Office of Public Sector Information

(4) All members of a valuation appeal panel shall reside or be engaged in business or be employed in the valuation area or areas for which the panel is responsible; and no person appointed as the secretary or an assistant secretary of a panel shall be an officer of a local authority or shall by himself or by any partner or assistant appear before a valuation appeal committee for that area.

(5) A valuation authority may pay reasonable subscriptions, whether annually or otherwise, to the funds of any association of members or officers of valuation appeal panels or valuation appeal committees formed for the purpose of consultation as to the common interests of those panels or committees and the discussion of matters relating to valuation.

(6) The provisions of the Valuation Acts with regard to appeals and complaints shall, with any necessary modifications, apply to a committee constituted under this section in like manner as they applied before 1st April 1996 to a committee constituted under the 1975 Act.

(7) Where the area served by a valuation appeal panel is situated in more than one sheriffdom, its members shall be appointed by the sheriff principal for such one of those sheriffdoms as the Secretary of State may direct.

(8) Regulations under this section shall be made by statutory instrument which shall be subject to annulment in pursuance of a resolution of either House of Parliament.

30 Rating authorities

The rating authority for any local government area shall be the local authority for that area and, in this Act and in any other enactment (whether passed or made before or after the passing of this Act), the expression “rating authority” shall be construed in accordance with this section.

Chapter 6 Functions

Education

31 Education

For section 124 of the 1973 Act (education committees) there shall be substituted—

“124 Membership of committees appointed by education authorities

(1) Where an education authority appoint a committee whose purposes include—

(a) advising the authority on any matter relating to the discharge of their functions as education authority; or

(b) discharging any of those functions of the authority on their behalf,

the members of such committee shall, notwithstanding the provisions of section 57(3) and (4)(a) of this Act, be appointed in accordance with this section.

(2) Subject to the provisions of section 59 of this Act, an education authority who appoint a committee such as is mentioned in subsection (1) above shall secure that—

(a) at least half of the persons appointed by them to be members of such committee are members of the authority; and

(b) the persons appointed by them to be members of such committee shall include the three persons mentioned in subsection (4) below.

(3) Subject to the provisions of subsection (2) above, an education authority may appoint persons who are not members of the authority to be members of a committee such as is mentioned in subsection (1) above.

(4) The three persons mentioned in subsection (2)(b) above (who shall not be members of the education authority appointing such committee) are—

(a) one representative of the Church of Scotland, nominated in such manner as may be determined by the General Assembly of the Church;

(b) in the case of the education authority for each area other than Orkney Islands, Shetland Islands and Western Isles, one representative of the Roman Catholic Church, nominated in such manner as may be determined by the Scottish Hierarchy of the Church; and

(c) one person or, in the case of the education authorities for Orkney Islands, Shetland Islands and Western Isles, two persons, in the selection of whom the authority shall have regard (taking account of the representation of churches under paragraphs (a) and (b) above) to the comparative strength within their area of all the churches and denominational bodies having duly constituted charges or other regularly appointed places of worship there.

(5) Where two or more authorities appoint a joint committee whose purposes include discharging any of the functions of those authorities as education authorities on their behalf, section 57(3) of this Act shall apply to such a joint committee as if for the words “two-thirds” there were substituted the words “one-half”.”.

32 Co-operation between education authorities

(1) Section 23 of the [1980 c. 44.] Education (Scotland) Act 1980 (provision by education authority for education of pupils belonging to areas of other authorities) shall be amended in accordance with this section.

(2) After subsection (1) there shall be inserted—

“(1A) Without prejudice to any other provision of this Act, for the purposes of their duty under section 1 of this Act an education authority shall have power to make arrangements with another education authority (in this subsection referred to as a “provider authority”) for the provision of school education or further education for any pupils belonging to the area of the authority in a school or educational establishment under the management of the provider authority.

(1B) Arrangements made under this Act by an education authority for the placing of children in schools may include provision to give effect to any arrangements made under subsection (1A) above.

(1C) Where the arrangements for the placing of children in schools subsisting before the establishment of new local government areas under Part I of the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994 lead, as a consequence of such establishment, to school education for pupils belonging to the area of one education authority being provided at schools or educational establishments under the management of another education authority, nothing in this Act shall prevent such arrangements from continuing until they are changed by an education authority in accordance with this Act.”.

(3) After subsection (3) there shall be inserted—

“(3A) Where an education authority’s arrangements for the placing of children in schools under their management give any priority to siblings of pupils attending such schools, those arrangements shall not discriminate between siblings belonging to the area of that education authority and siblings belonging to the area of another education authority.”.

Planning

33 Structure plans

(1) After section 4 of the 1972 Act insert—

“4A Structure plans

(1) The Secretary of State may by order designate areas (“structure plan areas”) in respect of which planning authorities are to prepare structure plans.

(2) The district of every planning authority in Scotland shall be included in a structure plan area.

(3) A structure plan area may extend to the district of more than one planning authority, and may extend to only part of the district of a planning authority.

(4) Where a structure plan area extends to the district of more than one planning authority, the planning authorities concerned shall jointly carry out the functions conferred upon them under sections 4, 5, 6, 6A and 8 of this Act in accordance with such arrangements as they may agree for that purpose under sections 56 (discharge of functions by local authorities), 57 (appointment of committees) and 58 (expenses of joint committees) of the [1973 c. 65.] Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973.

(5) An order under this section shall be made by statutory instrument subject to annulment in pursuance of a resolution of either House of Parliament.”.

(2) Schedule 4 to this Act, which makes further amendments to the 1972 Act, shall have effect.

Police

34 Reorganisation of police areas

After section 21 of the [1967 c. 77.] Police (Scotland) Act 1967 there shall be inserted the following section—

“21B Reorganisation of police areas

(1) Subject to the provisions of this section, the police forces established and maintained for existing police areas in Scotland under this Act immediately prior to 1st April 1996 shall continue in existence on and after that date in accordance with the provisions of this section.

(2) The police forces for the existing police areas of Fife and Dumfries and Galloway shall be the police forces for the new police areas of the same names.

(3) The Secretary of State shall, before 1st April 1996, by order make amalgamation schemes amalgamating the police areas mentioned in the second column of the table below into the combined police areas mentioned in the first column of that table, and the police forces for the existing police areas shown in brackets in the first column shall be the police forces for the new combined police areas.

(4) Subject to section 19A of this Act, an amalgamation scheme made under this section may contain such provision as the Secretary of State considers necessary or appropriate for the purposes of the scheme including, without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, any provision which is required to be made, or which may be made, in an amalgamation scheme made by virtue of section 19 of this Act.

(5) Before making an amalgamation scheme under this section the Secretary of State shall—

(a) consult such police authorities as appear to him to be affected by the scheme; and

(b) where any such authority submit objections to the scheme, inform that authority in writing whether he accepts the objections and, if he does not, why he does not.

(6) The schemes made by an order under this section shall not take effect before 1st April 1996, except in relation to—

(a) the constitution of joint police boards; and

(b) the carrying out by those boards of any functions necessary to bring the schemes into operation on that date.

(7) An order under this section shall be made by statutory instrument subject to annulment in pursuance of a resolution of either House of Parliament.”.

35 Amalgamation schemes

For section 20 of the [1967 c. 77.] Police (Scotland) Act 1967 there shall be substituted the following section—

“20 Power of Secretary of State to make amalgamation schemes

(1) If it appears to the Secretary of State that it is expedient in the interests of efficiency to make an amalgamation scheme for any police areas, he may, in accordance with the provisions of this section, make such amalgamation schemes, containing such provisions, as he considers appropriate.

(2) Without prejudice to the generality of subsection (1) above, but subject to section 19A of this Act, an amalgamation scheme under this section may provide—

(a) for the amalgamation of any two or more police areas into a combined area;

(b) for the alteration of an existing combined area by the addition to or deletion from it of any police area;

(c) for the establishment or re-establishment and maintenance of police forces for any police area or combined area resulting from the scheme;

(d) for the dissolution and winding up of any joint police board constituted under a pre-existing amalgamation scheme, or for the reconstitution of any such board;

(e) for the transfer or retransfer to such police forces as may be determined by the scheme of constables affected by the scheme;

(f) for the transfer or retransfer to such authorities as may be determined by the scheme of any officers, property, rights or liabilities affected by the scheme;

(g) for the doing of anything which is required to be done, or which may be done, in an amalgamation scheme made under section 19 of this Act; and

(h) for any other matters incidental to or consequential on the provisions of the scheme.

(3) Before making a scheme under this section which contains provision such as is mentioned in subsection (2)(a) or (b) above the Secretary of State shall—

(a) consult such police authorities as appear to him to be affected by the scheme; and

(b) where any such authority submit objections to the scheme, inform that authority in writing whether he accepts the objections and, if he does not, why he does not.

(4) A scheme under this section shall be contained in an order made by statutory instrument subject to annulment in pursuance of a resolution of either House of Parliament.”.

Fire services

36 Fire services

For section 147 of the 1973 Act (fire services) there shall be substituted—

“147 Fire services

(1) Subject to the provisions of this section, the fire brigades maintained in Scotland for the purposes of the Fire Services Acts 1947 to 1959 by fire authorities or, where administration schemes have been made, joint committees for combined areas immediately before 1st April 1996 shall continue in existence on and after that date.

(2) Subject to the provisions of the [1947 c. 41.] Fire Services Act 1947, the fire authority for the purposes of the Fire Services Acts 1947 to 1959 shall, until 31st March 1996, continue to be a regional or islands council and thereafter shall be a local authority.

(3) The fire brigades for the existing fire authorities of Fife and Dumfries and Galloway shall be the fire brigades for the new fire authorities of the same names.

(4) The Secretary of State shall, before 1st April 1996, by order make schemes (hereafter referred to as “administration schemes”) for the local government areas comprised in each of the combined areas set out in the Table at the end of this subsection for the provision in the combined area of the services required by section 1 of the Fire Services Act 1947; and the fire brigades for the existing areas shown in brackets in the first column shall be the fire brigades for the new combined areas.

(5) Subject to subsection (6) below, an administration scheme made under this section may contain such provision as the Secretary of State considers necessary or appropriate for the purposes of the scheme including, without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, any provision which is required to be made, or which may be made, in an administration scheme under section 36 of the Fire Services Act 1947.

(6) An administration scheme made under this section shall provide for the incorporation of the joint board with a common seal and shall confer on such a board power to hold land and to borrow money.

(7) Before making an administration scheme under this section the Secretary of State shall—

(a) consult such fire authorities as appear to him to be affected by the scheme; and

(b) where any such authority submit objections to the scheme, inform that authority in writing whether he accepts the objections and, if he does not, why he does not.

(8) An administration scheme made under this section shall not take effect before 1st April 1996, except so far as it relates to—

(a) the constitution of the joint board for fire services; and

(b) the performance by that board of functions necessary for bringing the scheme into full operation on that date.

(9) A statutory instrument containing an order under this section shall be subject to annulment in pursuance of a resolution of either House of Parliament.”.

Rivers

37 River purification boards

(1) Without prejudice to subsection (3) of section 135A of the 1973 Act (transitional provision in variation orders), a variation order under the said section 135A may include provision for the termination of appointment on 31st March 1996 of those members of the board appointed by regional or district councils.

(2) Each council constituted under section 2 of this Act shall, by no later than 31st March 1996, determine which members of that council shall be appointed with effect from 1st April 1996, in accordance with a variation order including such provision as is mentioned in subsection (1) above, to be members of the river purification board or boards within whose area the council lies.

Roads

38 Roads

(1) The [1984 c. 54.] Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 shall be amended in accordance with this section.

(2) After section 12 there shall be inserted the following sections—

“Transitory provisions

12A Transitional power of Secretary of State as respects existing roads

(1) Without prejudice to section 5 of this Act, where the Secretary of State considers that it is necessary or expedient as a result of, or in connection with, the establishment of new local government areas on 1st April 1996—

(a) that any existing road should become a trunk road; or

(b) that any trunk road should cease to be a trunk road,

he may by order direct that the road shall become a trunk road or, as the case may be, shall cease to be a trunk road, as from such date as may be specified in that regard in the order.

(2) Where an order under this section directs that a road shall cease to be a trunk road, it may also direct that—

(a) as from the date specified in that regard in the order, the local roads authority for the area shall become the roads authority for the road; and

(b) the authority shall enter the road in their list of public roads.

(3) An order under this section may relate to one or more roads.

12B Transitional power of Secretary of State as respects proposed roads

(1) Without prejudice to section 5 of this Act, where the Secretary of State considers that it is necessary or expedient as a result of, or in connection with, the establishment of new local government areas on 1st April 1996—

(a) that any proposed road—

(i) to be constructed by the local roads authority; and

(ii) in respect of which all necessary planning permission has been granted or is deemed to have been granted,

should become a trunk road; or

(b) that any proposed road—

(i) to be constructed by the Secretary of State as a trunk road; and

(ii) in relation to which an order has been made under section 5 of this Act,

should not become a trunk road,

he may by order direct that the proposed road shall or, as the case may be, shall not become a trunk road.

(2) Where an order is made in respect of a proposed road as mentioned in subsection (1)(a) above—

(a) subject to subsection (6) below, the Secretary of State may, for the purposes of the construction of that road, do any thing which he would have been entitled to do if an order under section 12 of this Act (in this section referred to as a “section 12 order”) had been made in relation to that road; and

(b) where an environmental statement has been published in respect of the project, the Secretary of State shall not be required to publish a further environmental statement,

but otherwise the Secretary of State shall in all respects be in the same position in relation to that proposed road as the local roads authority would have been if such order had not been made.

(3) Where an order is made in respect of a proposed road as mentioned in subsection (1)(b) above—

(a) the local roads authority may proceed with construction of the said road as if all necessary planning permission had been granted;

(b) the section 12 order made in relation to that road shall apply as if—

(i) the local roads authority were the roads authority referred to in such order; and

(ii) all necessary planning permission has been granted; and

(c) where an environmental statement has been published in respect of the project, the local roads authority shall not be required to publish a further environmental statement.

(4) Where an order under this section directs that a proposed road shall not become a trunk road, it may also direct that—

(a) as from the date specified in that regard in the order, the local roads authority for the area shall become the roads authority for the proposed road; and

(b) on such date as may be specified in that regard in the order, the authority shall enter the road in their list of public roads.

(5) An order under this section may relate to one or more proposed roads.

(6) The Secretary of State shall not by virtue of this section be empowered—

(a) to stop up a road as mentioned in section 12(1)(a)(i) of this Act; or

(b) to do anything mentioned in paragraphs (a) and (b) of section 70 of this Act except where the local roads authority have been so authorised under a section 12 order; and where such an order has been made, the Secretary of State may do anything he would have been authorised to do if the order had been made by him.

(7) In this section and in section 12C of this Act “planning permission” means permission under Part III of the [1972 c. 52.] Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1972.

12C Transitional power of Secretary of State as respects special road schemes

(1) Where the Secretary of State considers that it is necessary or expedient as a result of, or in connection with, the establishment of new local government areas on 1st April 1996 that—

(a) a special road which the Secretary of State is authorised to provide by virtue of a scheme under section 7 of this Act (a “section 7 scheme”) should be provided by a local roads authority; or

(b) a special road which a local roads authority is authorised to provide by virtue of a section 7 scheme which has been confirmed by the Secretary of State should be provided by the Secretary of State,

he may by order direct that the local roads authority or, as the case may be, the Secretary of State shall be authorised to provide such special road; and the section 7 schemes relating to those special roads shall (notwithstanding their terms) be deemed to authorise the provision of such special roads by the local roads authority and the Secretary of State respectively.

(2) Where an order is made in respect of a special road as mentioned in subsection (1)(a) above—

(a) where the Secretary of State has made an order under section 9 of this Act (a “section 9 order”) in relation to that special road, the local roads authority may treat that order as if it were an order made by them and confirmed by the Secretary of State;

(b) any necessary planning permission (whether relating to the special road or the doing of anything authorised by virtue of the section 9 order) shall be deemed to have been granted to the local roads authority; and

(c) where an environmental statement has been published in respect of the project, the local roads authority shall not be required to publish a further environmental statement.

(3) Where an order is made in respect of a special road as mentioned in subsection (1)(b) above—

(a) if the local roads authority have made a section 9 order which has been confirmed by the Secretary of State, the Secretary of State may treat that section 9 order as if it were an order made by him; and

(b) where an environmental statement has been published in respect of the project, the Secretary of State shall not be required to publish a further environmental statement,

but otherwise the Secretary of State shall in all respects be in the same position in relation to that special road as the local roads authority would have been if such order had not been made.

12D Application of section 112 to orders under sections 12A, 12B, 12C and 12E

The provisions of section 112 of this Act shall apply, subject to such modifications as the Secretary of State may by order specify, to roads, proposed roads and special roads such as may be mentioned in orders made under sections 12A, 12B, 12C and 12E of this Act as they apply to roads mentioned in the said section 112.

12E Further power of Secretary of State as respects proposed roads and special road schemes

(1) Where the Secretary of State considers that it is necessary or expedient as a result of, or in connection with, the establishment of new local government areas on 1st April 1996 that any proposed road to be constructed by a local roads authority should become a trunk road, but the condition mentioned in subsection (1)(a)(ii) of section 12B of this Act is not satisfied in relation to such proposed road, he may, notwithstanding the provisions of that subsection, by order direct that the proposed road shall become a trunk road.

(2) The provisions of paragraphs (a) and (b) of section 12B(2) of this Act shall apply where an order is made under subsection (1) above as they apply where an order is made under subsection (1)(a) of that section.

(3) Where the Secretary of State considers that it is necessary or expedient as a result of, or in connection with, the establishment of new local government areas on 1st April 1996 that a special road in respect of which a section 7 scheme has been made by a local roads authority but not confirmed by the Secretary of State should be provided by him, he may, notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (1)(b) of section 12C of this Act, by order, direct that he shall be authorised to provide such special road by virtue of such scheme.

(4) The provisions of paragraphs (a) and (b) of section 12C(3) of this Act shall apply where an order is made under subsection (3) above as they apply where an order is made under subsection (1)(b) of that section.

(5) An order under subsection (1) or (3) above may include provision specifying the extent to which compliance before the making of that order with any statutory requirement in relation to the proposed road or, as the case may be, special road shall be deemed to satisfy for all purposes any statutory requirement which the Secretary of State would, apart from such provision, have been required to comply with in relation to that proposed road or special road.

(6) As from the date of an order under subsection (1) or (3) above, the proposed road or, as the case may be, special road shall be deemed always to have been a proposed road to be constructed by the Secretary of State or a special road which the Secretary of State is authorised to provide.

12F Further provisions as to orders

An order under section 12A, 12B, 12C, 12D or 12E of this Act may not be made so as to take effect more than 3 years after 1st April 1996.”.

(3) In section 112 (transfer of property and liabilities on road becoming or ceasing to be a trunk road)—

(a) in subsection (1), after paragraph (c) there shall be inserted the following paragraph—

“(d) any property such as is mentioned in subsection (1A) below”;

(b) after subsection (1) there shall be inserted the following subsections—

“(1A) The property mentioned in paragraph (d) of subsection (1) above is property which—

(a) was, immediately before the operative date, vested in the former roads authority for the purposes of their functions in relation to more than one road (including the road mentioned in that subsection); and

(b) is specified in an order made by the Secretary of State.

(1B) Where any property is transferred to and vests in the Secretary of State as mentioned in subsection (1)(d) above, he shall make arrangements with the former roads authority as respects the use of that property; and any dispute between the Secretary of State and the former roads authority as to any arrangements made under this subsection shall be determined in like manner as any dispute such as is mentioned in subsection (7) below.”; and

(c) in subsection (2), for the words “subsection (1)” there shall be substituted the words “subsections (1) and (1A)”.

(4) In section 143(2)(a)(ii) (orders subject to negative resolution), after “section 8” there shall be inserted “, 12A, 12B, 12C, 12D, 12E”.

39 Roads authority for boundary bridges

After section 81 of the [1984 c. 54.] Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 there shall be inserted—

“81A Roads authority for boundary bridges

(1) This section applies where a public road is carried by a bridge over a waterway and the bridge lies partly in the areas of two local roads authorities.

(2) Where this section applies, the authorities concerned may make arrangements as to—

(a) which of them shall be the roads authority in relation to that bridge;

(b) the performance by such roads authority in relation to the bridge of any of the roads functions of the other authority; and

(c) the making of contributions by that other authority to the roads authority in respect of expenditure incurred in the performance of those functions.

(3) Where arrangements are not made as mentioned in subsection (2) above, the Secretary of State may, on the application of one of the roads authorities concerned, make a determination in respect of the matters mentioned in paragraphs (a) to (c) of that subsection.

(4) A determination of the Secretary of State under subsection (3) above shall be binding.”.