Ministry of Housing and Local Government and predecessor: Welsh Office: Registered...

HLG 158

1940-1968

Records created by the Welsh Office component of the Ministry for Housing and Local Government cover the following areas.

Records relating to public health were created covering the control of the spread of diseases from environmental sources: e.g. ensuring clean air and clean water supplies.

Records relating to the housing function include slum clearance, the provision of adequate new housing, council housing, rents, security of tenure for tennants, maintenance of government housing estates.

Records relating to the planning functions include comprehensive redevelopment of areas - especially in war damaged areas - the control of development, imposition of fines for breach of planning regulations, implementation of the Town and Country Planning Acts, compulsory purchase and compensation, land use, appeals on Ministry planning decisions and regional economic planning.

Records relating to the management of local government and finance of metropolitan boroughs and urban and rural district councils and later county councils and boroughs were created. So too were records concerning local government reorganisation and controlling the expenditure of local governments in Wales and the imposition of rates and taxes. The vetting and presentation of grants to Welsh local authorities are also included.

The records also include the transfer of functions from Westminster based government departments to the Secretary of State for Welsh Affairs and communication issues with government at Westminster.

EFI file series

Public Record(s)

English

12 file(s)

Open

In 2005 National Assembly for Wales

Topics

Taxation

Housing

Planning (Land and Property)

Series is not accruing

The Welsh Office component of the Ministry for Housing and Local Government was created in 1951 along with its parent department. On this date, the Ministry for Housing and Local Government had taken over the public health and environmental functions of the Ministry of Health: the latter retaining responsibilities for the personal health of British citizens - National Health Service, local health services and social security. The Ministry for Housing and Local Government took over responsibilities for public health, housing, town and country planning and the system, powers and finance of local government. Like its parent department, the Welsh Office had received similar functions from the Welsh Board of Health.

From April 1965, a Secretary of State for Wales exercised functions parallel to those of the Minister of Housing and Local Government in England (along with some other government functions such as transport), and therefore gained some level of autonomy in these matters although the Secretary of State for Wales (and the Secretary of State for Scotland) kept in very close touch with the English Minister for Housing and Local Government. Both Secretaries of State kept liaison officers in London: the Welsh had the Wales Office in Gwydyr House, Whitehall, to ensure the closest links and coordinated policy between the Welsh, Scottish and English arms of the Ministry.

From 1965, the Welsh Office was formally recognised as a department in its own right, based in Cardiff and with its own Minister:. This replaced the collection of Welsh sections of various Westminster based government departments that had existed previously. Confusingly, the Civil Service Year Book only recognises the separate organisation of the Welsh Office as a government department in its own right from 1975.