ABSTRACT
The one constructive proposal contained in the White Paper was the creation of a Local Government Boundary Commission. The suggestion originated in the reports of the National Association of Local Government Officers and of the Labour Party. Both these bodies envisaged a Commission with very wide powers to review existing local government areas and authorities. The Commission was given statutory power to alter or define the boundaries of a county, county borough or county district. It could unite a county with another county, or combine one county borough with another county borough. Despite these advantages as an instrument of reform, the Commission was severely handicapped by the lack of two essential powers. One was that it had no jurisdiction over functions. The other was that it was unable to create new types of authorities exercising powers over regional areas.
