Local Government Act 1972

57 Substantive changes in electoral arrangements. E+W

(1) No review shall be conducted under section 55 or 56 above for the purpose of making proposals for a substantive change of electoral arrangements, but the following provisions of this section shall have effect with respect to the making of such proposals.

(2) It shall be the duty of the Welsh Commission not less than ten or more than fifteen years after the completion of the initial review of the electoral arrangements for [F1 principal areas] under [F2 section 64 of this Act (as substituted by the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994)] and thereafter, so far as is reasonably practicable, at intervals of not less than ten or more than fifteen years from the submission of the last report of the Commission on the previous review under this subsection in relation to the area in question, to review the electoral arrangements for every principal area in Wales for the purpose of considering whether or not to make proposals to the Secretary of State for a substantive change in those electoral arrangements and what proposals, if any, to make, and the Commission shall, if they think fit, formulate such proposals accordingly.

(3) Without prejudice to subsection (2) above, the Welsh Commission may at any time, whether at the request of a local authority or otherwise, review the electoral arrangements for a principal area in Wales for the purpose of considering whether or not to make proposals to the Secretary of State for a substantive change in those electoral arrangements and what proposals, if any, to make, and the Commission shall, if they think fit, formulate such proposals accordingly.

(4) It shall be the duty of [F3 each principal council] in Wales to keep under review the electoral arrangements for the communities in [F4 their area] for the purpose of considering whether or not to make substantive changes in those arrangements and what changes, if any, to make and the council shall consider any requests made with respect to those arrangements by the council for, or not less than thirty local government electors of, any community appearing to the [F5 principal council] to be likely to be affected by those changes, and the [F5 principal council] may, if they think fit, make an order giving effect to those changes.

[F6 (4A) Each Welsh principal council must, every fifteen years, publish a report which describes what the council has done in the previous fifteen years in order to discharge its duty to keep the whole of the area under review for the purpose described in subsection (4).

(4B) The council must send a copy of any report published under subsection (4A) to the Welsh Commission.

(4C) The first report under subsection (4A) must be published within four years of the day on which that subsection comes into force.

(4D) Further reports must be published within fifteen years of the date on which the last report under subsection (4A) was published.]

(5) The Welsh Commission may, on a request made by the council for, or not less than thirty local government electors of, any community, review the electoral arrangements for the community for the purpose of considering whether or not to make proposals to the [F7 principal] council for an order under subsection (6) below changing those arrangements and what proposals, if any, to make, and may, if they think fit, formulate such proposals and send them to the [F7 principal] council accordingly.

(6) Where a [F7 principal] council have received proposals from the Welsh Commission under subsection (5) above for an order under this subsection they may, if they think fit, make the order proposed or may suggest modifications to the proposals and, where the Commission agree to the modifications suggested, may make the order with those modifications.

(7) If after receiving any such proposals a [F7 principal] council inform the Welsh Commission that in their opinion the order proposed should not be made (whether with or without modifications) or if, within six months of receiving any such proposals the [F7 principal] council have not made the order proposed (whether with or without modifications), the Commission may report that fact to the Secretary of State and make to him the proposals which they made to the [F7 principal] council.

Textual Amendments

F1 Words in s. 57(2) substituted (1.10.1995) by 1994 c. 19, s. 66(5), Sch. 15 para. 10(1)(a) (with ss. 54(5)(7), 55(5), Sch. 17 paras. 22(1), 23(2)); S.I. 1995/2490, art. 5(1), Sch. 3

F2 Words in s. 57(2) substituted (1.10.1995) by 1994 c. 19, s. 66(5), Sch. 15 para. 10(1)(b) (with ss. 54(5)(7), 55(5)); S.I. 1995/2490, art. 5(1), Sch. 3

F3 Words in s. 57(4) substituted (1.4.1996) by 1994 c. 19, s. 66(5), Sch. 15 para. 10(2)(a) (with ss. 54(5)(7), 55(5), Sch. 17 paras. 22(1), 23(2)); S.I. 1996/396, art. 4, Sch. 2

F4 Words in s. 57(4) substituted (1.4.1996) by 1994 c. 19, s. 66(5), Sch. 15 para. 10(2)(b) (with ss. 54(5)(7), 55(5), Sch. 17 paras. 22(1), 23(2)); S.I. 1996/396, art. 4, Sch. 2

F5 Words in s. 57(4) substituted (1.4.1996) by 1994 c. 19, s. 66(5), Sch. 15 para. 10(2)(c) (with ss. 54(5)(7), 55(5), Sch. 17 paras. 22(1), 23(2)); S.I. 1996/396, art. 4, Sch. 2

F6 S. 57(4A)-(4D) inserted (10.7.2011) by Local Government (Wales) Measure 2011 (nawm 4), ss. 123, 178(2)

F7 Words in s. 57(5)-(7) substituted (1.4.1996) by 1994 c. 19, s. 66(5), Sch. 15 para. 10(3) (with ss. 54(5)(7), 55(5), Sch. 17 paras. 22(1), 23(2)); S.I. 1996/396, art. 4, Sch. 2

Modifications etc. (not altering text)

C1 S. 57: power to transfer or modify functions conferred (30.11.2000 for specified purposes otherwiseprosp.) by 2000 c. 41, ss. 20(3)(b), 163(2)(3)(d) (with s. 156(6))