Hayle Town Council

Hayle historically straddled the ancient parishes of Phillack and St Erth, both of which formed part of the Penwith Hundred of Cornwall. In March 1866 a local government district was created for a newly-defined Hayle district, covering parts of both Phillack and St Erth parishes. The new district was administered by an elected local board.^[33] A separate local government district was created in September 1866 for the remainder of Phillack parish, including Copperhouse.^[34]

Such districts were reconstituted as urban districts under the Local Government Act 1894. The 1894 Act also directed that civil parishes could no longer straddle district boundaries, and so the part of St Erth parish in Hayle Urban District became a new parish called "St Erth Urban", the part of Phillack parish in Hayle Urban District became a parish called "Phillack West", and the part of Phillack parish in Phillack Urban District became a parish called "Phillack East". As urban parishes these three civil parishes did not qualify for parish councils; the two local authorities covering the area were Hayle Urban District Council and Phillack Urban District Council.^[35][36]

Hayle Urban District and Phillack Urban District were both abolished in 1934, being absorbed into West Penwith Rural District. Hayle Urban District Council assumed that a rural parish matching the abolished Hayle Urban District would be created, allowing for the creation of a Hayle Parish Council. However, the way the order abolishing the urban districts was drafted, it was not the two abolished urban districts but the three civil parishes of St Erth Urban, Phillack West and Phillack East which became rural parishes, with St Erth Urban being renamed Hayle despite only covering the western half of the town centre. On realising that this was the effect, the outgoing Hayle Urban District Council petitioned for the order to be amended, but was told it was too late.^[37] It subsequently proved impossible to form the three new parish councils as not enough people were willing to stand.^[38] An inquiry was held in January 1935 into changing the parish boundaries, which was told that the fact the 1934 order perpetuated three parishes to cover the Hayle area was "regarded locally as absurd".^[39] The inquiry concluded that the three parishes of Hayle (formerly St Erth Urban), Phillack West and Phillack East should be merged into a single parish of Hayle, which took effect on 1 October 1935.^[40]

West Penwith Rural District was abolished in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, when the area became part of the Penwith district.^[41][42] As part of the 1974 reforms, parish councils were given the right to declare their parishes to be a town, allowing them to take the title of town council and giving the title of mayor to the council's chairperson.^[43] Hayle Parish Council exercised this right, becoming Hayle Town Council with effect from 1 April 1974.^[44]

Penwith district was abolished in 2009. Cornwall County Council then took on district-level functions, making it a unitary authority, and was renamed Cornwall Council.^[45][46]

Hayle - Wikipedia