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42
Compulsory
purchase of
Land.
41.—A conference of Metropolitan Borough Councils, convened
by the Bethnal Green Borough Council, was
held at the Town Hall, Bethnal Green, on the 10th
April, with reference to the proposed extension of the
power of Borough Councils to purchase land compulsorily. Councillors
Lance and Hazell attended the conference as the representatives
of this Council and the following resolutions were
passed, viz.: —
"That, in the opinion of this Conference, representative of the
"Metropolitan Borough Councils constituted under the London
"Government Act, 1899, the Councils should be invested with the
"power to acquire land for any purpose connected with the duties
"to be performed by the Councils, and that whether as to duties
"under an Adoptive Act or not."
"That the London Government Act, 1899, should be amended
"so as to enable the Councils constituted thereunder to proceed by
"way of Provisional Order to put in force the provisions of the
"Lands Clauses Consolidation Acts for compulsory acquisition of
"land as or in like manner as Local Authorities outside the Metro"polis
are empowered to by section 176 of the Public Health Act,
"1873."
"That a copy of the resolutions be sent to the President of the
"Local Government Board, and that the Councils representatives
"do support the request to the President to give effect to the opinion
"of this Conference and to ask the Members of Parliament for the
"several Boroughs represented at this Conference to also support
"such request."
42.—The foregoing resolutions were considered by the
Council and the President of the Local Government Board and
the Members of Parliament for this Borough were communicated
with accordingly. The Local Government) Board have since
stated that they are advised that Provisional Orders cannot be
obtained in respect of the compulsory purchase of land required
by a Borough Council for the purposes of the Baths and Washhouses
Acts, the Burials Acts, the Public Libraries Acts, the Open
Spaces Acts, or the Electric Lighting Acts, and that the suggestion
that amending legislation should be promoted has been noted.