An urban district was a local government district that covered an urbanised area. They had an elected council (UDC) and shared the local government responsiblies along with county councils.
These urban districts (and rural districts) were first created in 1894 by the (Local Government Act 1894) as subdivisions of administrative districts. These reforms of local government started mainly in England and Wales. But within a few years Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland also adopted these reforms.
UDCs replaced the former system of urban sanitary districts or local boards (based on poor-law unions) the functions of which were taken over by the new UDCs. Their powers were extended and also had the responsibilities of parklands, cemeteries, water supplies and local planning.
The principal effects of the act were:
The urban district system (and RDCs) would have elected councils, as would parish councils. This would form a second tier of local government below the county councils.
The entitlement of women who owned property to vote in local elections, become poor-law guardians, and sit on school boards.
All councillors would initially be elected for a three year term, but one third of the members would be required to stand for re-election each year (around April). So, basically it was a rotation system. However, UDCs (and RDCs) had the power to retain the triennial election if a two-thirds majority of councillors were in favour ot it.
To be eligible for an election, a candidate was required to be on the electoral register and to have lived in the area for 12 months prior to the election.
All electors only had one vote, unlike in previous years where the ‘weighted’ voting system was in place. This allowed some electors who owned more property than others to have multiple votes.
The elected chairman of the new Urban and Rural district councils automatically became a Justice of the Peace.