Housing Act 1985

259 Contributions by Secretary of State.

(1) The Secretary of State may pay contributions to a local housing authority towards such expenditure incurred by them under the provisions of this Part relating to general improvement areas as he may determine.

(2) The contributions shall be annual sums—

(a) payable in respect of a period of 20 years beginning with the financial year in which the expenditure towards which the contribution is made is incurred, and

(b) equal to one-half of the annual loan charges referable to that expenditure, that is to say, the annual sum that, in the opinion of the Secretary of State, would fall to be paid by the local housing authority for the repayment of principal and the payment of interest on a loan of an amount equal to the expenditure repayable over that period.

(3) The aggregate of the expenditure towards which such contributions may be made with respect to a general improvement area shall not exceed the sum arrived at by multiplying—

(a) £400, by

(b) the number of dwellings stated by the local housing authority under section 254(4) to be in the areaX;

but two adjoining general improvement areas may for this purpose be treated as one.

(4) The Secretary of State may, with the consent of the Treasury—

(a) by order substitute in subsections (2) and (3) another fraction for one-half and another amount for £400;

(b) direct that those subsections shall have effect, in the case of a general improvement area specified in the direction or of a description so specified, with the substitution of a higher fraction or a greater amount than that for the time being specified in the subsection.

(5) An order under subsection (4)(a)—

(a) may make different provision for different cases or descriptions of case, including different provision for different areas, and

(b) shall be made by statutory instrument which shall be subject to annulment in pursuance of a resolution of the House of Commons.

(6) For the purposes of this section—

(a) the cost of acquiring an estate or interest in a case where periodical payments fall to be made in connection with the acquisition shall be taken to include such sum as the Secretary of State may determine to be the capital equivalent of those payments; and

(b) the cost of works shall be taken to include the cost of the employment in connection with the works of an architect, engineer, surveyor, land-agent or other person in an advisory or supervisory capacity.

(7) In the case of contributions payable in respect of—

(a) works to which the [1971 c. 76.] Housing Act 1971 applied (works in certain areas completed before 23rd June 1974), or

(b) expenditure on providing land treated as expenditure on such works by virtue of section 2(4) of that Act,

subsection (2)(b) above has effect with the substitution of “75 per cent.” for “one-half”.