Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973

202 Procedure, etc., for byelaws

(1) The following provisions of this section shall apply to byelaws to be made by a local authority—

(a) under this Act,

(b) under any other enactment whenever passed, and whether local or otherwise, conferring on a local authority a power to make byelaws, or

(c) under any enactment which incorporates or applies any of the following enactments—

(i) section 57 of the [1889 c. 50.] Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889;

(ii) sections 317 to 323 of the [1892 c. 55.] Burgh Police (Scotland) Act 1892;

(iii) sections 183 to 187 of the [1897 c. 38.] Public Health (Scotland) Act 1897;

(iv) sections 301 to 303 of the 1947 Act.

(2) Unless the enactment under which the byelaws are made specifically provides otherwise, any such byelaws may apply only to a part of the area of a local authority, and different byelaws may apply to different parts of the area.

(3) The byelaws shall be authenticated by being sealed with the common seal of the local authority and signed by the proper officer of the authority, and shall not have effect until they are confirmed by the confirming authority.

(4) At least one month before application for confirmation of the byelaws is made, notice of the intention to apply for confirmation, of the place where a copy of the byelaws may be inspected and of the authority to whom objections may be notified shall be given in a newspaper circulating in the area to which the byelaws are to apply or in such other manner as the confirming authority on the application of the local authority may determine to be sufficient in the circumstances.

(5) For at least one month before application for confirmation is made, a copy of the byelaws shall be deposited at the offices of the local authority by whom the byelaws are made and shall at all reasonable hours be open to public inspection without payment.

(6) The local authority by whom the byelaws are made shall on application furnish to any person a copy of the byelaws or of any part thereof on payment of such sum, not exceeding 10p for every hundred words contained in the copy, as the authority may determine.

(7) Any person aggrieved by any byelaws may, within one month after notice has been published in accordance with the provisions of subsection (4) above, notify in writing his objection and the ground of his objection to the confirming authority.

(8) Before confirming byelaws, the confirming authority shall take into consideration any objections received by them and may, if they consider it necessary or desirable, hold a local inquiry or cause a local inquiry to be held.

(9) Unless the Secretary of State shall otherwise direct, every inquiry with respect to byelaws made under any provision of this Act or of the [1892 c. 55.] Burgh Police (Scotland) Acts 1892 and [1903 c. 33.] 1903 shall be held by the sheriff.

(10) The confirming authority may confirm with or without modification or refuse to confirm any byelaws submitted under this section for confirmation and may fix the date on which the byelaws are to come into operation, and if no date is so fixed the byelaws shall come into operation at the expiration of one month from the date of their confirmation.

(11) The local authority shall, as soon as practicable after receiving intimation of the confirmation of the byelaws by the confirming authority, cause a notice of such confirmation, of the date on which the byelaws are to come into operation, and of the place where a copy of the byelaws as confirmed may be inspected, to be given in a newspaper circulating in the area to which the byelaws are to apply or in such other manner as the confirming authority on the application of the local authority may determine to be sufficient in the circumstances.

(12) A copy of the byelaws when confirmed shall be printed and deposited at the offices of the local authority by whom the byelaws are made and shall at all reasonable hours be open to public inspection without payment, and a copy thereof shall on application be furnished to any person on payment of such sum not exceeding 20p for every copy as the authority may determine.

(13) The proper officer of a district council shall send a copy of every byelaw made by the council, and confirmed, to the proper officer of the council of the region to which it applies; and the proper officer of a regional council shall send a copy of every byelaw made by that council, and confirmed, to the proper officer of the council of any district to which it applies.

(14) The provisions of this section shall apply, subject to any necessary modifications, in the case of byelaws made by any authority other than a local authority under any enactment passed before the coming into force of this Act and incorporating or applying any of the enactments set out in subsection (1)(c) above.

(15) In this section "the confirming authority" means the authority or person, if any, specified in the enactment (including any enactment in this Act) under which the byelaws are made, or in any enactment incorporated therein or applied thereby, as the authority or person by whom the byelaws are to be confirmed, or if no authority or person is so specified, means the Secretary of State:

Provided that, notwithstanding that a local Act specifies otherwise, the confirming authority in relation to byelaws made under any local Act shall be the Secretary of State.