Catalogue description Ministry of Transport and successors, Highways Management and Services Division: Registered Files

The Highways Management and Services Division was set up in 1957 to deal with legal aspects of highways administration, working alongside existing divisions in the Highways Administration Group. It continued as a division throughout the re-organisations of the highways administration in the early 1960's, moving from Highways B Group to Highways and Traffic, Northern Group in 1961 and Lands and Contracts in 1963. The division was abolished in 1964 when its functions were divided between Highways Management Divisions and Highways Lands and Legal Division.

The Division dealt with public and private bills and subordinate legislation, highway law consolidation and legal problems arising from trunk road administration, and with claims by and against the Minister resulting from damage or accidents on, or in connection with, trunk roads. It negotiated agreements with local authorities to act as the Minister's agents for trunk roads, with the British Transport Commission for the maintenance and improvement of trunk road, railway and canal bridges, and with consultant engineers and architects for the preparation and supervision of major schemes for the construction and improvement of trunk roads. It was responsible for street lighting policy, including agreements with the lighting authorities for the lighting of trunk roads, for snow clearance and for general matters affecting the interests, duties and responsibilities of local highway authorities.