(1)The Secretary of State may authorise a local education authority to purchase compulsorily any land (whether within or outside their area) which—
(a)is required for the purposes of any school or institution which is, or is to be, maintained by them or which they have power to assist, or
(b)is otherwise required for the purposes of their functions under this Act.
(2)The Secretary of State shall not authorise the compulsory purchase of any land required for the purposes of a voluntary school unless he is satisfied that the arrangements made—
(a)as to the vesting of the land to be purchased, and
(b)as to the appropriation of that land for the purposes of the school,
are such as to secure that the expenditure ultimately borne by the local education authority will not include any expenditure which, if the land had been purchased by the governing body of the school, would have fallen to be borne by the governing body.
(3)Subsection (2) shall not, however, apply where the local education authority propose that expenditure to be incurred in connection with the purchase should ultimately be borne by them under section 68 (power to give assistance).
(4)In this section “land” includes buildings and other structures and land covered with water.