Local Government and Housing Act 1989

8 Duty to adopt standing orders with respect to staff. E+W+S

(1) The Secretary of State may by regulations require relevant authorities, subject to such variations as may be authorised by the regulations—

(a) to incorporate such provision as may be prescribed by the regulations instanding orders relating to their staff; and

(b) to make or refrain from making such other modifications of any such standing orders as may be so prescribed.

(2) For the purposes of this section standing orders relate to the staff of a relevant authority if they make provision for regulating—

(a) the appointment of persons to paid office or employment under the authority; or

(b) the dismissal of persons holding such office or employment and the taking of other disciplinary action against such persons.

(3) Without prejudice to the generality of subsection (1) above, regulations under this section may require a relevant authority’s standing orders—

(a) so to restrict the manner of exercising the power to take steps for or towards the selection of candidates for interview, or for appointment, as to make it exercisable only by the authority themselves, by a committee orsub-committee of the authority or by particular officers of the authority;

(b) to restrict the power of the authority or any of their committees or sub-committees—

(i) to give directions to persons making appointments on their behalf as to the identity of the individuals to be appointed; or

(ii) otherwise to interfere with the making of appointments by such persons;

(c) to require the monitoring officer of the authority to prepare a report tothe authority in respect of every proposed appointment of a person to a politically restricted post;

(d) to require every such report to state whether, in the opinion of the monitoring officer, the proposed appointment can be made—

(i) without any contravention of any provision made by or under this Part; and

(ii) without any matter being taken into account which could not properly be taken into account;

and, if in his opinion it cannot be so made, his reasons; and

(e) to prohibit the authority or any committee, sub-committee or other person acting on their behalf from dismissing or taking other disciplinary action against a person holding office or employment under the authority except in accordance with recommendations contained in a report made to the authority by an independent person of such a description as is prescribed by the regulations.

(4) Regulations under this section may contain such incidental provision and such supplemental, consequential and transitional provision in connection with their other provisions as the Secretary of State considers appropriate; and that provision may include—

(a) provision which, for the purposes of any such restriction as is mentioned in subsection (3) above, makes modifications of any enactment with respect to the delegation of a relevant authority’s functions;

(b) provision which (with or without modifications) applies provisions of section 5 above in relation to any report prepared in consequence of regulations made by virtue of subsection (3)(c) above;

(c) provision specifying the consequences—

(i) in relation to any appointment or contract of employment;

(ii) in relation to any proceedings on a complaint to an [F1 employment tribunal]; and

(iii) in relation to any expenditure incurred by the authority,

of any contravention of standing orders made in pursuance of the regulations; and

[F2 (d) without prejudice to section 191(1) below, special provision in relation to the appointment of persons—

(i) in pursuance of section 9 below;

(ii) for the purposes of functions exercised by joint committees on which relevant authorities are represented; and

(iii) in pursuance of regulations made under paragraph 6 of Schedule 1 to the Local Government Act 2000 (mayor’s assistant).]

(5) In this section “relevant authority”—

(a) in relation to England and Wales, means a local authority of any of the descriptions specified in paragraphs (a) to (e) of section 21(1) below; and

[F3 (aa) in relation to Wales, means a corporate joint committee;]

(b) in relation to Scotland, means a [F4 council constituted under section 2 of the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994].

Textual Amendments

F1 Words in s. 8(4)(c)(ii) substituted (1.8.1998) by 1998 c. 8, s. 1(2)(a) (with s. 16(2)); S.I. 1998/1658, art. 2(1), Sch. 1

F2 S. 8(4)(d) substituted (E.) (18.5.2001) by The Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Modification of Enactments and Further Provisions) (England) Order 2001 (S.I. 2001/1517), art. 5

S. 8(4)(d) substituted (W.) (1.4.2002) by The Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Modification of Enactments and Further Provisions) (Wales) Order 2002 (S.I. 2002/803), art. 5

F3 S. 8(5)(aa) inserted (W.) (3.12.2021) by The Corporate Joint Committees (General) (No. 2) (Wales) Regulations 2021 (S.I. 2021/1349), regs. 1(2), 11

F4 Words in s. 8(5)(b) substituted (S.) (1.4.1996) by 1994 c. 39, s. 180(1), Sch. 13 para. 161(1)(5); S.I. 1996/323, art. 4(1)(c)

Modifications etc. (not altering text)

C1 Pt. I modified (20.12.2023) by The York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority Order 2023 (S.I. 2023/1432), arts. 1(2), 5(4)

C2 S. 8 with the omission of subsection (4)(c) extended (E.W.) (19.9.1995) by 1995 c. 25, ss. 63(5), 125(2), Sch. 7 para. 13(7) (with ss. 7(6), 115, 117, Sch. 8 para. 7)

S. 8 applied (8.5.2000) by 1999 c. 29, s. 67(6) (with Sch. 12 para. 9(1)); S.I. 2000/801, art. 2(2)(b), Sch. Pt. 2

C3 S. 8 applied (E.W.) (22.7.2004) by The Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (Establishment of Conservation Board) Order 2004 (S.I. 2004/1778), arts. 1, 17(7)(d)

C4 S. 8 applied (E.W.) (22.7.2004) by The Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (Establishment of Conservation Board) Order 2004 (S.I. 2004/1777), arts. 1, 17(7)