Public Health Acts Amendment Act 1907 (1907 Act)

LEGISLATION	PUBLIC HEALTH ACTS AMENDMENT ACT 1907 (1907 ACT)
Section 21: “The local authority may, with the consent of two-thirds in number of the ratepayers and persons who are liable to pay an amount in respect of council tax in any street, alter the name of such street or any part of such street. The local authority may cause the name of any street or of any part of any street to be painted or otherwise marked on a conspicuous part of any building or other erection. Any person who shall wilfully and without the consent of the local authority, obliterate, deface, obscure, remove, or alter any such name, shall be liable to a penalty not exceeding level 1 on the standard scale.”	This Act provides a procedure to allow for the change of street names following, in effect, a local referendum of council tax payers. Given the uncertainty expressed in the Collins case referred to above in respect of the 1847 Act it is perhaps unsurprising that Parliament decided to specifically legislate on changes to the street names. There is again a power for the authority to provide for street name signs and an offence for any attempt to obliterate, deface, obscure, remove or alter the street name signs.

All local authorities in England exercising district council functions (but excluding London Boroughs) and all 22 local authorities in Wales, provided that they have elected to use the 1907 Act in accordance with the 1972 Act and save where a Local Act is in place.

Section 21: “The local authority may, with the consent of two-thirds in number of the ratepayers and persons who are liable to pay an amount in respect of council tax in any street, alter the name of such street or any part of such street. The local authority may cause the name of any street or of any part of any street to be painted or otherwise marked on a conspicuous part of any building or other erection.

Any person who shall wilfully and without the consent of the local authority, obliterate, deface, obscure, remove, or alter any such name, shall be liable to a penalty not exceeding level 1 on the standard scale.”

This Act provides a procedure to allow for the change of street names following, in effect, a local referendum of council tax payers.

Given the uncertainty expressed in the Collins case referred to above in respect of the 1847 Act it is perhaps unsurprising that Parliament decided to specifically legislate on changes to the street names.

There is again a power for the authority to provide for street name signs and an offence for any attempt to obliterate, deface, obscure, remove or alter the street name signs.