The County Borough of Teesside was a county borough in the north-east of England, which existed for just six years. It was created in 1968 to cover the Teesside conurbation which had grown up around the various port and industrial towns near the mouth of the River Tees. The council was based in Middlesbrough, the area's largest town. The county borough was abolished in 1974 on the creation of the new county of Cleveland, which covered a larger area, with the county borough's territory being split between three of the four districts created in the new county.
Prior to 1968 the area was governed by the six separate authorities of Billingham, Eston, Middlesbrough, Redcar, Stockton-on-Tees and Thornaby-on-Tees. Middlesbrough was a county borough, providing all local government services in its area; the others were all district-level authorities, with strategic functions provided by their respective county councils. The River Tees formed the boundary between County Durham and North Riding of Yorkshire and so Durham County Council provided county-level services to Billingham and Stockton, and North Riding County Council provided such services to Eston, Redcar and Thornaby.
The six districts were abolished and merged into a single county borough called Teesside, with some adjustments to the boundaries with neighbouring districts. For ceremonial purposes the new borough was included in the North Riding of Yorkshire, but as a county borough it was independent from North Riding County Council.
Shortly after Teesside was created work began on a more fundamental review of local government, in which it was decided that the Teesside area should form part of a larger new county, also including Hartlepool and some of the conurbation's rural hinterland. The new county was called Cleveland and came into force in 1974. The old area of the county borough was split between the districts of Langbaurgh, Middlesbrough and Stockton-on-Tees, which were three of the four districts within Cleveland.
Demographics
Stockton had a population of 21,070 in 1851, being much larger than Middlesbrough which had only a population of 3,397 at the time. Middlesbrough overtook Stockton to become the larger settlement by the time of the 1891 census, when it had 81,711 people and Stockton had 80,665.
The only census carried out during the life of the county borough was the 1971 census, which showed a population of 396,233.
Predecessor authorities The River Tees formed the historic county boundary between Yorkshire and Durham. A continuous conurbation had built up around the mouth of the river, increasing greatly in population from the nineteenth century during the Industrial Revolution.*
Until the nineteenth century Stockton-on-Tees was the only town to be formally incorporated as a borough in the Teesside area. Middlesbrough was governed by improvement commissioners from 1841 and was made a borough in 1853. Thornaby was incorporated as a borough in 1892, followed by Redcar in 1922. Billingham and Eston were urban districts, as Redcar had been until its elevation to borough status.
+Previous urban authorities in the area that became Teesside County Borough in 1968 County Place Status Dates NotesDurham Billingham Urban District1923–1968 Previously a rural parish in Stockton Rural District. Enlarged in 1937Stockton-on-Tees Ancient boroughDate of foundation unknown, first reference 1283. Municipal Borough1836–1968North Riding of YorkshireEston Local Government District1884–1894Absorbed Normanby 1915 Urban District1894–1968Middlesbrough Improvement Act District1841–1853Enlarged 1866, 1887, 1913 (absorbed North Ormesby), 1929, 1932 Municipal Borough1853–1889 County Borough1889–1968Ormesby Local Government District1865–1894Abolished 1913: North Ormesby to Middlesbrough, rest (including village) downgraded to a rural parish in Middlesbrough Rural District Urban District1894–1913Redcar Local Government District1885–1894 Urban District1894–1922 Municipal Borough1922–1968South Bank in Normanby Local Government District1865–1894Initially called Normanby, renamed South Bank in Normanby 1895. Absorbed by Eston 1915 Urban District1894–1915Thornaby-on-Tees Local Government District1863–1892Local Government District was called "South Stockton" and covered northern part of township of Thornaby; enlarged to cover whole township and renamed "Thornaby-on-Tees" on incorporation in 1892. Municipal Borough1892–1968
Formation
Local Government Commission for England Under the Local Government Act 1958 a Local Government Commission for England was established to review administrative structures throughout the country.
The commission published draft proposals for the North Eastern General Review Area in April 1962 and a final report in October 1963. The report recommended the creation of a single county borough for the Teesside area as it:
...seemed to us necessary to ensure that the pattern of local government was such as to make the planning of development and the organisation of services fully effective, and to make certain that new development, such as houses, main roads, bridges and shops would match the growth and location of industry instead of perpetuating the patterns of the past. We were impressed by the need on Tees-side for more housing to relieve overcrowding, to replace outworn properties, and to meet the increase in population due to industrial expansion. Yet unless Teesside could be planned as a whole, it seemed to us impossible to ensure that new houses would be built in places most convenient for the people who would live in them, as it was difficult for the present ten separate housing authorities, each with their own housing list, to do other than build within or near their own boundaries... With the southern moorland, the coast and the river, Tees-side has a splendid setting and it ought to be made worthy of its 400,000 inhabitants. This task requires a comprehensive plan for the whole area designed to secure the benefit of its port, its industries and its commerce, the reclamation of its marshlands, the building of new roads and bridges, the renewal of obsolete parts of the old riverside development, the designing of new centres and the provision of new amenities. This formidable task gives scope not for ten authorities to develop or redevelop ten towns but for a single authority to work out the details of the probable future growth and needs of Tees-side, and then prepare and carry out a single plan for the whole area.
Reaction Reaction to the proposals was divided. The councils of Middlesbrough, Stockton, Thornaby, Redcar and Saltburn & Marske warmly welcomed the report. The two other towns due to be amalgamated, Billingham and Eston, were opposed.
The two county councils of Durham and Yorkshire, North Riding, completely rejected the commission's report. The chairman of Durham County Council, whose county was also to lose areas to the county boroughs of Hartlepool and Sunderland, described it as "the biggest menace to the north-east since the war". Sir Timothy Kitson, Member of Parliament for the Yorkshire constituency of Richmond, set out the losses to the North Riding: the administrative county was to lose about 25% of its population (reduced from about 428,000 to 318,000), and about 40% of its rateable value (down from £15.8 to £9.3 million). The chairman of North Riding County Council believed the proposals to be detrimental to the majority of the inhabitants of the administrative county.
The Teesside Order 1967 The recommendations were accepted, with boundary adjustments, by the Government in October 1965. The main changes were to exclude most of Saltburn & Marske, and the extension of the boundary of the county borough southwards. Part of Preston-on-Tees was added to include Preston Hall, an art gallery and museum owned by Stockton Corporation within the county borough.
In January 1967, Anthony Greenwood, Minister of Housing and Local Government, made the Teesside Order 1967 to carry the recommendations into effect. The new borough of Teesside was to combine the areas of:
Abolished† or reduced‡ district Area NotesCounty Borough of Middlesbrough†Municipal Borough of Redcar† (most)Remaining passed to Saltburn & Marske by the Sea UDMunicipal Borough of Stockton-on-Tees†Municipal Borough of Thornaby-on-Tees†Billingham Urban District†Remaining passed to Stockton RDEston Urban District† (most)Remaining passed to Guisborough UDGuisborough Urban district‡ (part)Saltburn and Marske by the Sea Urban District‡ (small part)Stockton Rural District‡ (part) Parts of the parishes of Carlton, Elton, Grindon, Norton, Preston-on-TeesStokesley Rural District‡ (part) Parishes of Hemlington and Marton, parts of the parishes of Maltby, Newby, Nunthorpe, Ormesby and Stainton The rural parishes of Hemlington, Marton, Stainton and Norton (most of which, including the town, had already been absorbed into Stockton in 1913) were all abolished as a result; the other affected rural parishes had their boundaries changed but continued to exist. One new rural parish was created at Wolviston covering the part of the Billingham Urban District which was deemed unsuitable for inclusion in Teesside and so was made a separate parish in Stockton Rural District.
Following its passing by both Houses of Parliament, the order came into effect, with the first election to the new borough council taking place in May 1967, serving as a shadow authority until it came into its full powers on 1 April 1968.
Inauguration In a ceremony held at Middlesbrough Town Hall, the charter of the new borough was presented by Lord Normanby, the Lord Lieutenant of the North Riding of Yorkshire. Sir William Crosthwaite, who had served as Middlesbrough's mayor on five occasions, presented a new gold ceremonial mace to the corporation. The maces of the former boroughs of Middlesbrough, Stockton, Redcar and Thornaby along with the orders of constitution of the urban district councils of Eston and Billingham were handed over to the new authority for safekeeping.
Borough council The county borough was divided into twenty-six wards, each represented by three councillors and one alderman, so that the council had a total membership of 104: 78 councillors and 26 aldermen.
The wards were:
Acklam Ayresome Berwick Hills Billingham East Billingham West Coatham Eston Grange Grangefield Gresham Hartburn Kirkleatham Linthorpe Marton Mile House North End North Ormesby Norton Ormesby Redcar St Hilda's South Bank Stockton South Thornaby East Thornaby West Thorntree Tollesby
The first election was held in May 1967 with the council forming a "shadow authority" until April 1968. Annual elections were then held, with one third of the councillors retiring each year. Aldermen had a six-year term of office, with half being elected by the council every three years.
YearMembersControl Conservative Labour Independent andCitizen's Party 1967 56 39 9 Conservative1968 61 34 91969 65 30 91970 63 33 51971 53 46 51972 44 57 3 Labour
Coat of arms The county borough corporation was granted armorial bearings by the College of Arms on 26 March 1968. the arms were blazoned as follows: Argent an ancient ship sails furled pennons flying Sable, on a chief Azure on a pale Sable fimbriated and between two crucibles Argent a basilisk Or. Crest: On a wreath Argent and Azure on a grassy mount Proper an anchor Or between two cogwheels Sable. Supporters: On the dexter side a lion Or resting the interior hind paw on three ingots of steel Proper and on the sinister side a seahorse Argent scales, dorsal fin and tail Or, each collared Azure thereon a barrulet wavy Argent .The whole upon a compartment per pale of a grassy mount and waves of the sea Proper. Badge: A tau cross Azure enfiled by a mural crown Or.