Housing Act 1957

Provisions as to London

132 Local authority for Part V in London other than City

(1) As respects the administrative county of London other than the City of London, the question whether or not in any case the London County Council or the metropolitan borough council are to be the local authority for the purposes of this Part of this Act shall, save as otherwise expressly provided, be determined in accordance with the succeeding provisions of this section.

(2) The London County Council shall be the local authority for the purposes of this Part of this Act so far as regards the provision of any houses outside the administrative county of London.

(3) The London County Council shall carry out such reviews of housing conditions and submit to the Minister such proposals for the provision of new houses as are required by this Part of this Act, but, before preparing any such proposals, the county council shall consult with the councils of the several metropolitan boroughs, and the council of every metropolitan borough shall furnish such information as may reasonably be required by the London County Council for the purpose of preparing any such proposals.

(4) As respects a metropolitan borough, the council of the borough shall be the local authority for the purposes of this Part of this Act save as regards the provision of any houses outside the borough and the carrying out of such reviews of housing accommodation and the submission to the Minister of such proposals for the provision of new houses as are required by this Part of this Act.

(5) Without prejudice to the powers conferred on a metropolitan borough council by this Act, the London County Council shall be a local authority for the purposes of this Part of this Act as respects any part of the administrative county of London, other than the City of London, for all the purposes of this Part of this Act other than those for which it is the local authority to the exclusion of the metropolitan borough council:

Provided that the London County Council shall not develop land in a metropolitan borough for the purpose only of meeting the needs of the borough without the consent of the council thereof.

(6) If it appears to the Minister to be expedient that the needs of a metropolitan borough with respect to the provision of housing accommodation should be satisfied by the provision by the council of that borough of such accommodation outside the administrative county of London or within another metropolitan borough, he may by order contained in a statutory instrument provide for the transfer to that council, to such extent as appears to him to be requisite for that purpose, of any powers which, by virtue of subsection (2) or subsection (5) of this section are powers of the London County Council.

133 Exercise by local authorities in London of certain powers for the purposes of Part V

(1) So much of subsection (1) of section ninety-seven of this Act as provides that a local authority may acquire land for the purposes of this Part of this Act by agreement shall have effect so as to authorise a local authority in the administrative county of London to acquire land for those purposes by agreement in like manner as if those purposes were purposes of the Public Health Act, 1875, and sections one hundred and seventy-five to one hundred and seventy-eight of that Act so far as they relate to the purchase of land by agreement shall apply accordingly and shall for the purposes of this Part of this Act extend to London in like manner as if the common council of the City of London, the London County Council and a metropolitan borough council, respectively, were a local authority in the said sections mentioned.

(2) Any purchase money payable in pursuance of this section by a local authority in respect of any land, estate or interest of another local authority which would, but for this subsection, be paid into court in manner provided by the Lands Clauses Acts may, if the Minister consents, instead of being paid into court, be paid as the Minister may determine.

A decision of the Minister under this subsection shall be final and conclusive.