Catalogue description National Coal Board and British Coal Corporation: Opencast Executive and British Coal Opencast: Records

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Details of COAL 81
Reference: COAL 81
Title: National Coal Board and British Coal Corporation: Opencast Executive and British Coal Opencast: Records
Description:

This series contains minutes, correspondence and reports on the work of the Opencast Executive and its successor British Coal Opencast.
Date: 1952-1995
Arrangement:

This series has been organised in chronological order or by former file reference, where this exists, under separate sub-headings.
Held by: The National Archives, Kew
Legal status: Public Record(s)
Language: English
Creator:

British Coal Corporation, British Coal Opencast, 1990-1997

British Coal Corporation, Opencast Executive, 1986-1990

National Coal Board, Opencast Executive, 1952-1986
Physical description: 103 files and volumes
Access conditions: Subject to 30 year closure
Immediate source of acquisition:

From 1998 British Coal Corporation
Accruals: Series is accruing
Administrative / biographical background:

Opencast mining started as an emergency measure under the Defence Regulations in 1940 when the Government set up the Directorate of Opencast Coal Production within the Ministry of Works and Planning. In 1945 the directorate was transferred to the Ministry of Fuel and Power. In 1952 responsibility for opencast mining was transferred to the National Coalboard Finance Branch until the Opencast Executive was subsequently set up. This consisted of a part-time chairman and deputy chairman, plus three full time directors responsible for production, finance and administrative functions; from 1967 the latter included responsibility for land matters.

The Opencast Coal Act in 1958 replaced the Defence Regulations and a fourth director was added with responsibility for the executive's regional organisation. This divided the supervision of opencast mines between five regional opencast directors. Each region is subdivided into areas covering a number of working sites, which are run by private contractors.

In 1990 the name of the executive was changed to British Coal Opencast.

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