(1)The Greater London council shall establish and maintain in such form and manner as they think appropriate records showing the needs for the time being of Greater London with respect to housing accommodation.
(2)Any application for housing accommodation maintained by a housing authority in Greater London—
(a)if the applicant is resident in a London borough, whether or not the accommodation is sought in that borough, shall be made to the council of that borough; or
(b)in any other case, shall be made to the Greater London Council who may, if they think fit, transmit the application to such of the London borough councils as they think appropriate,
and shall include information on such matters as the Greater London Council may require for the purposes of their functions under subsection (1) of this section.
(3)Each London borough council shall establish and maintain a register of all applications duly made to them under subsection (2)(a) or transmitted to them under subsection (2)(b) of this section which are for the time being outstanding, and shall furnish to the Greater London Council such particulars in such form as the Greater London Council may require for the purposes of their functions under subsection (1) of this section—
(a)of any such application as aforesaid; and
(b)of the steps taken by the borough council to satisfy the needs of persons requiring housing accommodation maintained by that borough council.
(4)Subsections (2) and (3) of this section shall apply to the City as if it were a London borough and the Common Council were the council of that London borough.
(5)The Greater London Council shall establish and maintain facilities for the exchange of housing accommodation in Greater London for other housing accommodation, whether in or outside Greater London, between persons requiring such an exchange and, notwithstanding anything in the Accommodation Agencies Act 1953, may require the payment of a charge by any person making use of those facilities.