Poor rate

In

New Poor Law. It was absorbed into 'general rate' local taxation in the 1920s, and has continuity with the currently existing Council Tax

.

Introduction

The

quarter sessions had a role in checking the accounts of the poor rate.^[2]

Reform

The system of rating was subject to reform, such as excluding property outside of the parish in which a rate was paid.[1] Because the poor rate was collected and spent locally within a single parish the notion of settlement was confirmed by the Poor Relief Act 1662 to exclude the poor from other parishes.

The

poor law guardians

for the parish. Although parishes were often grouped into unions, each parish could be set a different rate depending on the expenditure.

During the 19th century a number of anomalies in the parish system were corrected, for example where parishes were divided into chapelries each acting much like a distinct parish. The criteria used by the

civil parishes

was that they set their own poor rate.

London

The

30 & 31 Vict. c. 6) established a metropolitan poor rate to be collected across the area of the Metropolitan Board of Works. The London (Equalisation of Rates) Act 1894 provided that richer parishes in what was now the County of London

would subsidise the poor rate of the less wealthy that had higher expenditure.

Abolition

The system of rating for the poor rate was used as the basis of other rates, such as the general county rate from 1738.

The separate poor rate was amalgamated with the local district or borough general rate by the

15 & 16 Geo. 5. c. 90).^[3] The role of parishes and guardians in the setting and collection of rates was abolished by 1930. The districts and boroughs became the rating authorities for setting and collecting rates and this has continuity with the current billing authorities that set and collect Council Tax

.

References

^
doi:10.4324/9781315040646
.

^ Lorie Charlesworth. "The Acts of 1601: Connections Between Poor Relief and Charity in a Legal and Local Context" (PDF). Voluntary Action History Society.
^ "Rating and Valuation Act, 1925" (PDF). legislation.gov.uk.

[handbook-1] 
doi:10.4324/9781315040646
.

[2] Lorie Charlesworth. "The Acts of 1601: Connections Between Poor Relief and Charity in a Legal and Local Context" (PDF). Voluntary Action History Society.

[3] "Rating and Valuation Act, 1925" (PDF). legislation.gov.uk.

[2]

[3]

v t e Poor laws of the British Isles
Poor laws by territory	England and Wales Scotland Ireland Isle of Man	Nantwich workhouse
Old Poor Law	Vagabonds and Beggars Act 1494 Tudor poor laws Poor Relief Act 1597 Poor Relief Act 1601 Poor Relief Act 1662 Relief of the Poor Act 1696 Poor Relief Act 1722 Relief of the Poor Act 1782 House of correction Overseer of the poor Poor rate Poor relief Buttock mail
Relief systems	Outdoor relief Speenhamland Labour Rate Roundsman Committee for the Relief of the Black Poor
New Poor Law	Royal commission (1832) Poor Law Amendment Act 1834 Poor Law (Scotland) Act 1845 Less eligibility Workhouse Workhouse test Board of guardians Outdoor Labour Test Order Outdoor Relief Prohibitory Order Poor law unions Opposition Book of Murder Scottish poorhouse
Changes after 1834	Poor Law Commission Poor Law Board Local Government Board Andover workhouse scandal Huddersfield workhouse scandal Union Chargeability Act
Decline and abolition	Liberal welfare reforms Royal Commission (1905–09) Majority Report Minority Report Interwar poverty National Assistance Act 1948
Other	Christmas Day in the Workhouse Historiography of the Poor Laws Timeline of the English Poor Law system Poor Relief Act List of poor law unions in England List of poor law unions in Wales List of Irish poor law unions

v t e Rates in the United Kingdom
Business rates	England Wales Northern Ireland Scotland
Domestic rates	Northern Ireland
Other	Drainage rate
Historical	Church rate Poor rate Poplar rebellion (1921) Capping rebellion (1985)