Catalogue description Records of Regional, Area and Local Organisation of the Unemployment Assistance Board and successors

The great bulk of the Unemployment Assistance Board's work was carried out in area offices grouped into districts. Area offices were responsible for dealing with applications for assistance and local investigations. District offices supervised groups of area offices, conducted negotiations with local authorities, and made arrangements for training and rehabilitation under the direction of headquarters divisions. Regional officers were not directly executive but acted as a means of liaison between headquarters and local staff and were responsible to a central division headed by a Chief Regional Officer. Regional officers also had responsibilities in connection with the inspection of local offices.

The services of local authorities were secured on agency arrangements where it was impracticable to provide full-time staff or was desirable to avoid duplication of services. Such services were normally undertaken by the public assistance departments of local authorities. The services of the Ministry of Labour and its employment exchanges were also used, principally for the receipt of applications, certification of unemployment, payment of assistance, and provision of training facilities. After 1938 payments were also made through trade unions. The local offices of the Board were also assisted in the assessment of means and need, particularly in the light of local variation, by local advisory committees.

In 1945 the regional organisation was extended from seven to eleven regions in accordance with the regional organisation of other government departments as part of plans for the reform of the social services. The regional offices also took over the work of the district offices which were then discontinued. Under the provisions of the National Assistance Act 1948 further changes were made. This legislation required the Board to establish local offices for the prompt discharge of its functions in relation to assistance. These were termed area offices, but supplementary stations were also maintained, mainly in the local offices of the Ministry of National Insurance and the Ministry of Labour and National Service.

The latter ministry continued after 1948 to receive applications for assistance from unemployed persons and to make payments to them when authorised by the National Assistance Board. Area offices were grouped under the supervision of ten regional offices in England and central offices in Scotland and Wales which also dealt with appeal tribunals and advisory committees. Between 1947 and 1948 the local offices also carried out work on behalf of local pension committees, which were abolished under the National Assistance Act 1948.

National Assistance Appeal Tribunals were established in each region under the provisions of the National Assistance Act 1948. They heard appeals from individuals and local authorities against decisions of the National Assistance Board's Officers in relation to applications for assistance.