Local Government Act 1888

Transitory Provisions as to Metropolis.

113 Transitory provision as to sheriffs of London and Middlesex.

(1) The first sheriffs appointed by Her Majesty for the county of Middlesex and for the county of London may be nominated and appointed at the same time as the sheriff of any other county in England, and each of such sheriffs when appointed may make the declaration, and shall enter upon office, in like manner and at the like time as any other sheriff.

(2) Upon the first sheriff of Middlesex so entering into office, the sheriffs of London shall cease to have jurisdiction in the county of Middlesex.

(3) Upon the first sheriff of the county of London so entering into office, the area which will become that county shall, for the purpose of the sheriff, be considered to be the county of London, and the sheriffs of the City of London shall cease to have any jurisdiction in the said area, and the sheriffs of Surrey and Kent shall cease to have any jurisdiction within the said area.

(4) Provided that for the purpose of any sessions of the peace held by the justices of the counties of Middlesex, Surrey, and Kent, after the sheriff has so entered into office but prior to the date at which the justices of the county of London will come into office, the sheriffs of Middlesex, Surrey, and Kent shall continue to act and have jurisdiction as such sheriffs throughout those portions of the Metropolis which originally formed part of those counties.

(5) Lists of prisoners, writs, process, and particulars, and all records, jury lists, books, and matters appertaining to the county of Middlesex, and to such parts of the counties of Surrey and Kent as are included in the Metropolis, shall be delivered, turned over, transferred, and signed in like manner in all respects, so nearly as circumstances admit, as is required to be done upon a new sheriff coming into office, in like manner as if the sheriff of Middlesex appointed by Her Majesty were as respects such part of the county as will after the appointed day be the county of Middlesex, the new sheriff in succession to the sheriffs Of London, and as if the sheriff of the county of London appointed by Her Majesty were, a9 respects the area of the Metropolis exclusive of the City, the successor to the sheriffs of London, Surrey, and Kent

(6) If any question arises as to the delivery, turning over transfer, or signature under this section, or any other matter relating to the change in the office of sheriff in the Metropolis, such question shall be referred to the Lord High Chancellor, whose decision shall be final.

114 As to existing coroners for Middlesex, Surrey, and Kent.

(1) The persons who at the passing of this Act are coroners for any districts which become wholly or partly by virtue of this Act part of the county of London, shall continue to act for such districts until otherwise directed as herein-after mentioned, and while so continuing to act shall, as respects such pare of their districts as is within the county of London, be deemed to be coroners for the county of London, and the amount payable in respect of the salaries, fees, and expenses of any such coroner, where the district is partly within and partly without the county of London, shall be apportioned between the counties in which such district is situate.

(2) In the case of any coroner's district being situate partly within and partly without the county of London, the county councils of the counties in which such district is situate shall arrange for the alteration in manner provided by law of the district, so that on the next avoidance of the office of coroner, or any earlier date fixed when the alteration is made, the coroners districts shall not be situate in more than one county.

(3) For the purposes of this Act respecting compensation, the coroners shall be deemed to be officers of the quarter sessions of the county for which they are coroners.

115 As to commission of the peace for London.

(1) A commission of the peace for the county of London may be issued at any time after the passing of this Act, which shall be provisional until the appointed day, and the justices acting under such commission shall until the .appointed day act provisionally for the purpose of bringing this Act into operation, and may from time to time be convened, and meet and conduct their proceedings in like manner in all respects as if they were the justices of a county, and they shall proceed to make such arrangements as appear necessary or proper for bringing, this Act into operation, and may for that purpose appoint any committee or committees, either alone or jointly with any quarter sessions or provisional council.

(2) Nothing in this section shall confer on such justices any power to act as justices or as quarter sessions, nor any judicial jurisdiction, nor constitute any part of the Metropolis a county for the purposes of justices and quarter sessions until the appointed day.

(3) Any sessions of the peace held after the appointed day may be convened by the said justices acting provisionally before the said day, and the first sessions of the peace held after the appointed day shall be deemed to be legally held, although no justice there present has taken the oaths required by law to be taken by justices of the peace, and any justice may nevertheless take the oaths at such sessions.

(4) The clerk of the peace for Middlesex holding office at the passing of this Act shall act as the clerk to the said justices for the county of London when acting provisionally in pursuance of this Act.

(5) The fees payable to the clerk of the peace and clerks of the justices, and other officers and authorities in Middlesex, at the passing of this Act, shall be the first fees which may be taken in the county of London by the clerk of the peace, the clerks to the justices, and other officers and authorities in the county of London, and may continue to be taken until they are abolished or altered in manner provided by law with respect to the abolition and alteration of such fees.

116 As to places for holding quarter sessions.

Until a scheme respecting the holding of courts of quarter sessions in the county of London comes into force, the following regulations shall be observed:—

(a) Courts of quarter sessions for the trial of persons charged with offences shall be held at Clerkenwell and Newington, and courts of quarter sessions for appeals and other business shall be held at the places in London at which sessions are usually held at present, or at such of the said places as the county council may from time to time appoint; and courts of quarter sessions for the said purposes shall be respectively held at the same times, as nearly as may be, at each such place as heretofore;

(b) Oases triable at quarter sessions for the county of London shall (save as otherwise directed by the court of quarter sessions) be heard and determined, if they arose on the north side of the River Thames, at Clerkenwell, and if they arose on the south side of the River Thames, at Newington; and persons shall be committed for trial, and bail and recognizances shall be taken, and depositions, recognizances, documents, and things transmitted in such manner as appears necessary for carrying into effect this section, but a committal for trial or recognizance shall not be invalidated, nor shall the powers of the quarter sessions be affected by any disregard of this enactment, and every court of quarter sessions held in and for the county of London at whatever place such court is held shall have complete power to hear and determine any case arising in the county of London, notwithstanding an objection that the case ought to be heard and determined at the sessions held at another place in the county of London;

(c) Every sessions shall, as the circumstances require, be deemed to be quarter or general sessions, and if held at different places to be original sessions or adjourned sessions, and if held simultaneously at two or more places to be divided courts of the same sessions ;

(d) Every matter, civil or criminal, arising before the appointed day which would have been heard, tried, determined, or otherwise dealt with by any court of quarter sessions or assessment sessions, or any justices or otherwise, may be heard, tried, determined, and dealt with in like manner as if this Act had come into operation before the said matter arose, and recognizances existing at the appointed day shall have effect and be enforced in like manner, so nearly as circumstances admit, as they would have been if this Act had not passed; and where any trial, motion, or other matter has been adjourned from any previous court of quarter sessions, assessment sessions, special sessions, or petty sessions, and would if this Act had previously come into operation have been heard, determined, or otherwise dealt with at sessions held under this Act, the same shall be heard and determined and otherwise dealt with at the sessions held under this Act in like manner as if the same were held by the same justices by whom the same would have been held if this Act had not passed.

117 As to existing justices in Metropolis.

(1) Nothing in this Act shall prevent a person who is an existing justice of the peace for any of the counties of Middlesex, Surrey, or Kent, from continuing to be a justice of the peace for that county, and every such person and also every person who at the appointed day is a justice of the peace for the liberty and city of Westminster, the liberty of the Tower of London, or any liberty which by virtue of this Act becomes part of the county of London, shall, if and so long as he is resident or occupies property in the county of London, be a justice of the peace for that county in like manner as if he were assigned by a commission of the peace, but a person shall not after the passing of this Act be named in any commission as a justice of the peace for any liberty which by virtue of this Act becomes part of the county of London.

(2) Provided always, that the provisions of this section shall not apply to any justice of the peace of the counties of Surrey, Kent, or Middlesex, or either of them, so long as he shall hold any office connected with any court of quarter sessions of the county of London.

(3) The persons who at the passing of this Act are members of a visiting committee of any prison situate in the county of London shall continue to form such visiting committee until a new visiting committee has been appointed in accordance with a rule of the Secretary of State.

(4) Where a person is a justice of the peace in and for the county of London by reason of his being personally declared by this Act to be a justice of the peace in and for the county of London, the Lord High Chancellor shall have the same power of removing such person from being a justice of the peace as if he were named in a commission of the peace.

(5) The existing assistant judge of the court of the sessions of the peace for the county of Middlesex shall cease to be chairman of that court, and shall be the first chairman of the court of quarter sessions of the county of London, and while he holds his office he shall receive such salary, not less than what he has hitherto received, as Her Majesty, on the petition of the county council, may assign, and the enactments respecting the appointment and payment of a deputy assistant judge or of a person to preside at a second court at any sessions in the county of Middlesex shall apply to the county of London, and upon the said assistant judge ceasing to hold office shall be repealed.

(6) Nothing in this Act shall affect existing deputy lieutenants appointed by the Constable of the Tower of London as Lord Lieutenant of the Tower Hamlets.