Abstract
THE problem of the definition of local government areas for one purpose or another is a very complex one. The needs of local administretion have long outgrown the existing framework, and for every aspect of local government the boundaries need to be redrawn. In a paper in the Geographical Journal (111, 4-6) entitled "The Boundaries of Local Government Areas", Mr. E. W. Gilbert discusses some of the problems involved, especially as the geographer sees them, with reference to the "Local Government Boundary Commission Report"for the year 1946. A valuable feature of his paper is the series of twenty maps of England and Wales showing boundaries of areas that have been used or suggested for the different purposes, including gas and coal boards, electricity, railways, hospitals, post office, weather forecasts, and so forth. The divergence of views is obvious from these maps. Provinces or areas, each with a regional consciousness, do occur; there is no question of that ; but the difficulty lies in their definitions. Even as regards towns the problem is not easy since town boundaries are arbitrary and do not coincide with the urban areas. Again, it is essential that the confines of an administrative region should embrace an area of which all parts are easily accessible in terms of time and expense. This feature has much to do with the growth of regional consciousness.
Article PDF
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Local Government. Nature 162, 884 (1948). https://doi.org/10.1038/162884b0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/162884b0