The area gas boards were created under the provisions of the Gas Act 1948 enacted by Clement Attlee's post-war Labour government. The act nationalised the British gas industry and also created the Gas Council.
History From the early 19th century the gas supply industry in the United Kingdom was mainly operated by local authorities and private companies. A flammable gas (known as "town gas" or "coal gas") was piped to commercial, domestic and industrial customers for use as a fuel and for lighting. It was marketed to consumers by such means as the National Gas Congress and Exhibition in 1913. The gas used in the 19th and early 20th centuries was coal gas but in the period 1967–77 coal gas supplies were replaced by natural gas, first discovered in the UK North Sea in 1965.
Nationalisation In 1948 Clement Attlee's Labour government reshaped the gas industry, enacting the Gas Act 1948. The act nationalised the UK gas industry and 1,064 privately owned and municipal gas companies were merged into twelve area gas boards each a separate body with its own management structure. Under the Gas Act 1948 the area boards were charged with three duties:
To develop and maintain an efficient, co-ordinated and economical system of gas supply for their areas and to satisfy, so far as it is economic to do so, all reasonable demands for gas within their area. To develop and maintain the efficient, co-ordinated and economical production of coke, other than metallurgical coke. To develop and maintain efficient methods of recovering by-products obtained in the process of manufacturing gas.
Management board The management board for each area board typically comprised:
Chairman Deputy chairman Chief engineer Controller of research Controller of services Commercial manager Public relations officer Secretary Chief accountant Staff controller
The chairman of each area board was a member of the Gas Council. Each area board was divided into geographical groups or divisions which were often further divided into smaller districts. These boards simply became known as the "gas board", a term people still use when referring to British Gas, the company that replaced the boards when the Gas Act 1972 was passed. The area boards became regions of the British Gas Corporation.
Area gas boards
The areas and existing companies were assigned to the gas board by the (SI 1949/742):
No. Name of area board Coverage of area1 Scottish Gas Board Scotland2 Northern Gas BoardDurham, Northumberland and parts of Cumberland, Westmorland and the North Riding of Yorkshire3 North Western Gas BoardLancashire and parts of Cheshire, Cumberland, Derbyshire, Shropshire, Westmorland and the West Riding of Yorkshire4 North-Eastern Gas BoardThe East Riding of Yorkshire and parts of the North and West Ridings of Yorkshire (including York)5 Wales Gas Board Wales6West Midlands Gas BoardParts of Cheshire, Herefordshire, Leicestershire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire (including Birmingham) and Worcestershire7 East Midlands Gas BoardLincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Rutland and parts of Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Staffordshire and the West Riding of Yorkshire8South Western Gas BoardCornwall (including the Isles of Scilly), Gloucestershire and parts of Berkshire, Devon, Herefordshire, Oxfordshire, Somerset, Warwickshire, Wiltshire and Worcestershire9 North Thames Gas BoardParts of the administrative County of London and of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Middlesex and Surrey10 Eastern Gas BoardCambridgeshire, Huntingdonshire, the Isle of Ely, Norfolk, the Soke of Peterborough, Suffolk and parts of Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex, Hertfordshire and Middlesex11 Southern Gas BoardDorset, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight and parts of Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Devon, Hertfordshire, Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire, Somerset, Surrey, Sussex and Wiltshire12 South Eastern Gas BoardKent, and parts of the administrative County of London and of Middlesex, Surrey and Sussex
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