Local Government, Planning and Land Act 1980

2 Duty of authorities to publish information. E+W+S

(1) The authorities to whom this section applies are—

(a) a county council;

[F1 (aa) a county borough council;]

(b) a district council;

[F2 (ba) a parish council;

(bb) a parish meeting of a parish which does not have a separate parish council;

(bc) a community council;]

F3 (c) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(d) a London borough council;

(e) the Common Council of the City of London;

(f) the Council of the Isles of Scilly;

(g) in Scotland, a [F4 council constituted under section 2 of the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994];

[F5 [F6 (h) a fire and rescue authority constituted by a scheme under section 2 of the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004 or a scheme to which section 4 of that Act applies;]]

[F7 (ha) a National Park authority for a National Park in Wales;]

[F8 (hb) a corporate joint committee established by regulations under Part 5 of the Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021;]

F9 (j) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

F9 (k) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

[F10 (ka) a joint authority established by Part IV of the M1 Local Government Act 1985;]

F11 (kaa) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

[F12 (kab) an economic prosperity board established under section 88 of the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009;

(kac) a combined authority established under section 103 of that Act;]

[F13 (kad) a combined county authority established under section 9(1) of the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023;]

[F14 (kb) the London Fire Commissioner;]

F15 (l) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

[F16 ; and any other authority which is a best value authority for the purposes of Part I of the Local Government Act 1999 (best value) F17 ....]

[F18 (1A) This section also applies to an authority which—

(a) is not within subsection (1) above;

(b) is not within section 4(4) below; and

(c) is, or is treated as, a smaller authority for the purposes of section 5 of the Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014 (modification of that Act in relation to smaller authorities).]

(2) The Secretary of State may issue for the purposes of this section a code of recommended practice as to the publication of information by such authorities about the discharge of their functions and other matters (including forecasts) which he considers to be related.

F19 (3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(4) A code may be prepared either by the Secretary of State or by some other person at his request.

(5) The Secretary of State may from time to time revise or request some other person to revise the whole or any part of a code.

(6) A code may specify—

(a) that publication be made in periodical reports or in any other specified manner;

(b) the occasions on which such publication is to made; and

(c) the form which such publication is to take.

(7) Without prejudice to the generality of subsection (6) above, a code may specify, as a manner of publishing information—

F20 (a) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

[F21 (aa) its dispatch with, or inclusion in—

(i) a demand note for payment of rates issued under section 237(1) of the M2 Local Government (Scotland) Act 1947; or

[F22 (ii) a notice given by virtue of regulations made under paragraph 2 of Schedule 2 to the Local Government Finance Act 1992]]

[F23 (b) its inclusion in a statement of accounts prepared by an authority to which this section applies in accordance with section 3 of the Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014 or regulations under section 39 of the Public Audit (Wales) Act 2004 or in an abstract of accounts prepared by such an authority in accordance with regulations under section 105 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973; or]

(c) its being made available for inspection by members of the public at an authority’s office or elsewhere.

(8) A code may specify steps which authorities are to take to inform the public of the availability of the information.

(9) Where a code specifies information as to the cost of the discharge of any of the functions of authorities, it may specify how the cost is to be determined.

(10) More than one code may be issued under this section, and different codes may deal with—

(a) different classes of information;

(b) different kinds of authority or the same kind of authority in different circumstances or different areas ;

(c) different manners, forms or occasions of publication.

[F24 (11) A code issued under this section applies to an authority within subsection (1A) above only in respect of information relating to a financial year during which the authority was within that subsection.

(12) A function under this section or section 3 below that is expressed to be exercisable by the Secretary of State is exercisable by the Secretary of State (and not the Welsh Ministers) in relation to a person or body that—

(a) is within subsection (1A), and

(b) exercises functions in relation to an area that is partly in England and partly in Wales.]

Textual Amendments

F1 S. 2(1)(aa) inserted (3.4.1995) by 1994 c. 19, s. 66(6), Sch. 16 para. 57(1) (with ss. 55, 54(5)(7), 55(5), Sch. 17 paras. 22(1), 23(2)); S.I. 1995/852, art. 9(1), Sch. 5

F2 S. 2(1)(ba)-(bc) inserted (1.4.2008) by Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 (c. 28), s. 245(5), Sch. 7 para. 1; S.I. 2008/917, art. 2(1)(a)

F3 S. 2(1)(c) repealed by Local Government Act 1985 (c. 51, SIF 81:1), ss. 1, 102, Sch. 17

F4 Words in s. 2(1)(g) substituted (S.) (1.4.1996) by 1994 c. 39, s. 180(1), Sch. 13 para. 120(2)(a); S.I. 1996/323, art. 4(1)(c)

F5 S. 2(1)(h) repealed (S.) (1.4.2013) by Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012 (asp 8), s. 129(2), sch. 8 Pt. 2; S.S.I. 2013/51, art. 2 (with transitional provisions and savings in S.S.I. 2013/121)

F6 S. 2(1)(h) substituted (1.10.2004 except in relation to W.) by Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004 (c. 21), s. 61, Sch. 1 para. 49(2); S.I. 2004/2304, art. 2

F7 S. 2(1)(ha) inserted (1.4.2021) by The Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021 (Consequential Amendments) Regulations 2021 (S.I. 2021/296), regs. 1(2), 2(a)

F8 S. 2(1)(hb) inserted (E.W.) (25.3.2022) by The Corporate Joint Committees (General) (Wales) Regulations 2022 (S.I. 2022/372), regs. 1(2), 47

F9 S. 2(1)(j)(k) omitted (S.) (1.4.2013) by virtue of The Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012 (Consequential Modifications and Savings) Order 2013 (S.S.I. 2013/119), art. 1, sch. 1 para. 7

F10 S. 2(1)(ka) inserted by Local Government Act 1985 (c. 51, SIF 81:1), s. 84, Sch. 14 para. 59(1)(a)

F11 S. 2(1)(kaa) omitted (26.5.2015) by virtue of Deregulation Act 2015 (c. 20), s. 115(7), Sch. 13 para. 6(14)(a); S.I. 2015/994, art. 6(g)

F12 S. 2(1)(kab)(kac) inserted (17.12.2009) by Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009 (c. 20), s. 148(6), Sch. 6 para. 49; S.I. 2009/3318, art. 2(c)

F13 S. 2(1)(kad) inserted (E.W.) (26.12.2023) by Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 (c. 55), s. 255(2)(c), Sch. 4 para. 63 (with s. 247)

F14 S. 2(1)(kb) substituted (E.W.) (31.1.2017 for specified purposes, 1.4.2018 in so far as not already in force) by Policing and Crime Act 2017 (c. 3), s. 183(1)(5)(e), Sch. 2 para. 57; S.I. 2018/227, reg. 4(c)

F15 S. 2(1)(l) repealed by Education Reform Act 1988 (c. 40, SIF 41:1), s. 237, Sch. 13 Pt. I

F16 Words in s. 2(1) inserted (27.9.1999 in relation to E. and for specified purposes only in relation to W. on 27.9.1999 and otherwise in force in relation to W. on 1.10.1999) by 1999 c. 27, s. 20; S.I. 1999/2169, art. 3(2), Sch. 2; S.I. 1999/2815, art. 2

F17 Words in s. 2(1) omitted (1.4.2021) by virtue of The Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021 (Consequential Amendments) Regulations 2021 (S.I. 2021/296), regs. 1(2), 2(b)

F18 S. 2(1A) inserted (4.4.2014 for specified purposes) by Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014 (c. 2), ss. 38(a), 49(1); S.I. 2014/900, art. 2(f)

F19 S. 2(3) repealed (1.11.1996) by 1996 c. 56, ss. 582(2), 583(2), Sch. 38 Pt. I (with ss. 1(4), 561, 562, Sch. 39)

F20 S. 2(7)(a) repealed (22.7.2004) by Statute Law (Repeals) Act 2004 (c. 14), Sch. 1 Pt. 10 Group 3

F21 S. 2(7)(aa) inserted by Local Government Finance Act 1988 (c. 41, SIF 103:2), s. 137, Sch. 12 Pt. II para. 14

F22 S. 2(7)(aa)(ii) substituted (1.10.1992) by Local Government Finance Act 1992 (c. 14), s. 117(1), Sch. 13 para. 49 (with s. 118(1)(2)(4)); S.I. 1992/2183, art. 2(c).

F23 S. 2(7)(b) substituted (1.4.2015) by Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014 (c. 2), s. 49(1), Sch. 12 para. 10; S.I. 2015/841, art. 3(x)

F24 S. 2(11)(12) inserted (4.4.2014 for specified purposes) by Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014 (c. 2), ss. 38(b), 49(1); S.I. 2014/900, art. 2(f)

Marginal Citations

M1 1985 c. 51 (81:1).

M2 1947 c. 43(103:2).