| AdminHistory | The functions of the committees that make up this record series had their origins in the lighting and street cleaning duties of the Street Commissioners, which transferred to the Corporation under the Improvement Act of 1851. Under these Corporation, the tasks of street lighting, street cleaning and stabling were assigned mainly to the Public Works Committee (BCC/1/AO), General Purposes Committee (BCC/1/AG), the Gas Committee (after 1875 -see BCC/1/AY) and the Electric Supply Committee (After 1900: see BCC/1/BD). After these three functions had been brought together under the same committee, its first instruction was to create three new sub-committees to report on each of the functions. The Lighting and Refuse Sub-Committees were brand new, unlike the Stables Sub-Committee. The committee also attended to staffing matters, such as wages, accidents, appointments, mach
inery and vehicles.
The Stables Sub-Committee had originally been a joint sub-committee, formed in February 1880, by both the Health (BCC/1/AR) and the Public Works Committees. It took over the management of the feeding of the horses for both departments, keeping special accounts, as the committee was dissatisfied at the cost of keeping Corporation horses as opposed to other authorities and the ‘omnibus companies of this town’. In September 1880, moves were made for a standing sub-committee, a veterinary surgeon and a Stables Department to be appointed to look after all the Council's horses. In November 1880 it was renamed the Stables Sub-Committee, and the following January, a Mr Malcolm was appointed as Veterinary Superintendent.
After November 1911, this sub-committee and the Stables Department were transferred to the Lighting, Stables and Refuse Disposal Committee, although the minute numbers continued their previous sequence. There were several stables and forges, and detailed accounts were kept over food, bedding, smith and veterinary costs, as well as the state of the horses themselves and their purchase and sale. With the increasing use of petrol and electric vehicles, the Stables Sub-Committee was finally renamed the Veterinary Sub-Committee in May 1952. The Department was transferred to the Markets and Fairs Committee in 1959 (see BCC/1/AN).
As can be expected, the lighting function of the committee was to identify roads and areas in need of street lighting, generally for safety purposes, indeed Stechford Lane was the first street identified as a 'veritable death trap'. Further, they were also responsible for the maintenance and repair of street lamps. The committee was served by the Lighting Department, based at a depot in Cambridge Street. In November 1919 this function was transferred to the Public Works and Town Planning Department.
The refuse disposal function of the committee entailed responsibility for not only street cleaning, emptying of cess-pools (also called dumb wells), trade effluent and the refuse disposal in the city, but also for other public health matters; for example, they were also paid by the canal companies to collect and destroy dead animals found in the canals. This element of the committee's remit had its origins in the Sanitary Committee, later the Heath Committee (see BCC/1/AR), and was served in this function by the Refuse Department, which was renamed the Salvage Department in November 1918. The Department maintained numerous ‘tips’ and also several ‘Destructors’ or ‘Incandescent Chimneys' (see BCC/1/AR/4/1/1 Health Committee, Destructor Sub-Committee minutes).
The Lighting, Stables and Refuse Committee was renamed the Salvage, Stable and Lighting Committee in November 1918, followed by the Salvage and Stables Committee the following year, when the lighting function was transferred. In May 1952, the stable function was dropped from the Committee title, as the Stable Sub-Committee was renamed the Veterinary Sub-Committee. |