|
|
Agency number: |
3488 |
|
Title: |
Mackellar County Council |
|
Start date: |
01 Sep 1951 |
|
End date: |
01 Jan 1980 |
|
Category: |
Local Office |
|
Creation: |
NSW Government Gazette 13 July, 1951 p. 2022 |
|
Abolition: |
Administrative decision |
|
|
Administrative history note: |
The Local Government Act, 1919 provided for the establishment of District Counties and County Councils by whole, groups of, or parts of municipalities and shires to perform nominated functions delegated by the Councils concerned. Once the County Council was proclaimed it could exercise the full power of the Council in regard to the delegated functions.
The formation of a County Council for the control and development of electricity by amalgamating the Manly Municipal Council and the Warringah Shire trading undertakings was first in 1938 and addressed again in 1943 but was not followed through because of wartime exigencies.
The two local government areas again considered the matter at a conference held on 17th March 1950, but Warringah Shire later withdrew its support for the proposal. Later that year the Electricity Authority of New South Wales began investigations into the proposal as part of its role of rationalising electricity distribution within the County of Cumberland. Representatives of the Authority visited Manly / Warringah on 15 February 1951 when they inspected “developments within the Shire” and “points of interest” and met with delegates of both Councils. In its report of 14 March 1951 the Electricity Authority identified advantages of creating a county council comprising the two local government areas including the economics of combining the general and technical administration, construction; testing and maintenance facilities; and sales and service facilities. The Authority recommended that the two councils “give early consideration to the formation of a County Council as the most suitable organisation to control electricity supply in the Manly-Warringah district.”
The two councils held three joint conferences in May and June 1951. They resolved to establish the Mackellar County Council consisting of three representatives from each Council to commence on 1 September 1951. [The name Mackellar was selected to honour the late Sir Charles Kinnaird Mackellar and his daughter the poet Dorothea Mackellar.] (1) The resolutions of these meetings were forwarded to the Minister for Local Government who consented to the establishment and Constitution of the Mackellar County Council which were proclaimed on 4 July 1951 and published in the NSW Government Gazette of 13 July 1951. (2)
The role of the County Council included the following:
the construction extension, protection, maintenance, control and management of works for the supply of electricity
the supply of electricity
the supply and installation of electrical fittings and appliances (including the power to purchase, generate, manufacture or obtain electricity or electrical fittings and appliances for sale or hire
to borrow money for the construction of works and provision of services or to enable any other role of the County Council to be performed
issue debenture, mortgage deeds or bonds for securing the repayment of money borrowed
to levy a loan rate in connection with any loans raised;
to grant permission for other parties to supply electric current to the public;
to lay and erect pipes, wires, poles and other apparatus under or over a public place; and
to grant permission to any person to construct, lay, suspend or otherwise place rails, pipes, wires, cables, tunnels or structures under or over any public place for the supply of electric current.
The first delegates to the Mackellar County Council were elected by the Warringah Shire Council on 16 July 1951 and by the Manly Municipality on 17th July 1951. The inaugural meeting was held at the Manly Municipal Council Chamber on 15 August and as proclaimed the County Council Commenced operations on 1 September 1951.
The restructure of electricity distribution areas in New South Wales to reduce the number of electricity councils was implemented on 1 January 1980. This resulted in the Mackellar, St George, and Brisbane Water county councils being amalgamated with the Sydney County Council. (3)
Endnotes:
(1) Mackellar County Council First Annual Report, 1952 in CGS 9614 [7/1341A].
(2) NSW Government Gazette, 13 July 1951, p.2022.
(3) Report of the Energy Authority of New South Wales for the year ending 30 June 1980, p.29. |
|
|
Images: |
None
|
|
|
Preceding agencies: |
None
|
|
|
Succeeding agencies: |
|
|
|
Superior agencies: |
|
|
|
Subordinate agencies: |
None
|
|
|
Related agencies: |
None
|
|
|
Functions exercised by this agency: |
|
|
|
Organisations controlling this agency: |
|
|
|
Persons related to this agency: |
None
|
|
|
Record series created by this agency: |
|
|
|
Record series controlled by this agency: |
None
|
|
|
