National Coal Board
The National Coal Board (NCB) was the Statutory Corporation created to run the nationalised coal mining industry in Britain.
It was created in 1947 as part of the Labour government's nationalisation programme.
1950 Coal mining employed over 700,000 people but successive governments reduced the size of the industry. Closures were originally concentrated in Scotland, but then moved into North East England, Lancashire, and South Wales, and then into all the other coalfields in the 1980s.
1954 Decided to set up Central Engineering Establishment to develop mining machinery
1974 NCB constructed a £2million mine near Barnsley to be known as Royston Drift. Work was due to start in the summer and full output of 400,000 tons was the aim of production by 1976-77. Estimated life of the mine was expected to be 30 years.
In 1987 the NCB became the British Coal Corporation.
With the passing of the Coal Industry Act in 1994 the industry-wide administrative functions of British Coal were transferred to the new Coal Authority, with its assets being privatised, most notably its English assets being merged with RJB Mining to form UK Coal plc.
By the time of privatisation, only 15 pits were left in production.
See Also
Sources of Information
- [1] Wikipedia