Local Government Act 1888

54 Future alterations of boundaries.

(1) Whenever it is represented by the council of any county or borough to the Local Government Board—

(a) that the alteration of the boundary of any county or borough is desirable ; or

(b) that the union, for all or any of the purposes of this Act, of a county borough with a county is desirable ; or

(c) that the union, for all or any of the purposes of this Act, of any counties or boroughs or the division of any county is desirable; or

(d) that it is desirable to constitute any borough having a population of not less than fifty thousand into a county borough; or

(e) that the alteration of the boundary of any electoral division of a county, or of the number of county councillors and electoral divisions in a county, is desirable; or

(f) that the alteration of any area of local government partly situate in their county or borough is desirable,

the Local Government Board shall, unless for special reasons they think that the representation ought not to be entertained, cause to be made a local inquiry, and may make an order for the proposal contained in such representation, or for such other proposal as they may deem expedient, or may refuse such order, and if they make the order may by such order divide or alter any electoral division.

(2) Provided that in default of such representation by the council of any county or borough before the first day of November one thousand eight hundred and eighty-nine, the Local Government Board may cause such local inquiry to be made, and thereupon may make such order as they may deem expedient.

(3) Provided that if the order alters the boundary of a county or borough, or provides for the union of a county borough with a county, or for the union of any counties or boroughs, or for the division of any county, or for constituting a borough into a county borough, it shall be provisional only, and shall not have effect unless confirmed by Parliament.

(4) Where such order alters the boundary of a borough, it may, as consequential upon such alteration, do all or any of the following things, increase or decrease the number of the wards in the borough, and alter the boundaries of such wards, and alter the apportionment of the number of councillors among the wards, and alter the total number of councillors, and in such case, make the proportionate alteration in the number of aldermen.

(5) At any time before the appointed day, the Local Government Board may make an order in pursuance of this section without any such representation as in this section mentioned.