Sunbury on Thames Urban District, also known as Sunbury Urban District, was a local government district from 1894 to 1974 comprising the town and parish of Sunbury-on-Thames and from 1930 also the parishes of Littleton and Shepperton. Background and boundaries In 1894, under the Local Government Act 1894, Sunbury on Thames was created an urban district of the administrative county of Middlesex. It adopted planning, lighting and sanitary responsibilities. For 36 years it covered just the parish of Sunbury, which still includes the hamlets (colloquially villages) of Charlton and Upper Halliford but gained the parishes of Shepperton and Littleton in 1930 on the abolition of the Staines Rural District. Members and programmes By 1795 the parish had a fire engine for which a keeper and assistant keeper were appointed. Before 1859 the beadle looked after it and from that year to 1879 the overseer was responsible. A volunteer brigade was proposed in 1879, and had been formed by 1895, when it was decided to hand the engine over to the newly formed urban district council. The vestry agreed to sell the old parish cage or round house in 1859. In 1860 the old part of the Cemetery was opened by public subscription, in 1873 a public meeting was held to discuss the management of the greens, and in 1874 committees were appointed for telegraphic communications and for lighting. In or before 1879 part of the parish was made a lighting district. Serious agitation for better drainage began in 1890, and in 1892 the vestry decided to press for urban status. A parochial committee was formed in the same year using the Public Health Act 1875. At a local inquiry which was held in 1893 it was said that middle-class property in the parish was depreciating because of the Staines rural sanitary authority's apathy about drainage. The latter was not represented at the inquiry and there was no opposition to the proposed urban district, which was created in the following year. The council had 12 members until 1930, when it was increased to 17 on the addition of Shepperton and Littleton parishes. By 1957 it had been further increased to 20. In 1931 all the councillors were independents and from World War II until its demise the councillors were predominantly Conservative. During the first few years the council met twice monthly, but in the few years to 1957 it met thirteen