County and Non-County Borough Accounts (Audit).

HC Deb 29 March 1912 vol 36 cc838-9W

Mr. HIGHAM

asked the President of the Local Government Board if he will state the names of the county borough[...] and of the non-county boroughs in England and Wales whose accounts, apart from education accounts, are audited by the Local Government Board under local Acts or Provisional Orders; what are the titles of the Acts or Provisional Orders under which the accounts are so audited; which boroughs asked for such audit; and upon which boroughs was it imposed by either Parliament or the Local Government Board?

Mr. BURNS

The whole of the accounts of the town councils of the following boroughs have been made subject to audit by district auditors appointed by the Local Government Board in pursuance of the local Acts or Provisional Orders specified below:—

County Boroughs.	Title of Act.
Bournemouth	…	…	Bournemouth Improvement Act, 1892.
Plymouth	…	…	Plymouth Corporation Act, 1904.
Merthyr Tydvil	…	…	Municipal Corporation (Merthyr Tydvil Scheme Confirmatiion) Act, 1905.
*Southampton	…	…	Southampton Corporation Act, 1910.
*Hastings	…	…	Hastings Corporation (Water and Finance Act, 1911.
Non-County Boroughs.
Tunbridge Wells	…	…	Tunbridge Wells Improvement Act, 1890.
Southend-on-Sea	…	…	Sounthend-on-Sea Corporation Act, 1895.
Swindon	…	…	Swindon Corporation Act, 1904.
Cheltenham	…	…	Provisional Orders Confirmation (No. 15) Act, 1905.
Poole	…	…	Provisional Orders Confirmation (No. 12) Act, 1905.
Chemsford	…	…	Provisional Orders Confirmation (No. 8) Act, 1907.
East Ham	…	…	Provisional Orders Confirmation (No. 6) Act, 1908.
Monmouth	…	…	Provisional Orders Confirmation (No. 10) Act, 1908.
Margate	…	…	Margate Corporation Act, 1908.
Shrewsbury	…	…	Shrewsbury Corporation Act, 1909.
*Warrington	…	…	Warrington Corporation Act, 1911.
*Lancaster	…	…	Provisional Orders Confirmation (No. 14) Act, 1911.
*Christchurch	…	…	Provisional Orders Confirmation (No. 7) Act, 1911.
*The accounts in these cases come under audit from the 1st of April, 1912.

In the cases of Plymouth, Warrington, and Merthyr Tydvil the provisions as to audit were inserted in the local or Confirming Act by the Committee of the House of Commons. In the case of Chelmsford it was inserted in the Confirming Act by the request of the town council. In all the other cases the accounts were subjected to audit on the application of the town council, although, in some instances, the application was made as a result of pressure from the Local Government Board or from the locality.