 Section 131 of the Act stated that "every county and every county borough shall cease to be an administrative area for local government purposes", and that "every borough (other than a county borough), every urban district and every rural district shall be abolished".Also abolished were any joint boards established under the Public Health (Ireland) Act 1878 or Water Supplies and Sewerage Act (Northern Ireland) 1945 and the Belfast City and District Water Commissioners.Exempted from abolition were the corporations of the county boroughs of Belfast and Londonderry, and of any municipal borough whose charter had been adopted by the new district council.