The Authority shall consist of not more than 25 members save that, where the minimum number of members of the Authority resulting from the operation of paragraph 12 would be greater than 25, the Authority shall consist of that number of members.

Each member of the Authority shall be appointed by a constituent authority from its own members in accordance with this Part.

A member of the Authority who ceases to be a member of the council which appointed him shall cease to be a member of the Authority.

A person shall be disqualified from being a member of the Authority if he holds any paid office or employment (other than the office of chairman or vice-chairman), appointments to which are or may be made or confirmed by the Authority, by any committee or sub-committee of the Authority, or by a joint committee or board on which the Authority are represented.

If a member of the Authority resigns, becomes disqualified or otherwise ceases to be a member of the Authority before the expiry of his period of office, the council which appointed him shall appoint a representative to replace him, who shall come into office on the date of his appointment and, unless he resigns, becomes disqualified or otherwise ceases to be a member of the Authority, shall hold office for the remainder of the period for which his predecessor would have held office had he not resigned, become disqualified or otherwise ceased to be a member of the Authority.

If a member of the Authority resigns, becomes disqualified or otherwise ceases to be a member of the Authority within six months before the end of his term of office, the council which appointed him shall not be required to appoint a representative to replace him for the remainder of such term unless, on the occurrence of the vacancy (or in the case of a number of simultaneous vacancies, the occurrence of the vacancies) the total number of unfilled vacancies in the membership of the Authority exceeds one third of the number of members of the Authority referred to in paragraph 11.

The Authority shall elect a chairman, and may elect a vice-chairman, from among its members.

The chairman and, if a vice-chairman is elected, the vice-chairman, shall, subject to paragraphs 13 to 16, hold office for a period of one year from the date of their election.

Sub-paragraph (2) shall not prevent a person who holds or has held office as chairman or vice-chairman, as the case may be, from being elected or re-elected to either of those offices.

On a casual vacancy occurring in the office of chairman or, if a vice-chairman has been elected, the vice-chairman, the Authority shall elect from its members a person to replace the chairman, and may so elect a person to replace the vice-chairman, as the case may be.

The election to replace the chairman under sub-paragraph (4) shall take place not later than the next following ordinary meeting of the Authority.

Section 101(6) of the Local Government Act 1972 shall have effect, by virtue of sub-paragraph (1), as if for the words “levying, or issuing a precept for, a rate” there were substituted the words “assessing or varying the contributions to be paid into the combined fire service fund by the constituent authorities”.

Each constituent authority shall, in respect of each financial year, pay into the combined fire service fund, in accordance with the provisions of this paragraph, a contribution equal to its appropriate proportion of the net expenses off the Authority in respect of that year.

The Authority shall, before 31st December in any year, submit to each constituent authority an estimate of its net expenses for the next financial year, and shall subsequently, before 15th February, give notice to each constituent authority of the amount of the contribution to be paid by that authority under this paragraph in the next financial year.

Subject to sub-paragraphs (4) and (5), each constituent authority shall, at such intervals as are agreed between it and the Authority, make an interim payment into the combined fire service fund of such an amount as is so agreed on account of the said contribution.

Notwithstanding the provisions of sub-paragraphs (3) and (4) any payments made under those sub-paragraphs shall be made at such times, and shall be of such amounts, as are at all times sufficient to enable the financial obligations of the Authority to be met.

The Authority may, after consultation with each constituent authority, revise the estimate referred to in sub-paragraph (2) at any time before the end of the financial year to which that estimate relates and shall, as soon as is practicable, give notice in writing to each constituent authority of the revised amount of the contribution to be paid by that authority under this paragraph.

Where a constituent authority receives notice under sub-paragraph (6) the interim payments payable thereafter under sub-paragraphs (3) or (4) shall, subject to sub-paragraph (5), be so increased or reduced as to adjust to the difference.

If the Authority makes arrangements with any constituent authority under paragraph 10 for the making of payments on behalf of the Authority by that constituent authority, the interim payments to be made by that constituent authority under this paragraph shall, subject to sub-paragraph (5), take into account payments made by that constituent authority on behalf of the Authority.

For the purposes of this paragraph the net expenses off the Authority, in respect of any financial year, shall be the amount of its expenditure in respect of that year less all income which is credited to the combined fire service fund in respect of that year, other than contributions paid or payable under sub-paragraph (1), but may, for the purposes of preparing the estimate referred to in sub-paragraph (2) and if the Authority so resolve, include such amount or amounts as the Authority considers appropriate with a view to minimising any upward revision of an estimate under sub-paragraph (6).

In this paragraph—

• “appropriate proportion” means, in the absence of agreement between the constituent authorities, an amount determined by reference to the proportion which the population of the area of each constituent authority bears to the total population of the combined area, the population in any area being the number of persons usually resident in that area as estimated by the Registrar General and indicated in the latest data available from him on 30th June in the year preceding the financial year referred to in sub-paragraph (1);

• “financial year” means the period of twelve months beginning on 1st April; and

• “working day” means a day other than a Saturday or a Sunday, Good Friday, Christmas Day or a day which is, or is to be observed as, a bank holiday, or a holiday under the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 19719 in England and Wales.

This paragraph applies to a chief officer, deputy chief officer or assistant chief officer of any of the fire brigades maintained by Dyfed, Powys and West Glamorgan county councils.