POWERS OF PARISH COUNCILS 387 



PRESENT POWERS OF PARISH COUNCILS TO 

 ACQUIRE LAND FOR SMALL HOLDINGS. 



Under the Local Government Act of 1894, if a 

 Parish Council are satisfied that allotments are 

 required and are unable to obtain the land at a 

 reasonable rent, they can represent the case to the 

 County Council, who will then have to hold a 

 public inquiry. If the County Council are satisfied 

 that allotments are required, they may make an 

 order granting the Parish Council a lease of the 

 required land at a rent to be fixed by an arbitrator. 

 In case of compulsory hiring, the area of one allot- 

 ment must not exceed 3 acres of pasture and 1 acre 

 of arable land. 



If, however, a Parish Council can hire land by 

 voluntary arrangement with any local landowner, 

 the Local Government Act places no limit to the 

 size of the holding and the Parish Council may relet 

 the land in holdings of any size that appears suit- 

 able. In this way small holdings may be created.* 



In view of the reasons stated on p. 63, as to the 

 inadvisability of merely giving County Councils 

 compulsory powers, it has been suggested that 

 greater powers should be placed in the hands of 

 Parish Councils by removing the present limit as 

 to the size of the allotments which they may let in 

 cases where the land has been acquired com- 

 pulsorily ; or, in other words, to give them further 



* For account of holdings held under the Parish Councils 

 of Belbroughton and Castle Morton, see Appendix. 



252 



