The British Electricity Authority (BEA) was established as the central British electricity authority[1] in 1948 under the nationalisation of Great Britain's electricity supply industry enacted by the Electricity Act 1947.The BEA was responsible for the generation, transmission and sale of electricity to area electricity boards, and the development and maintenance of an efficient, coordinated and economical system of electricity supply.[2]
History
The authority took over the operations of over 600 small public supply power companies, municipal authority electricity departments and the Central Electricity Board to form the BEA, which comprised a central authority and 14 area boards.Its scope did not include control of the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board, which had been founded in 1943 and remained independent of the BEA.
The appointment of chairmen and members of the BEA and the area boards were made in August 1947 and the BEA was formally established on 15 August 1947.[3]
The 14 area boards were formally established on 1 January 1948, and Vesting Day, when the BEA and area boards became responsible for electricity supply, was on 1 April 1948.
The London headquarters were initially at British Electricity House, Great Portland Street, W1, then British Electricity House, Trafalgar Buildings, Strand, SW1, and British Electricity House, Winsley Street, W1.[4]
Board structure
The British Electricity Authority was established by Section 2 of the Electricity Act 1947. It comprised a chairman and four to six other members appointed by the Minister of Fuel and Power; four members, also appointed by the minister, who were chairmen of an area electricity board (in rotation); and one other member who was chairman of the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board.[5]
Subsequent appointments were, by rotation, the chairman of the South Eastern (Norman R. Elliott), East Midlands (C. R. King), South Wales (L. Howes) and South East Scotland Electricity Board (Sir Norman Duke) were appointed members of the BEA from 1 January 1950. Their terms expired on 31 December 1951 and were succeeded by the appointment of C. T. Melling (Eastern Electricity Board), H. H. Mullens (North Eastern), H. Nimmo (Southern), and S. F. Steward (South Western).[7]
Sir John Hacking retired in 1953 and his place on the board was taken by Josiah Eccles as deputy chairman with effect from January 1954.[8]
Appointments by rotation with effect from 1 January 1954 were H. J. Randall (London), W. S. Lewis (Midlands), D. Bellamy (Yorkshire), and Sir John Hallsworth (North Western).[8]
Josiah Eccles, Merseyside and North Wales Electricity Board, member
W. Lewis, Midland Electricity Board, Member
J. S. Pickles, South West Scotland Electricity Board, member
Headquarters organisation
The headquarters organisation had seven main departments.[9]
The Chief Contracts Officer (F. W. Smith) was responsible to both of the deputy chairmen.
A board member (E. W. Bussey) was responsible for Labour Relations and Welfare.
Under the Deputy Chairman for Administration (Sir Henry Self) were:
Under the Deputy Chairman for Operations (Sir John Hacking) was:
The Secretary (H. F. Carpenter)
Commercial Manager (E. R. Wilkinson)
Chief Accountant (D. W. Coates)
Chief legal adviser (R. A. Finn)
Chief Engineer (V. A. Pask), who had four deputy chief engineers
Deputy Chief Engineer Generation had two engineering teams:
Generation Design Engineer
Area boards
Area electricity boards were established by Section 3 of the Electricity Act 1947. They were responsible for the distribution of electricity and sales to customers. They comprised a chairman and five to seven other members appointed by the Minister of Fuel and Power after consultation with the central authority; and one member holding the office of chairman of the consultative council.[10] The new area boards were:[11]
Section 7 of the Electricity Act 1947 established a consultative council for each of the area electricity boards. These councils had the duty of considering matters affecting the distribution of electricity in the area, including tariffs and the provision of new or improved services, following representations by consumers or other persons requiring supplies; they could also consider any matter referred to them by the area board. They were to notify their conclusions to the board.[12]
The councils consisted of between twenty and thirty persons appointed by the minister. Not less than half nor more than three-fifths were appointed from a panel of members of local authorities. The remainder represented agriculture, commerce, industry, labour and the general interests of consumers of electricity in the area.[12] The chairman of each consultative council was a member of the area electricity board.[13]
Operations
Electricity generation, supply and sales
The electricity generated, supplied and sold, in GWh, over the establishment of the BEA was as follows:[14]
Financial
A summary of the BEA's financial results is as follows:[14]
Employees
There were a total of 169,000 employees in the electricity supply industry 1952, comprising:[14]
Publications
Report and statement of accounts - British Electricity Authority, London, HMSO, 1949-55.
British Electricity Authority, Electricity supply, Directory of B.E.A., boards and officials. [With portraits and a map.] British Electricity Authority, London, 1948.
Glyn Bowen-Jones and British Electricity Authority, Souvenir of the opening of Kingston Power Station by His Majesty the King accompanied by Her Majesty the Queen, on the 27th day of October, 1948, London, 1948.
British Electricity Authority, National negotiations in industry: Address, British Electricity Authority, London, 1949.
British Electricity Authority, British electricity: its organisation under public ownership, London, 1950.
British Electricity Authority Publications Vols. 1, 2 and 3, 1950. Volume 3 comprises Organisation Charts, ‘Two Years’ Work’ and ‘Summer Schools Oxford’.
British Electricity Authority, British electricity conference: held at the Royal Hall, Harrogate, 19th June, 1950, London, British Electricity Authority, 1950.
British Electricity Authority, Beam: Magazine of the B.E.A., Midlands Division Branch, London, 1954.
British Electricity Authority, Power and prosperity, British Electricity Authority, 1954.
Successors
As a result of the Electricity Reorganisation (Scotland) Act 1954, the British Electricity Authority was replaced on 1 April 1955 by the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) for England and Wales.At the same time, the two South of Scotland Area Boards and the associated electricity generation and distribution plant were merged into the South of Scotland Electricity Board (SSEB) to form an integrated electricity board responsible for generation, distribution and electricity supply in southern and central Scotland.
