Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964

5 Joint boards

(1) The Secretary of State may with the agreement of two or more library authorities by order provide for the formation of a joint board consisting of those authorities, which, from the date on which it begins to exercise its functions, shall be a library authority in lieu of those authorities; and without prejudice to the operation of section 293(1) of the Local Government Act 1933 (which authorises the application of that Act to joint boards) the order may provide for the incorporation of the joint board, for its procedure (including quorum), and for the manner in which its expenses are to be defrayed.

The said section 293(1) shall apply to the formation under this section of a joint board comprising the Common Council of the City of London as if the Common Council were a local authority within the meaning of the said Act of 1933.

(2) On the date on which a joint board established under this section begins to exercise its functions—

(a) the library officers of the authorities constituting the board shall by the operation of this provision be transferred to and become officers of the joint board; and

(b) the library assets and liabilities of those authorities shall, save as may be otherwise provided by the order setting up the board, be transferred by the operation of this provision to the board.

(3) The Secretary of State may on the application of an authority comprised in a joint board established under this section by order provide for the dissolution of the board, and on its dissolution the authorities constituting the board shall again become library authorities:

Provided that if any of those authorities is the council of a non-county borough or urban district the order may, at the request of the council or where the population of the borough or urban district is less than 40,000, provide that the council shall not so become a library authority.

(4) On the dissolution of a joint board established under this section—

(a) each library officer of the board shall by the operation of this provision—

(i) where at the formation of the board he was a library officer of one of the authorities which on the dissolution of the board again become library authorities, be transferred to and again become an officer of that authority;

(ii) in any other case be transferred to and become an officer of such authority (being one of the authorities which on the dissolution of the board again become library authorities) as may be agreed between those authorities or, in default of agreement, determined by the Secretary of State ;

(b) the library assets and liabilities of the board shall be divided among the said authorities as provided by the order dissolving the board.