House Purchase and Housing Act 1959

Contributions to local authorities under ss. 9 & 12 of Act of 1958

15 Nature and amount of Exchequer contribution under Act of 1958 for dwellings converted or improved by local authorities

(1) A contribution to a local authority under section nine of the Act of 1958 (which authorises the Minister to make contributions towards the annual loss likely to be incurred by a local authority in carrying out approved proposals for the conversion or improvement of houses) shall, instead of being such a contribution as is mentioned in that section, be a contribution towards the cost of the works of conversion or improvement required for carrying out the proposals; and the following provisions of this section shall have effect with respect to such a contribution.

(2) The contribution shall be a sum payable annually for the twenty financial years beginning with the year in which the said works are completed, equal to three-eighths of the annual loan charges referable to an amount determined in accordance with subsections (3) and (4) of this section.

(3) The said amount shall be determined by the Minister when approving the proposals, and shall, subject to subsection (4) of this section, be the amount appearing to him to be the cost likely to be incurred by the local authority in carrying out the works.

(4) The amount so determined shall not exceed eight hundred pounds, or such other amount as may be specified by order of the Minister, for each dwelling provided or improved by the works, unless the Minister is satisfied in any particular case that in all the circumstances of the case there is good reason for determining a higher amount.

(5) The Minister may by order reduce, as respects proposals approved after such date as may be specified in the order, the proportion of the said annual loan charges, but not below one-third.

(6) A local authority submitting to the Minister such proposals as are mentioned in the said section nine shall furnish to him such estimates and such particulars as he may require for the purposes of this section.

16 Local authorities for purposes of s. 9 of Act of 1958

For subsections (4) and (5) of section nine of the Act of 1958 (which specify the local authorities for the purposes of that section) there shall be substituted the following—

“(4) The following shall be local authorities for the purposes of this section, that is to say, the councils of counties, county boroughs, county districts and metropolitan boroughs, and the Common Council of the City of London.”

17 Effect of contribution under s. 13 on contribution under s. 9 of Act of 1958

Where proposals for the improvement of a dwelling are approved under section nine of the Act of 1958 after the approval of an application in respect of that dwelling under section thirteen of this Act, subsection (4) of section fifteen of this Act shall have effect, in relation to the dwelling, as if the amount specified in that subsection or an order made thereunder were reduced by the amount on which the contribution under section thirteen of this Act is based, that is to say, the amount to which the loan charges are referable by reference to which the said contribution is determined under section fourteen of this Act.

18 Contribution for dwellings improved under arrangements with local authorities

(1) The sum payable annually by the Minister under section twelve of the Act of 1958 (which provides for the payment of a contribution by the Minister to a local authority who have made arrangements with a housing association or development corporation for the conversion or improvement of houses, and for the payment of grants by the local authority to the association or corporation of amounts not less than the contribution) shall be equal to three-eighths of the annual loan charges referable to an amount determined by the local authority with the approval of the Minister in accordance with subsections (2) and (3) of this section.

(2) The said amount shall, subject to subsection (3) of this section, be the amount appearing to the local authority and the Minister to be the cost likely to be incurred by the association or corporation for the purpose of the execution of any works of conversion or improvement required for carrying out the arrangements.

(3) The amount so determined shall not exceed eight hundred pounds, or such other amount as may be specified by order of the Minister, for each dwelling provided or improved by the works, unless the local authority and the Minister are satisfied in any particular case that in all the circumstances of the case there is good reason for determining a higher amount.

(4) The Minister may by order reduce, as respects arrangements made after such date as may be specified in the order, the proportion of the said annual loan charges, but not below one-third.