(1)The Secretary of State shall have power, by an order made in the like manner and subject to the like provisions as a rate support grant order, to vary the provisions of any rate support grant order made before the commencement of this Act for a grant period ending after the commencement of this Act.
(2)Any order made by virtue of this section may be made for all or any of the years comprised in the said rate support grant period, as may be specified in the order, and in respect of the year or years so specified shall increase the annual aggregate amount of the rate support grants to such extent as may appear to the Secretary of State to be appropriate having regard to any additional expenditure incurred or likely to be incurred by councils of counties or of large burghs in consequence of the passing of this Act.
(3)The provisions of this section shall have effect without prejudice to the exercise of any power conferred by section 4 of the M1Local Government (Scotland) Act 1966 (which confers power to vary rate support grant orders in consequence of unforeseen increases in the level of prices, costs or remuneration).
(4)In this section the expressions “rate support grant order” and “grant period” have the meanings respectively assigned to them by subsection (1) and subsection (3) of section 3 of the M2Local Government (Scotland) Act 1966.