MUNICIPAL RIGHTS IN EXTENDED AREAS
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AN important matter of principle affecting the rights of municipalities was raised in an application by Blackpool Corporation to run a new bus service for the development of an area recently taken over from the county council. The corporation was willing, if necessary, to run bus services from Blackpool to Preston in conjunction with Preston Corporation. The Commissioners refused the application.
The chairman, Mr. W. Chamberlain, said the case raised the vital question of whether the extension of a borough boundary gave a local authority any greater right to increase a service than it possessed before the extension.
Mr. W. Luff, Blackpool Corporation's transport manager, said that the municipality felt that the losses sustained, for many years, on the bus services had been worth while, for it had provided services far in excess of requirements, which had assisted in the development of various districts.
Some argument arose in connection with the fees charged to operators using the £50,000 municipal bus station. It was stated that Scout Motor Services paid £700 per year for the use of the station by one bus per half-hour.