| Description | The Birmingham Poor Law Union was formally dissolved on the 1 April 1930, its duties being taken over by Birmingham City Council. The majority of its remit was covered by the new Public Assistance committee, with all other areas being covered by the Education committee and the Public Health and Maternity and Child Welfare committee. Minutes for these committees can be found in the archive's City Council collection.
Despite post-dating 1930, volumes GP B/2/7/22-23 listed below have been kept with the remainder of the Union collection. These volumes deal exclusively with the Poor Law, unlike the minutes of the Council committees which also deal with other issues, and so it was felt more appropriate for them to remain here.
The Central Assistance sub-committee operated under the authority of the Council's Public Assistance committee, but its exact remit is unclear. From the minutes themselves, it appears that the committee carried on the work of the Guardians, overseeing the provision of poor relief within the Birmingham area and monitoring the work of the separate Sectional Assistance sub-committees. By this stage, the majority of aid appears to have been given as out-relief - the workhouse increasingly became used as an institution to maintain the elderly and sick poor, and in 1948 became Summerfield Hospital. |