Kent Brooks continues his reminiscences of 60 years ago

THIS was a time when local government really meant that.

The borough had been in existence for about seven centuries but in 1835 the councillors became democratically elected for the first time.

In those days the corporation still had responsibility for all public services: fire, police, streets, parks, water and much else, although health was privatised and the hospital was financed by subscription and the efforts of well-wishers.

There was little of the sub-contracting seen today and, for example, the corporation grew all its own plants for the town’s flower beds and parks in the now-demolished and built-over greenhouses and gardens adjacent to Maude’s Meadow.

The corporation was also responsible for social housing – estates at Sandylands, Kirkbarrow and others were from the 1930s.

The councillors stood as independents (thought by many, including Abraham Lincoln, to be the ideal state) and party politics were not part of the deliberations of the corporation.

However, in national elections party politics were very active, although Mr Vane (a local aristocrat) invariably came out on top, with Geoffrey Acland for the Liberals well behind.

Party colours were unfamiliar to today’s voters as yellow was the conservative colour (harking back to the days when Hugh Lowther, the Yellow Earl dominated the local Conservative party) and Liberal was blue. Reassuringly Labour was red.

The corporation was run from the town hall, the centre of prestige and authority, in contrast to the present day when the council has to pay a rent to South Lakeland District Council for the use of the building.

The reading out of election results from the balcony was a key event and eager people thronged the streets, although the result was a foregone conclusion.