| Description | The Central Relief committee was founded in 1912, following the amalgamation of the Aston, Birmingham and King's Norton Unions. Consisting of all members of the Board, 52 Guardians in all, it was originally referred to as the Out Relief committee, but changed its name at the second meeting in May 1912. The committee's main job was 'to give the necessary directions respecting all applications for relief, and also respecting the amount and nature of relief to be given.' In order to do this, the committee was to set up a number of Sectional Relief sub-committees, each of which would deal with a different area of the Union (see GP B/2/7/8-19, below). A final duty was to ensure that the posts of Relieving and Medical Officers were filled. The committee continued to operate even after the dissolution of the Poor Law Union in 1930, under the authority of the city council.
The minutes contain details on all of the above duties, along with discussions on the general administration of the out relief system and its regulation. Exceptions to the existing system of out relief are also discussed. The volumes are not indexed. |