(1)Section 211 of the M1Local Government (Scotland) Act1973 (provision for default of local authority) shall be amended in accordance with this section.
(2)After subsection (2) there shall be inserted the following subsections—
“(2A)If the Secretary of State or appropriate Minister—
(a)is about to make an order under subsection (2) above; and
(b)is satisfied that the failure to which the order relates has continued or recurred,
he may, in that order and without any local inquiry, declare theauthority to be in default in respect of the continuance or recurrence of the failure and direct them for the purpose of remedying the default to take such steps and within such time or times as may be specified in the order.
(2B)The Secretary of State or appropriate Minister may, in an order undersubsection (2) above, notify the local authority that any continuance or recurrence of the failure in respect of which the authority have been declared to be in default happening after the date of the order may be made the subject of an application to the Court of Session under subsection (3A) below.”
(3)After subsection (3) there shall be inserted the following subsection—
“(3A)If—
(a)a local authority have been notified under subsection (2B) above; and
(b)there has been any such continuance or recurrence as is mentioned in that subsection of the failure to which the notification relates,
the Court of Session may, on the application of the Lord Advocate onbehalf of the Secretary of State or appropriate Minister, order specific performance of the functions in respect of which there has been such continuance or recurrence of the failure and do otherwise as to the court appears to be just.”
Marginal Citations