Local Government Act 1972

27 Community meetings and councils. W

(1) A meeting of the local government electors for a community (hereafter in this Act referred to as a community meeting) may be convened for the purpose of discussing community affairs and exercising any functions conferred by any enactment on such meetings.

(2) For the purpose of exercising functions on and after 1st April 1974 there shall be a community council for—

(a) every community which is co-extensive with the area of a rural parish existing immediately before that date and having a separate parish council;

(b) every group of communities the areas of which are co-extensive with the areas of rural parishes existing immediately before that date and grouped under a common parish council; and

(c) any other community in respect of which the Secretary of State has directed under subsection (3) or (4) below that there is to be a community council.

(3) The Secretary of State shall, on an application in writing made to him before 1973 by the council of an existing borough (except an excepted borough) or of an existing urban district, being a borough or district the area of part of the area of which is co-extensive with the area of a community, direct that there shall be a council for the community for the purpose of exercising functions on and after 1st April 1974.

(4) The Secretary of State may, without any application under subsection (3) above, but after such consultations as he thinks proper, direct not later than 30th June 1973 that for the said purpose there shall be a community council for a particular community the area of which is co-extensive with the area or part of the area of an existing borough (except an excepted borough) or of an existing urban district.

(5) A community meeting of a community having a separate community council may, after 1st April 1974 and before the submission to the Secretary of State of the report of the Commission on the special community review relating to that community, apply to the district council for the dissolution of the community council, and thereupon the district council may by order dissolve the community council.

(6) In this section “excepted borough” means the borough of Cardiff, Merthyr Tydfil, Newport, Port Talbot, Rhondda or Swansea.