What is Public Health Act 1848?
The '''Public Health Act 1848''' was an Act of the [[Parliament of the United Kingdom]]. It was the first time the government had tried to improve the health of the people. [[Edwin Chadwick]] had pushed for it after his reports on the condition of the working classes. It did not cover the [[City of London]] and some other parts of London. It put the supply of water; [[sewer]]age; [[drainage]]; [[Cleaning|cleansing]]; [[Pavement|paving]], and [[environmental health]] regulation in England and Wales under a single local body. The '''General Board of Health''' was in charge, and [[Local board of health|local boards of health]] could be set up, either by local people or by the General Board. The General Board did not have money. The local boards could get money from [[Local rates|rates]]. [[Sunderland]] was one of the first places to set up a local board.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2023|title=The 1848 Public Health Act|url=https://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/transformingsociety/towncountry/towns/tyne-and-wear-case-study/about-the-group/public-administration/the-1848-public-health-act/|access-date=9 July 2023|website=UK Parliament}}</ref> == Powers of the local boards == * Employees: A local board of health could employ people, including a [[surveyor]], a clerk, a treasurer, and an officer of health (who had to be a qualified doctor). They had to appoint an inspector of nuisances ([[sanitary inspector]]) to investigate complaints and take action against '[[nuisance]]s' (nuisances meant all sorts of environmental public health problems: such as unsanitary dwellings, accumulations of refuse and sewage, smoke dust and smells and industrial emissions, polluted water, noise, [[Adulterant|adulterated]] food, [[slaughterhouse]] issues etc.). * Sewers: The local board took over ownership of all public sewers in its district. Where private sewers operated for profit, the local board could buy them. * Street cleansing: The local board was required to clean the streets in its district, removing dust, ashes, rubb