Catalogue description Board of Trade: Distribution of Industry Panels: Files

In May 1944 the coalition government published a White Paper on Employment Policy (Cmd 6527/1944), describing, in Chapter III, its aims for establishing a more balanced distribution of industry in the post-war years.

The main responsibility for implementing the industrial policy rested with the then Board of Trade, Ministry of Labour and National Service, Ministry of Town and Country Planning, Scottish Office and the Ministry of Production.

Two main bodies were set up: a ministerial committee comprising the departments mentioned above, and, the Official Committee on the Distribution of Industry, chaired by the Board of Trade. This included two Panels A and B, Panel A dealing with planning and Panel B with the disposal of Government factories. A third Panel C dealt with labour supply etc. and is not covered in this series.

In addition the Board of Trade invited departmental representatives in each region to form the Regional Interdepartmental Committee on the Distribution of Industry, chaired by the Board of Trade Regional Controller. Other members on this committee were officials of the Regional Board and regional representatives of the Ministry of Town and Country Planning (Scottish Office in Scotland). Their first meeting was held on 4 December 1944. The conclusions of these committees and the Regional Controller's comments were forwarded to the Board of Trade.

Departmental functions were threefold:

• to secure a balanced distribution of industry within each region, with particular reference to the building of new factories, dealing with the disposal of surplus government factories and the industrial and employment implications of local authority planning proposals
• to advise the Regional Boards on the requirements of civilian production
• to deal, as directed, with any other matter specifically referred to them