The fiercest winter in decades caused severe fuel shortages across the nation. A serious coal shortage led to drastic fuel restrictions and curtailment of industrial production. At the same time, Parliament continued its socialization programs by adopting the Transport Act, which created the British Transport Commission to regulate rail and trucking systems and other modes of transport, as well as to plan for the repair of war damage and the expansion of the nation's transportation infrastructure. Parliament also adopted the Electricity Act, nationalizing 550 private electricity companies, and the Town and Country Planning Act, which set up a new planning system to regulate the growth of communities.
