HC Deb 28 October 1919 vol 120 cc535-6

(1) The following local authorities shall execute and enforce this Act, that is to say—

  1. (a) in tile City of London, the Common Council;
  2. (b) in any Metropolitan borough, the borough council;
  3. (c) in any administrative county (other than the County of London) or county borough (except any part thereof which is a port sanitary district) the council of the county or borough;
  4. (d) in any port sanitary district, the port sanitary authority;?
Provided that a county council may, with the consent of the council of any borough or county district in the county, delegate its powers and duties under this Act to that borough or district council, and where powers and duties have been so delegated the borough or district council shall be the local authority for the purposes of this Act.

Mr. GILBERT

I beg to move, after the word "that" ["Provided that a county council"], to insert the words the London County Council shall, to the exclusion of any other authority, be the local authority for the purpose of executing and enforcing this Act with respect to the sewers vested in, and the sludge vessels belonging to, that council; provided also that. I hope the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Agriculture can accept this Amendment. The first Sub-section of this Clause refers to the Common Council of the City of London and to the borough councils; but owing to the peculiarities of London government we have three authorities in London dealing with the sewers. The City of London and the Metropolitan borough councils deal with the local sewers, and the London County Council deal with the main sewers, with the outfall, and with the vessels which take the sludge to the sea, and my object in moving this Amendment is to protect the main sewers which are under the control of the London County Council. I do not know whether the particular drafting of the Amendment will meet the views of the Parliamentary Secretary, but if he can give us the principle we are after I will not quarrel with him in regard to the actual words.

Sir A. BOSCAWEN

I quite agree with my hon. Friend, and I think in respect of those sewers and those sludge vessels which are the property of the London County Council the Council should be the authority. I quite accept the principle of the Amendment, and I am willing that these words should be inserted, but I would reserve my right on the Report stage, if necessary, to be able to alter the drafting.

Amendment agreed to.

Clause, as amended, ordered to stand part of the Bill.

Clauses 3 (Powers of Board of Agriculture and Fisheries in Case of Default by Local Authority) and 4 (Powers of Local Authorities and Authorised Persons, and Penalty for Interference) ordered to stand part of the Bill.