Local Government Act 1985

42 Reorganisation of functions

(1) The Secretary of State may by order make provision for any of the following purposes—

(a) the constitution of a metropolitan district or of the county of Northumberland as a separate police area with its own police force and police authority;

(b) the constitution of the council of a metropolitan district or London borough or the Common Council as the fire authority for that district or borough or for the City and the Temples, as the case may be;

(c) the exclusion of any metropolitan district from, or the abolition of, any passenger transport area which is or was coterminous with a metropolitan county or, as respects any functions exercisable by a metropolitan county passenger transport authority otherwise than by virtue of section 39 above, the exclusion of the council of any such district from the authority's constituent councils;

(d) whether or not an order is made for any of the foregoing purposes, the transfer to the council of a metropolitan district or London borough or to the Common Council in respect of its area of any functions that would otherwise be exercisable in respect of that area by a joint authority or, in the case of the council of a metropolitan district, by a Passenger Transport Executive.

(2) The Secretary of State may by order make provision for—

(a) the amalgamation of a police area for which a police authority is constituted by this Part of this Act or by an order under subsection (1) above with any other police area or the exclusion from a police area for which a police authority is constituted by this Part of this Act of any area for which a separate police authority could be constituted by an order under that subsection and its amalgamation with any other such area or with another police area; or

(b) the combination of the area of any fire authority constituted by this Part of this Act or by an order under subsection (1) above with the area of any other fire authority or the exclusion from an area for which a fire authority is constituted by this Part of this Act of any area for which a separate fire authority could be constituted by an order under that subsection and its combination with any other such area or with the area of another fire authority.

(3) Before making an order under this section the Secretary of State shall consult each of the following bodies which appears to him to be affected by the order, that is to say, any police, fire or passenger transport authority, the council of a county, district or London borough and the Common Council.

(4) An order under this section may contain such supplementary and transitional provisions as the Secretary of State thinks necessary or expedient, including provisions for the transfer of property, staff, rights and liabilities and provisions amending any other provision of this Act, any other enactment or any instrument made under any enactment.