Local Government Act 1974

23 The Commissions for Local Administration.E+W

(1)For the purpose of conducting investigations in accordance with this Part of this Act, there shall be—

(a)a body of commissioners to be known as the Commission for Local Administration in England, and

F1(b). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

[F2but [F3the Commission] may include persons appointed to act as advisers, not exceeding the number appointed to conduct investigations.]

(2)The Parliamentary Commissioner shall be a member of [F4the Commission] .

F5(2A). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(3)In the following provisions of this Part of this Act the expression “Local Commissioner” means a person, other than the Parliamentary Commissioner F6...[F7or an advisory member], who is a member of [F8the Commission] .

F9(3A). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(4)Appointments to the office of . . . F10Commissioner shall be made by Her Majesty on the recommendation of the Secretary of State after consultation with the [F11such persons as appear to the Secretary of State to represent authorities in England or, as the case may be, authorities in Wales to which this Part of this Act applies], and a person so appointed shall, subject to subsection (6) below, hold office during good behaviour.

(5). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F12Commissioners may be appointed to serve either as full-time commissioners or as part-time commissioners.

(6)A . . . F12Commissioner may be relieved of office by Her Majesty at his own request or may be removed from office by Her Majesty on grounds of incapacity or misbehaviour, and shall in any case vacate office on completing the year of service in which he attains the age of sixty-five years.

(7)The Secretary of State shall designate two of the Local Commissioners for England as chairman and vice-chairman respectively of the Commission for Local Administration in England F13....

(8)The Commission for Local Administration in England shall divide England into areas and shall provide, in relation to each area, for one or more of the Local Commissioners to be responsible for the areaF14....

A Local Commissioner may, by virtue of this subsection, be made responsible for more than one area.

(9)It shall be the duty of the Commission for Local Administration in England to ensure that any Local Commissioner made responsible for an area which includes the county of Cornwall is made responsible for an area which also includes the Isles of Scilly.

(10)[F15The Commission] —

(a)shall make arrangements for Local Commissioners to accept cases for which they are not responsible F16..., and

(b)shall publish information about the procedures for making complaints under this Part of this Act.

(11)For the year ending on 31st March 1975, and for each subsequent financial year, every Local Commissioner shall prepare a general report on the discharge of his functions and shall submit it to [F17the Commission] .

Any such report shall be submitted F18... not later than two months after the end of the year to which it relates.

(12)[F19In the financial year beginning on 1st April 1990, and in every third financial year afterwards, [F20the Commission] shall review the operation (since the last review was made under this subsection) of the provisions of this Part of this Act about the investigation of complaints, and shall have power to convey to authorities to which this Part of this Act applies] . . . F21, or to government departments F22..., any recommendations or conclusions reached in the course of their reviews [F23and shall send copies of those recommendations or conclusions to the representative persons and authorities concerned].

[F24(12A)[F25The Commission] may, after consultation with the representative persons and authorities concerned, provide to the authorities or any of the authorities to which this Part of this Act applies such advice and guidance about good administrative practice as appears to the Commission to be appropriate and may arrange for it to be published for the information of the public.

(12B)The representative persons and authorities concerned are—

(a)for the purposes of subsection (12) above, such persons appearing to the Commission to represent authorities F26... to which this Part of this Act applies, and in the case of such authorities as are not so represented, those authorities; and

(b)for the purposes of subsection (12A) above, such of those persons and authorities as the Commission think appropriate.]

(13)Schedule 4 to this Act shall have effect as respectss [F27the Commission] .

Textual Amendments

F1S. 23(1)(b) repealed (1.4.2006) by Public Services Ombudsman (Wales) Act 2005 (c. 10), s. 40, Sch. 6 para. 8(2)(a), Sch. 7 (with s. 38); S.I. 2005/2800, art. 5(1)(3)

F2Words added by Local Government and Housing Act 1989 (c. 42, SIF 81:1), s. 22(2)

F3Words in s. 23(1) substituted (1.4.2006) by Public Services Ombudsman (Wales) Act 2005 (c. 10), s. 40, Sch. 6 para. 8(2)(b) (with s. 38); S.I. 2005/2800, art. 5(1)(3)

F4Words in s. 23(2) substituted (1.4.2006) by Public Services Ombudsman (Wales) Act 2005 (c. 10), s. 40, Sch. 6 para. 8(3) (with s. 38); S.I. 2005/2800, art. 5(1)(3)

F5S. 23(2A) omitted (24.9.2004) by virtue of Regulatory Reform (Local Commissioner for Wales) Order 2004 (S.I. 2004/2359), arts. 1(3), 2(2)(a)

F6Words in s. 23(3) omitted (24.9.2004) by virtue of Regulatory Reform (Local Commissioner for Wales) Order 2004 (S.I. 2004/2359), arts. 1(3), 2(2)(b)

F7Words inserted by Local Government and Housing Act 1989 (c. 42, SIF 81:1, 2), s. 22(3)

F8Words in s. 23(3) substituted (1.4.2006) by Public Services Ombudsman (Wales) Act 2005 (c. 10), s. 40, Sch. 6 para. 8(4) (with s. 38); S.I. 2005/2800, art. 5(1)(3)

F9S. 23(3A) repealed (1.4.2006) by Public Services Ombudsman (Wales) Act 2005 (c. 10), s. 40, Sch. 6 para. 8(5), Sch. 7 (with s. 38); S.I. 2005/2800, art. 5(1)(3)