Sheffield Town Trust - Reform

Reform

The Trust faced criticism for a lack of elections, even to the extent of having frequent vacant seats. When an election was held, the Trust interpreted "greater number of inhabitants" as referring only to freeholders, but in 1811, several non-freeholders attempted to vote. In response, the Trust abandoned the election. In 1816, this position was supported by the Chancery Court.

In 1818, the Trustees and the Company of Cutlers in Hallamshire were empowered with setting up the Sheffield Improvement Commission, which took over the Trust's responsibility for street cleaning and lighting. The local Town Trust Act 1827 introduced new regulation of the body, and compelled it to open its books. This revealed that it owned 26,000 square yards of property in Sheffield and 78 acres (320,000 m2) elsewhere in Hallam. It also held shares in various local organisations.

Sheffield Town Council was established in 1843, superseding the Improvement Commission and acquiring new powers. In 1851, influenced by Chartist councillor Isaac Ironside, the Council formulated a Parliamentary Bill which would have seen them absorb the Town Trust and the Church Burgesses, but dropped the provisions in the face of opposition. Even without the absorption, the Council soon took over most of the role of the Trust, which struggled as its finances failed to keep pace with the city's growth.

The Town Council was granted a coat of arms in 1875. An element of this is a crossed sheaf of arrows, taken from the seals of the Town Trust and the Church Burgesses. It probably originated as a play on the name of the River Sheaf, from which Sheffield takes its name.