Sandy Urban District Council

7 Saint Neots Road March 2010

In 2009 Bedfordshire County Council was abolished and replaced by two small unitary authorities. These were based on district councils - Bedford Borough and Central Bedfordshire, the latter an amalgamation of Mid Bedfordshire and South bedfordshire District Councils. These bodies were created in 1974. Before that district council functions had been undertaken by urban and rural district councils.

An urban district council delivered a set of services for a single urban parish, as opposed to a rural district council which delivered services for a collection of parishes. Urban and rural district councils were created by The Local Government Act 1894 and replaced earlier bodies called Urban or Rural Sanitary Authorities. The councils had responsibilities for sanitation, such as rubbish and night soil collection and this was the reason for separate urban and rural bodies as urban bodies were considered to have more of a problem and a greater potential for disease in this area. Councils also had local planning functions, such as allowing or refusing planning applications to build or alter houses and, during the 20th century, the power to build council houses and act as landlord to people renting them. The councils also administered parks and cemeteries.

Sandy was part of Biggleswade Rural District Council until the creation of Sandy Urban District Council in 1927, at which point the population was around 3,200 people. The offices were at 7 Saint Neots Road. The UDC was abolished in 1974 when Sandy became part of Mid Bedfordshire District Council. During the existence of the UDC there had been no need for a parish council for Sandy, thus in 1974 the current Town Council was created to undertake the traditional functions of a parish council.

The chapel in Sandy Cemetery March 2010

Bedfordshire and Luton Archives and Records Service has the following records from Sandy UDC, some of which predate the creation of the UDC:

• UDSF1/1-13: valuation lists, some of which include the parishes of Blunham and Northill: 1909-1956;
• UDSF2/1-9: rate books: 1909-1961;
• UDSF3/1: owner's schedule: 1965-1966;
• UDSF4/1-4: registers of mortgages and transfers: 1890-1970;
• UDSF5/1-3: registers of dwellings for improvement grants:1955-1974;
• UDSM1/1-12: general council and sub-committee minutes: 1927-1974;
• UDSM2/1-8: minutes of earlier local government organisations in Sandy including the parish council (1895-1927), gas inspector's minutes (1890-1919) and burial board (1890-1896): 1890-1927;
• UDSP1-2: planning register and index: 1948-1973;
• UDSV1: parish meeting notices: 1922-1927;
• UDSV2: meetings, tenders, notices etc.: 1933-1964;
• UDSV3: notices regarding lighting: 1921-1940;
• UDSV4: list of chairmen and vice-chairmen: 1927-1974;
• UDSV5: papers relating to the assumption of urban powers: 1899-1945;
• UDSV6: Sandy Show material, run by Sandy Floral and Horticultural Society: 1881-1974;
• UDSPu: Town Guides: c. 1925-1969.