Mexborough and Swinton Times July 22, 1927
Municipal Development of Swinton
With regard to the municipal development of Swinton during the earlier years, some reminiscences furnished by Mr Frederick Lee Harrop, solicitor of Buxton, of the firm of Messrs Harrop and Harrop, solicitors of Rotherham and Swinton. Mr Harris was Clerk and legal adviser to the Swinton local authority for 46 years and retired from the post in August 1919.
At the time Mr Harrop turned his attention to the affairs of Swinton the parish was governed by the Rotherham Union, with the overseers, churchwardens and highway surveyor as executive.
The Rotherham Union, having obtained his first Water Act in 1870, made a proposal for supplying Swinton with water from Abdy, and arising out of that Mr Harrop persuaded Swinton people to take up the idea of forming a Local Board and regulating their own domestic affairs.
This board was formed, and the first election took place in 1875. Mr Harrop is the only person living today will took a personal part in that first election 52 years ago.
The population at that time was about 7,000, and it is now estimated at 15,100. About the same time the Swinton School Board was formed.
One of the first titles local Board was to secure a public water supply, this was obtained in the first place in the Wakefield Water Company, who sank at Wombwell and delivered the water at Wath Wood. Since then Swinton has developed a very efficient scheme of its own, and is in this, as in practically all other essentials, practically self-supporting and sell supplying.
The expenses of the Local Border in its first year amounted to about £1000. Now the expense of local government, so great has been the public development, amount to something like £20,000 a year.
Soon there arose a question of public lighting, and the board considered the purchase of the undertaking of the Swinton and Mexborough Gas Company, but turned it down until, many years later, it was purchased jointly by Swinton and Mexborough.
In 1894 the local Board ceased to exist, and the Swinton Urban Council came into being with Mr Harrop as its first Clerk. On his retirement, in August 1919, Mr Mr Basil Bower, solicitor, present Clerk was appointed.