| Administrative History | The registration and taxation of motor vehicles was entirely the responsibility of local authorities until 1921. The resulting records, which consist mainly of registers of motor vehicle markes and numbers,belong to the local registration authority. The City of Chester was one such authority. Motor taxation was a function of the City Treasurer's Department.
After 1920, motor vehicle registration and taxation were performed by local authorities on behalf of central government, and the post 1920 reords are public records under the Public Records Act , 1958.
In 1978, in preparation for the centralization and computerization at Swansea of motor vehicle registration and taxation, some of the records were deposited locally. Registers of motor vehicles registered in Chester district for 1903-1947 were deposited in the Chester City Record Office and the registers for 1947-1974 were transferred from the City Motor Taxation Department to the Cheshire Constabulary in April 1978. There are 32 registers for the years 1947-1974, recording the registration numbers HFMI to UFM 478N. These registers were transferred to Chester City Record Office in 1986. |