Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2000

15 Default of council

(1) If the Secretary of State is satisfied that a district council has failed to comply with—

(a) section 14(1), or

(b) any provision of Schedule 3,

he may, after consulting the Board, direct the council to take, within such period as is specified in the direction, such action for the purpose of remedying the default as is so specified.

(2) If a district council fails to comply with a direction under subsection (1), the Secretary of State may—

(a) declare the council to be in default; and

(b) make an order empowering the Board to exercise the functions of that council to such extent as appears to him necessary or expedient to secure that a district policing partnership is duly established for the district of the council.

(3) An order under subsection (2) may provide for Schedule 3 to have effect in relation to the exercise by the Board of any functions of the district council with such modifications as may be specified in the order.

(4) An order under subsection (2) may confer on the Board power to remove any members of a district policing partnership holding office at the date of the order.

(5) Any costs incurred by the Board under an order under subsection (2) shall in the first instance be defrayed as expenses of the Board, but—

(a) an amount equal to one quarter of those costs as certified by the Board shall on demand be paid to the Board by the council; and

(b) any sums demanded under paragraph (a) may be recovered summarily by the Board as a debt.