Police Act 1964

23 Alteration of local government areas. E+W

[F1 (1) An amalgamation scheme may be approved or made under this Act [F2 with respect to any two or more prospective police areas] and subject to subsection (1A) below may be so approved or made before the relevant date.

(1A) A scheme under this section shall not come into force before the relevant date, except so far as it relates to the constitution of the combined police authority and to the performance by that authority of functions necessary for bringing the scheme into full operation on that date.

[F3 (1B) In this section—

• “prospective police area” means any area which (apart from any amalgamation scheme) would become a police area by virtue of an order under Part II of the Local Government Act 1992 or Part IV of the Local Government Act 1972 or which, in accordance with such an order, is to be treated, for the purposes of the approval or making of any amalgamation scheme, as an area which would become a police area by virtue of that order; and

• “the relevant date”, in relation to a prospective police area, means the date on which the order in question gives effect to structural or boundary changes affecting the area comprised in the prospective police area;

and in this subsection the reference to a structural or boundary change is a reference to any structural or boundary change within the meaning of Part II of that Act of 1992 or, in relation to an order under Part IV of that Act of 1972, to the constitution of a new county or the alteration of an existing county.]]

(2) In relation to an amalgamation scheme to be approved or made by virtue of this section, sections 21 and 22 of this Act and the Schedules therein mentioned shall apply subject to any necessary modifications and in particular to the following modifications, that is to say—

[F4 (a) any reference to a police area shall include a reference to a prospective police area;

(b) any reference, in relation to a prospective police area, to a constituent authority shall be a reference to the police authority for any police area the whole or any part of which will be included in the prospective police area and the council of any county the whole or any part of which will be so included; and

(c) any reference, in relation to a prospective police area, to the police authority (except a reference to which paragraph (b) above applies) shall be a reference to any constituent authority (within the meaning of that paragraph) other than the council for a county for which there is a separate police authority.]

[F5 (3) For the purposes of the approval or making of any amalgamation scheme with respect to any area, any steps required by this Act to be taken before an amalgamation scheme is approved or made may be taken at any time—

(a) after any report affecting that area, together with proposals or recommendations, has been submitted to the Secretary of State under Part II of the Local Government Act 1992 or Part IV of the Local Government Act 1972; and

(b) before an order is made to give effect to the proposals or recommendations,

if the Secretary of State has notified the general nature of the order he intends to make to give effect to the proposals or recommendations to every authority which for the purposes of sections 21 and 22 above (as modified by subsection (2) above) would be a constituent authority in relation to that scheme.]

(4) An amalgamation scheme may be amended or revoked under this Act notwithstanding that it has been modified by an order under Part VI of the said Act of 1933 or Part II of the said Act of 1958.

Textual Amendments

F1 S. 23(1)(1A)(1B) substituted for s. 23(1) by Local Government Act 1972 (c. 70), s. 196(6)

F2 Words in s. 23(1) substituted (31.10.1992) for paras. (a) and (b) by Local Government Act 1992 (c. 19), s. 27, Sch. 3 para. 3(1); S.I. 1992/2371, art.2

F3 S. 23(1B) substituted (31.10.1992) by Local Government Act 1992 (c. 19), s. 27, Sch. 3 para. 3(2); S.I. 1992/2371, art.2

F4 S. 23: in subsection (2) paras. (a) to (c) substituted (31.10.1992) by Local Government Act 1992 (c. 19), s. 27, Sch. 3 para. 3(3); S.I. 1992/2371, art.2

F5 S. 23(3) substituted (31.10.1992) by Local Government Act 1992 (c. 19), s. 27, Sch. 3 para. 3(4); S.I. 1992/2371, art. 2