The Crown Estate Commissioners are generally the owners of the bed of estuaries and harbours in Britain. However, in 1868 the Crown granted the lease of the Humber bed to a body to be known as the Humber Conservancy Commissioners; the lease period was for 999 years - the longest ever granted by the Crown - and included the responsibility for any works carried out on the bed. In granting this lease the Crown Estate Commissioners retained ownership of two areas on the North Bank of the estuary while, subsequently, several smaller areas on the south bank were sold to various bodies. In 1907 the Humber Conservancy Commissioners were dissolved by Act of Parliament and a new body - the Humber Conservancy Board - was established. This entailed some minor changes in the constitution of the Harbour Authority, following on from a number of such changes made in a sequence of Acts passed between 1876 and 1907, but in the main the change was merely one of name.
The Humber Conservancy Board acted as Harbour Authority until 1966, when the Humber Harbour Reorganisation Scheme dissolved the Conservancy Board. Until this time the Board had sole responsibility as Harbour Authority, but the Humber Reorganisation Scheme created a new system whereby the direct control of the management of the Humber bed was to be undertaken by the British Transport Docks Board who were to be advised and assisted by a new Board - the Humber Local Board. This Board consisted of 17 members representing the various interests in the Humber. Control of the Humber was therefore vested in a national Board who were to take advice from local interests.
In 1981 the British Transport Docks Board was renamed the Associated British Ports subsequently to become a private company. This company consequently assumed the duties of Harbour Authority, responsible for the management of the estuary but still to be advised whenever necessary by the Humber Board. The final change in the development of this dual responsibility also took place in 1981, when the Transport Act gave the Associated British Ports the power to appoint the members of the Humber Board.
