ABSTRACT
The permutations and combinations of these roles do not fall into a tidy pattern corresponding to the type of authority or its size. Some very broad generalizations are possible about the organization of the county councils and also about the district councils. The number of chief officers which authorities are required to appoint by statute or direction is comparatively few and the larger authorities appoint many more than the legal minimum. The non-county boroughs and urban and rural districts are required by statute to appoint a Clerk, Treasurer, Surveyor, Medical Officer and Public Health Inspector. The main departments with building requirements are divided in much the same way as the main committees and include education, health, police, fire, welfare and children’s departments each with their individual head, who is generally a chief officer. In 1937, forty-four counties had separate Architect’s departments. In the rest the County Surveyor was usually responsible for architectural as well as engineering services.
