From the early 19th century the gas supply industry in the United Kingdom was mainly operated by local authorities and private companies.[2] A flammable gas (known as "town gas" or "coal gas") was piped to commercial, domestic and industrial customers for use as a fuel and for lighting. It was marketed to consumers by such means as the National Gas Congress and Exhibition in 1913. The gas used in the 19th and early 20th centuries was coal gas but in the period 1967–77 coal gas supplies were replaced by natural gas, first discovered in the UK North Sea in 1965.
Nationalisationedit
In 1948 Clement Attlee's Labour government reshaped the gas industry, enacting the Gas Act 1948. The act nationalised the UK gas industry and 1,064 privately owned and municipal gas companies were merged into twelve area gas boards each a separate body with its own management structure.[3] Under the Gas Act 1948 the area boards were charged with three duties:[4]
To develop and maintain an efficient, co-ordinated and economical system of gas supply for their areas and to satisfy, so far as it is economic to do so, all reasonable demands for gas within their area.
To develop and maintain the efficient, co-ordinated and economical production of coke, other than metallurgical coke.
To develop and maintain efficient methods of recovering by-products obtained in the process of manufacturing gas.
Management boardedit
The management board for each area board typically comprised:[4]
Chairman
Deputy chairman
Chief engineer
Controller of research
Controller of services
Commercial manager
Public relations officer
Secretary
Chief accountant
Staff controller
The chairman of each area board was a member of the Gas Council. Each area board was divided into geographical groups or divisions which were often further divided into smaller districts. These boards simply became known as the "gas board", a term people still use when referring to British Gas, the company that replaced the boards when the Gas Act 1972 was passed. The area boards became regions of the British Gas Corporation.[2]
^ abWilliams, Trevor I. (1981). A History of the British Gas Industry. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN0198581572.
^. Archived from the original on January 21, 2012. Retrieved July 17, 2012.
^ abFalkus, Malcolm (1988). Always under Pressure - A History of North Thames Gas since 1949. London: Macmillan. pp. 18, 23. ISBN0333468198.
^"Southern Gas Board". Heraldry of the United Kingdom. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
April 10, 2024
board, area, boards, were, created, under, provisions, 1948, enacted, clement, attlee, post, labour, government, nationalised, british, industry, also, created, council, area, boardscompany, typenationalised, companies, controlled, government, reporting, minis. The area gas boards were created under the provisions of the Gas Act 1948 enacted by Clement Attlee s post war Labour government The Act nationalised the British gas industry and also created the Gas Council Area gas boardsCompany typeNationalised companies controlled by HM Government and reporting to the Ministry of Power IndustryUtilities energy gas Predecessor1812 as the Gas Light and Coke Company and various others Founded1 May 1949 by the Gas Act 1948 Defunct31 December 1972FateReorganisation under the Gas Act 1972SuccessorBritish Gas Corporation by the Gas Act 1972 Area servedGreat BritainKey peopleBoard members 1 ProductsCoal gas natural gasServicesGas and coke supply Contents 1 History 1 1 Nationalisation 1 2 Management board 1 3 Area gas boards 2 Arms 3 ReferencesHistory editFrom the early 19th century the gas supply industry in the United Kingdom was mainly operated by local authorities and private companies 2 A flammable gas known as town gas or coal gas was piped to commercial domestic and industrial customers for use as a fuel and for lighting It was marketed to consumers by such means as the National Gas Congress and Exhibition in 1913 The gas used in the 19th and early 20th centuries was coal gas but in the period 1967 77 coal gas supplies were replaced by natural gas first discovered in the UK North Sea in 1965 Nationalisation edit In 1948 Clement Attlee s Labour government reshaped the gas industry enacting the Gas Act 1948 The act nationalised the UK gas industry and 1 064 privately owned and municipal gas companies were merged into twelve area gas boards each a separate body with its own management structure 3 Under the Gas Act 1948 the area boards were charged with three duties 4 To develop and maintain an efficient co ordinated and economical system of gas supply for their areas and to satisfy so far as it is economic to do so all reasonable demands for gas within their area To develop and maintain the efficient co ordinated and economical production of coke other than metallurgical coke To develop and maintain efficient methods of recovering by products obtained in the process of manufacturing gas Management board edit The management board for each area board typically comprised 4 Chairman Deputy chairman Chief engineer Controller of research Controller of services Commercial manager Public relations officer Secretary Chief accountant Staff controllerThe chairman of each area board was a member of the Gas Council Each area board was divided into geographical groups or divisions which were often further divided into smaller districts These boards simply became known as the gas board a term people still use when referring to British Gas the company that replaced the boards when the Gas Act 1972 was passed The area boards became regions of the British Gas Corporation 2 Area gas boards edit nbsp Map of gas area boardsNo Name of area board Coverage of area1 Scottish Gas Board Scotland2 Northern Gas Board Durham Northumberland and parts of Cumberland Westmorland and the North Riding of Yorkshire3 North Western Gas Board Lancashire and parts of Cheshire Cumberland Derbyshire Shropshire Westmorland and the West Riding of Yorkshire4 North Eastern Gas Board The East Riding of Yorkshire and parts of the North and West Ridings of Yorkshire including York 5 Wales Gas Board Wales6 West Midlands Gas Board Parts of Cheshire Herefordshire Leicestershire Shropshire Staffordshire Warwickshire including Birmingham and Worcestershire7 East Midlands Gas Board Lincolnshire Nottinghamshire Rutland and parts of Bedfordshire Buckinghamshire Derbyshire Leicestershire Northamptonshire Staffordshire and the West Riding of Yorkshire8 South Western Gas Board Cornwall including the Isles of Scilly Gloucestershire and parts of Berkshire Devon Herefordshire Oxfordshire Somerset Warwickshire Wiltshire and Worcestershire9 North Thames Gas Board Parts of the administrative County of London and of Berkshire Buckinghamshire Essex Hertfordshire Middlesex and Surrey10 Eastern Gas Board Cambridgeshire Huntingdonshire the Isle of Ely Norfolk the Soke of Peterborough Suffolk and parts of Bedfordshire Buckinghamshire Essex Hertfordshire and Middlesex11 Southern Gas Board Dorset Hampshire the Isle of Wight and parts of Bedfordshire Berkshire Buckinghamshire Devon Hertfordshire Northamptonshire Oxfordshire Somerset Surrey Sussex and Wiltshire12 South Eastern Gas Board Kent and parts of the administrative County of London and of Middlesex Surrey and SussexArms editCoat of arms of Gas board Notes Granted 20 January 1959 5 Crest On a wreath Or and Sable a demi lion passant guardant Or armed and langued Sable conjoined to a demi hulk of an ancient ship Gold Escutcheon Or a bar wavy Azure on a chief embattled Sable three lions faces of the field langued of the third Supporters On either side an Anglo Saxon habited Proper Motto In Rupe AedificabimusReferences edit Area gas board members Parliamentary Debates Hansard 10 February 1949 Retrieved July 17 2012 a b Williams Trevor I 1981 A History of the British Gas Industry Oxford Oxford University Press ISBN 0198581572 Nationalisation Archived from the original on January 21 2012 Retrieved July 17 2012 a b Falkus Malcolm 1988 Always under Pressure A History of North Thames Gas since 1949 London Macmillan pp 18 23 ISBN 0333468198 Southern Gas Board Heraldry of the United Kingdom Retrieved 2 February 2021 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Gas board amp oldid 1176778632, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
