The Electricity Council was a governmental body set up in 1958 to oversee the electricity supply industry in England and Wales. The council was established on 1 January 1958 to assume the coordinating and policy-making functions of the Central Electricity Authority (1955–7), which had in turn replaced the British Electricity Authority (1948–55). The Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB) was also established in January 1958, as the body for electricity generation, transmission and bulk sales in England and Wales. Responsibilities The council's responsibilities included: advising the Secretary of State for Energy on matters relating to the electricity supply industry in England and Wales helping the Electricity Boards in England and Wales to improve efficiency advising on the financing of the industry in England and Wales organising certain research maintaining the industry-wide industrial relations machinery Corporate structure Background In 1954, six years after nationalisation, the government appointed the Herbert Committee to examine the efficiency and organisation of the electricity industry. The committee found that the British Electricity Authoritys dual roles of electricity generation and supervision had led to central concentration of responsibility and to duplication between headquarters and divisional staff which led to delays in the commissioning of new stations. The committee’s recommendations were enacted by the Electricity Act 1957 which established the Electricity Council to oversee the industry and the CEGB with responsibility for generation and transmission. Constitution The Electricity Council was established by Section 3 of the Electricity Act 1957. It comprised a chairman, two deputy chairmen, and up to three other independent people appointed by the Minister of Power. It also included the chairman and two full-time members of the Central Electricity Generating Board. The remaining members were the twelve chairmen of area electricity boards. The chairmen of the Electricity Council were: Sir Henry Self (1890–1975), 1 January 1958 – 31 August 1959 Sir (Clifford) Robertson King (1895–1974), 1 September 1959 – 1 December 1961 Professor Sir Ronald Stanley Edwards (1910–1976), 1 January 1962 – 1 October 1968 Sir Norman Randall Elliott, 1 November 1968 – 1 March 1972 Sir Peter Menzies (1912–1988), 1 April 1972 – 31 March 1977 Sir Francis L. Tombs (1924– 2020), 1 April 1977 – 30 November 1980 Sir Austin Wyeth Bunch (1918–2008), 1 January 1981 – 31 March 1983 Sir (Thomas) Philip Jones (1931–2000), 1 April 1983 – 31 March 1989. The full membership of the Electricity Council, as first constituted, was as