WELFARE COMMITTEE

Statutory committee appointed to discharge the Council's functions under Part III of the National Assistance Act 1948 (11 & 12 Geo. VI c. 29). This Act formed part of the comprehensive scheme of social legislation introduced by the post-war Labour Government (1945-1951) to replace the Poor Law (managed locally) with a new welfare structure (provided by the state). Henceforth, general financial relief was provided by the National Assistance Board whilst county and county borough councils were responsible under Part III of the Act for providing residential accommodation (e.g. for the elderly) and special welfare services for people with disabilities. The Act required local authority schemes to be submitted to the Minister of National Insurance. The complex settlement and removal provisions of the Poor Law were replaced by a simple test of ordinary residence. The Act also required the registration of private services e.g. homes for the elderly, and included transitional arrangements for the transfer of workhouses with medical facilities to regional hospital boards under the NHS. The Committee also inherited responsibility for registration of births, marriages and deaths from the Public Assistance Committee (see CC1/20). The Committee was abolished when its responsibilities were transferred to the reconstituted Health Committee in May 1964 (see CC1/33).