed in the Canadian province of Newfoundland to govern certain rural communities. Under Newfoundland's Local Government Act , rural districts and towns together formed the province's municipalities. Under the Municipalities Act , effective April 1, 1980, rural districts where abolished and automatically turned into towns. Local Government Act 1929 The Local Government Act 1929 ( 19 & 20 Geo. 5 . c. 17)

374-439: The parish of Saunderton , nearly five miles north-west of High Wycombe. Under the Local Government Act 1894 , rural sanitary districts became rural districts from 28 December 1894. The Wycombe Rural District Council held its first meeting on 31 December 1894 at the workhouse. William Morris was appointed the first chairman of the council. The district consisted of a number of rural parishes surrounding High Wycombe. In 1934 it

396-588: The putting forward of a scheme by the county council to which objections or representations could be made before an order was made by the Minister of Health . All county councils were required to finalise schemes by 1 April 1932, although the period could be extended at the minister's discretion. The final submission was by Cheshire County Council on 1 July 1935. The first orders under the act were made in 1932, and in November 1936 Robert Hudson , Parliamentary Secretary to

418-485: The sanitary districts and poor law unions which had preceded them. Gradual urbanisation over the following decades led to some rural districts being redefined as urban districts or merging with existing urban districts or boroughs. Other rural districts proved to be too small or poor to be viable, and under the Local Government Act 1929 , 236 rural districts were abolished and merged or amalgamated into larger units. Further mergers took place over following decades and by 1965

440-620: Was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that made changes to the Poor Law and local government in England and Wales . The act abolished the system of poor law unions in England and Wales and their boards of guardians, transferring their powers to local authorities. It also gave county councils increased powers over highways, and made provisions for the restructuring of urban and rural districts as more efficient local government areas. Under

462-663: Was enlarged, when a county review order added the area of the abolished Hambleden Rural District . The council continued to be based at the workhouse in Saunderton until the First World War, when the building was taken over for military purposes. Meetings were held at High Wycombe Guildhall for the next few years, with staff based at various offices. In 1928 the council acquired 17 High Street in High Wycombe, converting it to become their offices and meeting place. The council remained based at 17 High Street until 1967, when it moved to

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484-527: Was subsequently demolished in the early 2000s. 51°39′N 0°47′W  /  51.65°N 0.78°W  / 51.65; -0.78 Rural district In England and Wales rural districts were created in 1894 by the Local Government Act 1894 ( 56 & 57 Vict. c. 73) along with urban districts . They replaced the earlier system of sanitary districts (themselves based on poor law unions , but not replacing them). Each rural district had an elected rural district council (RDC), which inherited

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