VPRS 17765 Meeting Minutes, Local Board of Health

Full description

This series consists of the minutes of Warrnambool Council sitting as the Local Board of Health. The Public Health Act 1854 (18 VIC No.13) established the council of a municipality as the Local Board of Health for that municipality with a Central Board of Health, appointed by the Governor-in-Council as governing body. The powers and responsibilities of local boards of health were refined by subsequent Public Health Legislation. Local boards of health were discontinued by the Public Health Act 1889 (53 VIC No.1044) and their powers and responsibilities passed to municipal councils. The Central Board of Health was abolished and replaced by the Board of Public Health.

The commencement date for this series is uncertain. Warrnambool was proclaimed a municipality on 9/12/1855 and presumably the first council became the Local Board of Health at that time.

The P1 consignment contains minutes of the Local Board of Health for the year 1889. It appears that previous minutes are no longer extant.

The various Health acts, under which the Local Board of Health was constituted, bestowed a number of powers and responsibilities relating to a number of areas including:

- prevention of adulteration of food, drink etc,
- common lodging houses, dwelling houses,
- infectious diseases, hospitals, vaccination,
- nuisances-offensive trades,
- sewers, drains, lanes etc,

Local boards of health were empowered to make by-laws and to implement them as well implementing those made by the Central Board of Health.

The minutes of the Local Board of Health of Warrnambool Council contain information on decisions and discussions relating to the above matters.

In 1890 the local Councils assumed the responsibilities of the Local Board of Health and appointed the Health Committee to oversee their implementation and to report, and make recommendations to Council.