The Divisional Council of Worcester was proclaimed on 12 July 1855 in terms of Act No 5 of 1855.

According to the requirements of the said act, the division was divided into six districts, comprising various field-cornetcies including Tulbagh, Twenty-Four Rivers, Breede River and the Cold and Warm Bokkeveld.

In terms of Act No 13 of 1856 the district of Tulbagh was proclaimed a division and the boundaries of the Divisional Council of Worcester were redefined as follows:
District No 1 Field-Cornetcy and Town of Worcester;
District No 2 Field-Cornetcies of Wagenboom’s River and Goudini;
District No 3 Over Hex River and Achter Hex River;
District No 4 Voorste and Middle Bosjesveld;
District No 5 Kleine Swarte Berg and Klein Roggeveld;
District No 6 Great Fish River, Koreeka River, Riet River and Komsberg.

In the ensuing years the boundaries were altered various times, for example in 1869(4) and 1905.

On 1 January 1980 the Divisional Council of Worcester was reconstituted together with the Divisional Council of Laingsburg to form the amalgamated Divisional Council of Matroosberg.

The Divisional Council of Laingsburg was constituted on 3 November 1905 under the provisions of Act No 40 of 1889. According to the requirements of the said act the division was divided into six districts (Cape of Good Hope Government Gazette No 8802 dated 3 November 1905, Proclamation No 386 dated 30 October 1905).

On 1 January 1980 the Divisional Council of Laingsburg was reconstituted with the Divisional Council of Worcester to form the amalgamated Divisional Council of Matroosberg (Cape of Good Hope Official Gazette No 4061 dated 20 July 1979, Proclamation No 174 dated 18 July 1979).

A considerable amount of documents was lost during the flood of 25 January 1981.

The Municipality of Mossel Bay was constituted on 5 July 1865 in terms of Proclamation No 59 of 1865 under provision of Ordinance No 9 of 1836.

In terms of the Local Government: Municipal Structures Act, 1998 (Act 117 of 1998) the existing Municipality of Mossel Bay together with the municipalities of Great Brak River and Herbertsdale, the Friemersheim Transitional Council, and the transitional representative councils of Mossel Bay and Outeniqua, was disestablished and the Mossel Bay Local Municipality established (Province of Western Cape Provincial Gazette Extraordinary No 5592, 22 September 2000, Provincial Notice No 500, 22 September 2000). The Mossel Bay Local Municipality forms part of the larger Garden Route District Municipality.

According to the Town Clerk all archives, with the exception of council and general standing committees minutes older than thirty years, were destroyed during a fire in 1961.

The Village Management Board of Goodwood was constituted at a public meeting held in Goodwood on 5 August 1925 in terms of the provisions of Ordinance No 10, 1921 (ref 3/GDW 1, p1). The establishment of the Village Management Board was officially gazetted on 5 June 1925 under provision of section four (a) of the Village Management Board Ordinance, No 10, 1921 in terms of Proclamation No 72, 1925 (Province of the Cape Good Hope Official Gazette, No 981, 5 June 1925).

In terms of Proclamation No 129 of 1938 the Village Management Board of Goodwood ceased to exist and the Municipality of Goodwood was constituted on 28 October 1938 under the provision of section four (b) of Ordinance No 10, 1921 and sections ten (a) and ten (e) of Ordinance No 10 of 1921 (Province of the Cape of Good Hope Official Gazette, No 1784, 28 October 1938).

In terms of Proclamation No 27 of 28 May 1996 the Tygerberg Substructure was established on 29 May 1996 with the amalgamation of the Municipalities of Parow, Bellville, Goodwood, Lingelethu West, Durbanville, Mfuleni and parts of Cape Town, Milnerton and the Cape Metropolitan Board (Province of Western Cape Provincial Gazette Extraordinary, No 5051, 28 May 1996).

The Municipality of Clanwilliam was constituted on 12 March 1900 under provision of Government Notice No 187, 1900 in terms of the Municipal Act of 1882 (The Cape of Good Hope Government Gazette No 8215, 16 March 1900).

In terms of the Local Government Transition Act, 1993 (Act 209 of 1993) the Municipality of Clanwilliam was dissolved with effect from 1 January 1995 and the Clanwilliam Transitional Local Council established (Province of Western Cape Provincial Gazette No 4916, 30 December 1994, Proclamation No 128, 28 December 1994).

In terms of the Local Government: Municipal Structures Act, 1998 (Act 117 of 1998) the existing Clanwilliam Transitional Local Council together with the Clanwilliam Transitional Representative Council, Citrusdal Transitional Local Council, Graafwater Municipality, Lamberts Bay Municipality, Piketberg Transitional Representative Council and the Vanrhynsdorp Transitional Representative Council was disestablished and the Cederberg Local Municipality established (Province of Western Cape Provincial Gazette Extraordinary No 5589, 22 September 2000, Provincial Notice No 482, 22 September 2000). The Cederberg Local Municipality forms part of the larger West Coast District Municipality.

According to a declaration signed by the Town Clerk, Clanwilliam in 1987, Council archives prior to 1955 that are missing from the various series in this inventory could not be traced.

A Local Board was established at Fish Hoek on 19 July 1921 under the provisions of Proclamation No 158, 1921 in terms of Ordinance No 11, 1921 (Province of the Cape of Good Hope Official Gazette, No 754, 22 July 1921).

The Local Board was abolished as from 29 December 1926. A Village Management Board was established at Fish Hoek as from 1 January 1927 under the provisions of Proclamation No 164, 1926 in terms of Section 4(a) of Ordinance No 10, 1921 (Province of the Cape of Good Hope Official Gazette, No 1047, 27 August 1926).

The Municipality of Fish Hoek was established on 21 October 1940 under the provisions of Proclamation No 170, 1940 in terms of Section 4(b) of Ordinance No 10, 1921 and Section 8(1) of Ordinance No 14, 1938 (Province of the Cape of Good Hope Official Gazette, No 1907, 25 October 1940). Fish Hoek was administered by the Town Council until 1996.

Fish Hoek formed part of the transitional South Peninsula Municipality from 1996 to 2000. In December 2000 the Cape Metropolitan Council and the six interim Transitional Municipal Substructures were dissolved and replaced by the unified City of Cape Town.

The Village Management Board of Lambert’s Bay was established on 22 February 1934 under provision of section 4(a) of Ordinance No 10, 1921 in terms of Proclamation No 37, 1934 (The Province of the Cape of Good Hope Official Gazette No 1492, 2 March 1934).

The Municipality of Lambert’s Bay was established on 4 January 1969 under provision of section 8 of the Municipal Ordinance, 1951 read with section 4(b) of the Village Management Boards Ordinance, 1921 and in terms of Proclamation No 303, 1968 (The Province of the Cape of Good Hope Official Gazette No 3478, 4 October 1968).

In terms of the Local Government: Municipal Structures Act, 1998 (Act 117 of 1998) the existing Lambert’s Bay Municipality together with the Citrusdal Transitional Council, Clanwilliam Transitional Representative Council, Clanwilliam Transitional Local Council, Graafwater Municipality, Piketberg Transitional Representative Council and the Vanrhynsdorp Transitional Representative Council was disestablished and the Cederberg Local Municipality established (Province of Western Cape Provincial Gazette Extraordinary No 5589, 22 September 2000, Provincial Notice No 482, 22 September 2000). The Cederberg Local Municipality forms part of the larger West Coast District Municipality.