Subject to the following provisions of this Act, a local authority may provide and maintain in any highway within their district which is comprised in the route of public service vehicles, or on any land abutting on such a highway, shelters or other accommodation at stopping places on the route for the use of persons intending to travel on such vehicles.

Any local authority, or any persons authorised to run public service vehicles, may enter into and carry into effect any agreement with a local authority with respect to the provision and maintenance of shelters or other accommodation under this section by the last-mentioned authority; and any such agreement may in particular provide for the payment by the first-mentioned authority or persons of the whole or any part of the cost of the provision and maintenance of the shelter or accommodation.

A local authority shall consult the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis with regard to the position of any shelter or other accommodation which they propose to provide under this section in a highway in the metropolitan police district.

In this and the next three following sections, “local authority” includes the council of a rural parish; F2and “public service vehicle” has the meaning which it would have in F3the Public Passenger Vehicles Act 1981 if in section 1(1) of that Act the words “(other than a tramcar)” were omitted.

A local authority shall not have power by virtue of the last foregoing section to provide a shelter or other accommodation in any such situation or position as is described in the first column of the following Table, except with the consent of the person described in relation thereto in the second column of that Table:—

Any consent required by this section in respect of a shelter or other accommodation shall not unreasonably be withheld but may be given subject to any reasonable conditions, including a condition that the local authority shall remove the shelter or other accommodation either at any time or at or after the expiration of a period if reasonably required so to do by the person giving the consent.

Where the consent of the Secretary of State or the Minister of Transport is required under this section, disputes between the Minister whose consent is required and the local authority as to whether the consent of that Minister is unreasonably withheld or is given subject to reasonable conditions, or whether the removal of any shelter or other accommodation in accordance with any condition of the consent is reasonably required shall be referred to and determined by an arbitrator to be appointed in default of agreement by the President of the Institution of Civil Engineers.

Where a shelter or other accommodation is provided by a local authority under section four of this Act in a position obstructing access to any F5F20electronic communications apparatus kept installed for the purposes of F17an electronic communications code network and the operator of F18that network notifies the local authority that he requires to obtain access to the apparatus, the authority shall, unless they temporarily remove the shelter or accommodation for the purpose of affording such access or so much thereof as is necessary for that purpose, be liable to repay to the operator so much of the expenses reasonably incurred by him in obtaining such access as is attributable to the situation of the shelter or accommodation.

The provisions of the foregoing subsection shall apply in relation to any sewers, pipe-subways, pipes, wires or other apparatus belonging to or maintained by any local authority or any gas, electricity, water, hydraulic power, tramcar or trolley vehicle undertakers, as they apply in relation to any such F6F20electronic communications apparatus as is therein mentioned, and as if for any reference therein to the operator of the F19network in question there were substituted a reference to the local authority or the undertakers, as the case may be.

Any dispute as to the amount (if any) payable by a local authority under the foregoing provisions of this section shall be determined in accordance with subsection (2) of section two hundred and seventy-eight of the M1Public Health Act, 1936.

The provisions of sections five and six of this Act shall apply to the maintenance of any accommodation under this section, and to accommodation maintained thereunder, as they apply to the provision of accommodation under section four of this Act, and to accommodation provided under that section; but where any consent required under the said section five has been given by any authority or person before the commencement of this Act in respect of the provision of any accommodation to which this section applies, nothing in this subsection shall be construed as requiring any further consent on the part of that authority or person in respect of the maintenance of that accommodation.

Subsection (3) of section seventy-five of the Public Health Act, 1936 (which enables local authorities to provide and maintain dustbins for the reception of house refuse, and to make annual charges not exceeding two shillings and sixpence in respect of each dustbins so provided) shall have effect as if for the words “two shillings and sixpence”there shall substituted for the words “five shillings”.

Where a local authority are authorised under any enactment other than the said section seventy-five to make, in connection with the carrying out by them of an undertaking as to the collection and disposal of refuse, an annual charge in respect of the provision, maintenance, repair or renewal of dustbins, and the amount of that charge is limited by or by virtue of any Act or other instrument determining the functions of that authority to an amount less than F8seven shillings and sixpence in respect of each dustbin, that authority may, notwithstanding that limitation, increase that charge to such amount, not exceeding F8seven shillings and sixpence, as they think fit; and any charge which is increased in pursuance of this subsection shall be subject to the like incidents in all respects as the original charge.

The Minister may by order (to be made by statutory instrument) direct that the foregoing provisions of this section shall have effect as if for references to five shillings there were substituted references to such greater sum as may be specified in the order, and may in like manner vary or revoke any such order; and any statutory instrument made under this subsection shall be subject to annulment in pursuance of a resolution of either House of Parliament.

In this Act—

• “local authority” means the council of a county, . . . F15 borough or . . . F15 district and the Common Council of the City of London; and

• “the Minister” means the Minister of Housing and Local Government.

Any reference in this Act to any enactment shall be construed as a reference thereto as amended by or under any subsequent enactment.

This Act may be cited as the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 1953.

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. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F16this Act shall not extend to Scotland or Northern Ireland.