From Private to Public Ownership of Gas Undertakings in England and Wales, 1851–1947

Chronology, Incidence and Causes

Bibliographic Data

ID8420170
AuthorsRobert Millward (a University of Manchester, corresponding author), Robert Ward (0000-0002-1917-2035, b University of Salford)
Year1993
Volume35
Issue3
Pages1-21
Publication date1993-07-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueBusiness History (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0007-6791 • E-ISSN: 1743-7938
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/00076799300000084
OpenAlexW2051548075
LanguageEN
Citations received12

There are no ready explanations for the shift from private to public ownership of the infrastructure which occurred in many Western countries in the period from about 1850 onwards. This paper presents for the first time, from parliamentary and trade sources, a comprehensive record of the number of gas undertakings in England and Wales, their geographical spread and the incidence of municipal ownership. The experience of some 400 towns are analysed for the period 1851–1939 to ascertain the causes of municipalisation. These are identified as the desire of local authorities to get access to gas company profits in order to relieve local taxes and finance urban improvements, and to control the monopoly position of local suppliers. Municipalisation also involved costs, mainly of an administrative and legal nature. The differential incidence of these costs and benefits can be used to explain the complex pattern of public and private ownership which persisted to the Second World War

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