County of London

The County of London was established in 1889 to provide improved local government for the British capital, incorporating inner suburban districts previously in the counties of Middlesex, Surrey and Kent. Some parts of the conurbation still lay outside the boundaries of the new county even as it was formed, and as London expanded in the twentieth century the problems of co-ordinating planning for the capital grew. Nevertheless, the London County Council (LCC) achieved a major reputation for progressive endeavours in housing, public transport, health care and public utilities; its 1930s leader, Herbert Morrison, went on to mastermind the nationalisation programme of Clement Attlee's 1945-51 Government. In 1965 the County of London was abolished and replaced by the larger Greater London.