Local Government Act 1972

245 Status of certain districts, parishes and communities. E+W

(1) If, on a petition presented to Her Majesty by the council of a district praying for the grant of a charter under this subsection, Her Majesty by the advice of Her Privy Council thinks fit so to do, She may by the charter confer on that district the status of a borough, and thereupon—

(a) the council of the district shall bear the name of the council of the borough;

(b) the chairman and vice-chairman of the council shall respectively be entitled to the style of mayor and deputy mayor of the borough.

(2) A petition for a charter under subsection (1) above shall not be presented except on a resolution passed by not less than two-thirds of the members voting thereon at a meeting of the council specially convened for the purpose with notice of the object.

(3) No charter under subsection (1) above shall take effect before 1st April 1974.

(4) Where a petition is presented to Her Majesty before 1st April 1974 by the council of a district praying for the grant of a charter under subsection (1) above and it is signified on behalf of Her Majesty before that date that She proposes to accede to the petition and that She approves—

(a) the use for the district of any style previously belonging to an existing borough which on that date will become wholly or partly comprised in the district; and

(b) the use for the chairman and vice-chairman of the council of the district of any style previously belonging to the mayor or deputy mayor of that borough;

those styles may be so used as from 1st April 1974.

(5) A district which has the status of a borough, or for which the style of borough may be used, by virtue of the foregoing provisions of this section and the council of any such district shall not be treated as a borough or the council of a borough for the purposes of any Act passed before 1st April 1974.

(6) The council of a parish or community which is not grouped with any other parish or community may resolve that the parish or community shall have the status of a town and thereupon—

(a) the council of the parish or community shall bear the name of the council of the town;

(b) the chairman and vice-chairman of the council shall be respectively entitled to the style of town mayor and deputy town mayor;

(c) the parish meeting or a community meeting shall have the style of town meeting.

(7) A resolution under subsection (6) above shall cease to have effect if the parish or community to which it relates ceases to exist.

(8) If a parish or community council which has passed a resolution under subsection (6) above is dissolved without the parish or community ceasing to exist, the dissolution shall not affect the status of the parish or community or the application to it of paragraph (c) of that subsection and in England the parish trustees shall have the style of town trustees.

(9) A parish or community council by whom a resolution under subsection (6) above has been passed or, if the council has been dissolved, the parish meeting in England or a community meeting in Wales may resolve that the parish or community shall cease to have the status of a town and thereupon subsection (6)(a) to (c) above and subsection (8) above shall cease to apply to the parish or community.

(10) The foregoing provisions of this section shall have effect subject to any provision made by a grant under Her Majesty’s prerogative and, in particular, to any such provision granting the status of a city or royal borough or conferring the style of lord mayor, deputy lord mayor or right honourable.