48 General power to reduce rate support grant.E+W
(1)The Secretary of State may reduce the amount of rate support grant payable to a local authority for the year 1980-81 and any subsequent year before the commencing year if the uniform rate for that authority’s area in that year exceeds the notional uniform rate.
(2)In this section—
“notional uniform rate” means the rate which, having regard to payments of the needs element of rate support grant and the prescribed national standard rateable value per head of population, the Secretary of State considers that each rating authority in England and Wales would need to levy in order to finance the spending needs of the authority and of all authorities with the power to issue precepts to the authority; and
“uniform rate”—
(a)in relation to authorities ouside Greater London, has the meaning assigned to it for the purposes of sub-paragraph (1) of paragraph 10 of Schedule 2 to the M1Local Government Act 1974 by sub-paragraph (3) of that paragraph; and
(b)in relation to authorities in Greater London, has that meaning subject to any adjustment of the amount made by the Secretary of State.
(3)A report under section 3(3) of the Local Government Act 1974 (reports on rate support grant orders) shall specify the amount of the notional uniform rate.
(4)The notional u niform rate for the year 1980-81 shall be of such an amount as is specified in the report for that year under section 3(3) of the Local Government Act 1974.
(5)A report under section 4(2) of that Act (reports on redetermination) shall specify the principles on which the Secretary of State has made any adjustment of the uniform rate of the authorities in Greater London.
(6)Where the Secretary of State makes any such adjustment, he shall apply the same principles in making it to all authorities in Greater London.
(7)Any expression used in thos section or in section 49 or 50 below and to which a meaning is assigned by the M2Local Government Act 1974 has that meaning for the purposes of those sections.