Britain: An official handbook > 1956

GOVERNMENT AND ADMINISTRATION
65
grounds, which are generally administered by the same authorities and also by
district councils in Scotland. The important work of town and country planning is
done in England and Wales by the county and county borough councils, except
where it is delegated to county district councils, and in Scotland by county councils
and the town councils of large burghs. County borough councils, as all-purpose
authorities, provide and administer their own environmental services.
2. Protective Services, which include the fire service, the civil defence service
and the police. The fire service is administered throughout England and Wales by
the county borough councils and the county councils, or by joint authorities (or
joint committees) set up by those councils if they amalgamate; and in Scotland, by
the county councils and the town councils of most of the large burghs or by joint
boards. These authorities1 and, in London, the metropolitan borough councils and
the City Corporation, are also responsible for organizing the local divisions of the
Civil Defence Corps. The police service is maintained by Standing Joint Com¬
mittees in the counties of England and Wales, by Watch Committees in the county
boroughs or by joint boards in the case of combined police authorities. In London
the maintenance of the City of London force is a matter for the Common Council
of the City while the police authority for the Metropolitan police force is the Home
Secretary. The appointment of the Commissioner of Police for the City of London
and of the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis are subject to the approval
of the Sovereign. The police authorities in Scotland are the county councils, the
town councils of large burghs or joint committees for combined forces.
3. Personal Services, which are services designed to ‘cultivate the best physical,
mental, and moral potentialities of each individual’. The type of authority con¬
cerned depends on the nature of the services, which range from maternity and
child welfare, education, care of children and housing to the provision of entertain¬
ments. Services under this heading also include certain health services, services for
the aged and infirm, and the provision and upkeep of libraries, museums and art
galleries.
There are also some trading services, e.g., passenger transport, water supply,
and harbour, dock and pier services, although these are now less numerous than
before and during the war.
Local Authority Elections
In Great Britain the normal term of office of a councillor elected to any form of
local government is three years. In some cases the whole council retires every third
year and another is elected immediately; in other cases elections are held annually,
when one-third of the councillors retire. Procedure at local government elections
is governed by local election rules.
Any person (including a member of the House of Lords) is entitled to vote at a
local government election provided that he or she is a British subject of 21 years
of age or over or a citizen of the Irish Republic, and is registered as a local govern¬
ment elector for the area for which the election is held. A person qualifies for
registration as a local government elector if on the qualifying date for the register
he or she is resident in the area or occupies as owner or tenant any rateable land or
premises in the area of a yearly value of not less than £10.
Voting takes place at polling stations arranged by the council concerned, under
the supervision of a presiding officer specially appointed for the purpose. The pro¬
cedure governing voting methods is the same as that followed at parliamentary
1 These authorities may delegate important civil defence functions to constituent
district councils.