| Description | All minute volumes alphabetically indexed. The Tramways Committee minutes BCC/1/BE/1/1/1 - 8, dated November 1900 - December 1920, pre-date the uniformly titled and dated sequence, and are entitled 'Tramways Committee', with no dates on the spines or covers. Minutes BCC/1/BE/1/1/9 onwards are in uniformly titled committee minute books. The minutes contain general information relating to finances (including annual accounts and proposed annual income and expenditure), staffing, fares, building and equipment. There are also reports documenting road accidents and the progress of road works and traffic calming measures, including detailed reports of the Tramways (later Tramways Works) Sub-Committee (see BCC/1/BE/2). Also included are maps and plans enclosed detailing omnibus, tram and bus routes, and the location of proposed street and road works; details of agreements between Birmingham Council and various transport companies; reports on accidents, including claims made against members of the public against the Council as a result; reports of traffic volume on major routes; lists of persons prosecuted for unpaid transport fares and other offences; details on departmental staff and salaries; information on the purchase and maintenance of buildings and vehicles that fell under the care of the department; and accounts and statements of departmental income and expenditure. The minute volumes covering the Second World War include a large amount of information on the impact of wartime mobilisation on the Transport Department's resources and staffing, reports on the impact of air raids on Birmingham's transport infrastructure, accidents sustained during the black-out, and several acts of heroism on the part of departmental drivers and other staff during the Blitz (see BCC/1/BE/1/1/20 - 22). |