Lord Actonasked Her Majesty's Government:
What are their proposals for the amalgamations of divisions of the General Commissioners of Income Tax in Lancashire, Bedfordshire, Clwyd and Essex. [HL3344]
§ The Lord Chancellor (Lord Irvine of Lairg)On 8 June 2003 I made an order under Section 2(6) of the Taxes Management Act 1970 amalgamating a number of divisions in Lancashire, Bedfordshire, Clwyd and Essex.
From 1 July 2003, the Blackburn and Burnley Divisions shall be merged into a new division to be called the East Lancashire Division.
From 1 January 2004 the Divisions of Bedford; Biggleswade; Flitt and Manshead shall be merged into one new division to be called the Bedfordshire Division.
That order also gives effect from 1 June 2003 to the merger of the Mold and Wrexham Maelor Divisions into the Mold and Wrexham Maelor Division and the Divisions of Dunmow and Ongar; Epping and Harlow to be merged into a new division to be called West Essex.
All the amalgamations were made at the request of the General Commissioners in all the divisions with the aim of improving the organisational efficiency of the divisions concerned. I have placed a copy of the order amalgamating the divisions in the Library.