| Description | Joint County Clerk's Department, 1930-1975 including Joint County Council Minute Books, 1930-1975; Education Committee, 1930-1964; Planning Department, 1971; Annual Reports – Medical Officer of Health, 1963-1964; Annual Reports – County Library, 1969-1972
Joint County Treasurer's Department, 1963-1964 including Abstract of Accounts, 1963-1964; (See HCA/CN/4/2 for valuation rolls)
Miscellanea, 1925-1969 |
| Administrative History | In 1930 the counties of Nairn and Moray were combined for most local governmental purposes:
"The joint County Council of the Combined County of Moray and Nairn was first constituted under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1929, and since 15 May, 1930, the administration of the county has been divided between the Joint County Council on the one hand, and Moray County Council and Nairn County Council on the other. The two individual County Councils are mainly responsible for the environmental services such as housing, public health, water and sewerage along with unclassified roads, burial grounds and the levying of rates, in the same way as these functions are performed by Town Councils in each of the seven burghs within the combined county of Moray and Nairn. The Joint County Council is responsible for the execution throughout the whole of the combined county, including the burghs, of major services which include education, local health services, welfare of children, welfare of old people, classified roads, valuation of lands, registration of voters and registration of births, deaths and marriages." (The Third Statistical Account of Scotland: The Counties of Moray and Nairn, ed. by Henry Hamilton, 1965.).
County councils were elected bodies established by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889 (52 & 53 Vict., c.50). They inherited almost all the functions of commissioners of supply, and those of county road trusts and local authorities set up under the Contagious Diseases (Animals) Acts. They also took over some administrative powers from the justices of the peace, but not their licensing or judicial functions. The responsibilities of the commissioners of supply for police matters were transferred to standing joint committees made up of commissioners of supply and county councillors. County councils were required to appoint full-time county medical officers of health and sanitary inspectors, and the local public health functions of parochial boards in landward areas were transferred to district committees of the county councils.
The Local Government (Scotland) Act 1929 (19 & 20 Geo. V, c.25) abolished district committees, standing joint committees, commissioners of supply, parish councils, education authorities and other bodies, and transferred all or most of their functions to county councils. The main impact was in the areas of the poor law and education. County councils were now responsible for education everywhere except in the four counties of cities, and for the poor law and public health except in the counties of cities and large burghs. The act also required the councils to prepare a scheme for coverage of their areas by district councils which might have certain functions delegated to them by the county council.
The Joint County Council of Moray and Nairn was abolished in 1975 with administration of the former Nairn County area being assumed by Highland Regional and Nairn District Council. Administration of the former Moray County area was assumed by Grampian Regional and Moray District Council, with the exception of the district of Cromdale and the burgh of Grantown-on-Spey which became part of the area administered by Highland Regional Council and Badenoch and Strathspey District Council. |