19Compliance notice: power to demand expenses
(1)When serving a compliance notice on an owner of land, a local authority may impose a charge on the owner as a means of recovering expenses incurred by the local authority—
(a)in deciding whether to serve the notice, and
(b)in preparing and serving the notice or a demand under subsection (3).
(2)The expenses referred to in subsection (1) include (but are not limited to) the costs of obtaining expert advice (including legal advice).
(3)The power under subsection (1) is exercisable by serving the compliance notice together with a demand which sets out—
(a)the total expenses the local authority seeks to recover under subsection (1) (“relevant expenses”),
(b)a detailed breakdown of the relevant expenses, and
(c)where the local authority propose to charge interest under section 25, the rate at which the relevant expenses carry interest.
(4)Where a tribunal allows an appeal under section 17 against the compliance notice with which a demand was served, the tribunal may make such order as it considers appropriate—
(a)confirming, reducing or quashing any charge under this section made in respect of the notice, and
(b)varying the demand as appropriate in consequence.