Electricity (Supply) Act 1922
Act of Parliament
Long titleAn Act to amend the law with respect to the supply of electricity.
Citation12 & 13 Geo. 5 c. 46
Territorial extent England and Wales, Scotland (excludes Ireland)
Dates
Royal assent4 August 1922
Repealed31 March 1990
Other legislation
AmendsElectricity (Supply) Act 1919
Repealed byElectricity Act 1989
Status: Repealed
Text of statute as originally enacted

The Electricity (Supply) Act 1922 (12 & 13 Geo. 5. c. 46)[1] was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which amended the law on the supply of electricity. This Act was construed as one with the Electricity (Supply) Acts 1882 to 1919, and was cited as the Electricity (Supply) Acts 1882 to 1922. It established the powers of electricity authorities to borrow money for the construction and operation of electricity generating and transmission systems; it amended some Sections of the Electricity (Supply) Act 1919 relating to electricity districts and joint electricity authorities; it empowered electricity authorities to provide a supply to railway companies; and established methods of reclaiming expenses of various statutory bodies.[1]

Background

The Electricity (Supply) Act 1919[2] It had provided for the establishment of the Electricity Commissioners (Sections 1–3), and their duty to determine Electricity Districts (Section 5). The Act also provided for the establishment of joint electricity authorities (Section 8).[2]

The Electricity Commissioners had started work in January 1920 and had identified fifteen electricity districts across the country.[3]  However, the establishment of joint electricity authorities (JEAs) was problematic. JEAs were set up on a voluntary basis, and they were largely supported by local authority electricity undertakings. But power companies thought that the JEAs would take over their functions and therefore opposed their establishment.[4]

One of the intentions of the 1922 Act was therefore to allow the JEAs to have appropriate financial powers and to protect the interests of the power companies.[5]

Following the enactment of the 1919 Act there were several wider issues that affected the efficient operation of the British electricity supply industry. During the passage of the Electricity (Supply) Bill through Parliament in 1919, the Conservatives had opposed the bill's proposals for the formation of district electricity boards with their compulsory purchase powers to take over generation and to provide interconnections.[6] Members of the Conservative Party were suspicious of ‘schemes which smacked of nationalisation’, and more widely opposed state intervention in industrial affairs,[6] the powers of compulsion of the Electricity Commissioners were curtailed.[6]

The period from 1919 to 1926 has been characterised as ‘the diagnosis of failure’ of the British electricity supply industry.[7]  The Electricity Commissioners admitted that their activities had met with only limited success, as they had been involved in interminable rounds of public inquiries. Lack of powers of compulsion and municipal pride had militated again cooperation between local authority undertakings.[7] There were also concerns about the dominance of power companies and larger local authorities.

While the 1922 Act dealt with some of these issues, the problems of integration and cooperation were addressed later by the Electricity (Supply) Act 1926.

Provisions of the Act

The Electricity (Supply) Act 1922 received royal assent on 4 August 1922.

The Act comprised 31 sections as follows.

Operation of the Act

The 1922 Act resulted in the establishment of JEAs, however only four were constituted, namely:[8]

Later acts

The Electricity (Supply) Act 1926 (16 & 17 Geo. 5. c. 51)[9] established the Central Electricity Board.

The Electricity Act 1947 (10 & 11 Geo. 6, c. 54),[10] nationalised the UK electricity supply industry. The Electricity Commissioners, the power companies, and the joint electricity authorities were abolished. The Ownership of electricity generation and transmission facilities was vested in the British Electricity Authority.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Electricity (Supply) Act 1922". legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  2. ^ a b Electricity (Supply) Act 1919
  3. ^ Hannah, Leslie (1979). Electricity before Nationalisation. London: Macmillan. p. 76. ISBN 0333220862.
  4. ^ Hannah, Leslie (1979). Electricity before Nationalisation. London: Macmillan. pp. 80–81. ISBN 0333220862.
  5. ^ Electricity Council (1987). Electricity Supply in the United Kingdom. London: Electricity Council. p. 44. ISBN 085188105X.
  6. ^ a b c Hannah, Leslie (1979). Electricity before Nationalisation. London: Macmillan. pp. 71–73. ISBN 0333220862.
  7. ^ a b Hannah, Leslie (1979). Electricity before Nationalisation. London: Macmillan. pp. 75–94. ISBN 0333220862.
  8. ^ Hannah, Leslie (1979). Electricity before Nationalisation. London: Macmillan. pp. 80–87. ISBN 0333220862.
  9. ^ "Electricity (Supply) Act 1926". legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  10. ^ "Electricity (Supply) Act 1947". legislation.gov.uk. 1947. Retrieved 7 August 2020.