London County Council

County of London

The arms of the London County Council are still seen today on buildings, especially housing, from that era

London County Council (LCC) was the principal local government body for the County of London, during its whole existence (1889-1965), and the first London-wide general municipal authority that was directly elected. It covered the area today known as Inner London and was replaced by the Greater London Council. The LCC was the largest, most significant and ambitious municipal authority of its day.

History

The creation of the LCC in 1889, as part of the Local Government Act 1888, was forced by a succession of scandals involving the Metropolitan Board of Works (MBW), its predecessor, which had not been directly elected. While the Conservative government of the day would have preferred not to create a single body covering the whole of London, their election promise to the Liberal Unionists led them to this policy. A later Government created the 28 metropolitan boroughs as lower tier authorities to replace the various local authorities in 1899; they assumed some powers of the LCC and shared others.

The LCC inherited the powers of its predecessor the MBW, but also had wider authority over matters such as education, city planning and council housing. It took over the functions of the London School Board in 1903, and Dr C W Kimmins was appointed chief inspector of the education department in 1904.

London County Council Media

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  The First Meeting of the London County Council in the County Hall Spring Gardens, 1889 by Henry Jamyn Brooks

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  MetropolitanBoardofWorksinSpringGardensILN

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  County Hall from the north bank of the Thames

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  Electioneering poster, 1907

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  Council Chamber of the LCC, from the majority benches

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  Lord Rosebery, first chairman of the London County Council

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  London County Council Tramways manhole cover in a footway in the London Borough of Lewisham as seen in 2022. There are many of these throughout the borough.