Local Government Act 1888

83 Clerk of the peace and of County council.

Subject to the provisions of this Act for the protection of clerks of the peace holding office at the passing of this Act, the following provisions shall have effect:—

(1) The clerk of the peace of a county, besides acting as clerk of the peace of that county, shall also (subject to the provisions of this Act as respects particular counties) be the clerk of the county council, and in that capacity is referred to in this Act as the clerk of the county council.

(2) He shall be from time to time appointed by the standing joint committee of the county council and the quarter sessions, and may be removed by that joint committee.

(3) He shall, subject to the directions of the custos rotulorum or the quarter sessions or the county council, as the case may require, have charge of and be responsible for the records and documents of the county.

(4) The joint committee may appoint a deputy clerk to hold office during their pleasure, and to act in lieu of such clerk in case of his death, illness, or absence, or in such other cases as may be determined by the joint committee, and wherever the deputy so acts, all things authorised or required to be done by, to, or before the clerk of the peace, or clerk of the county council, may be done by, to, or before any such deputy; without prejudice to the appointment of a deputy clerk for the purpose of a second court on the division of the court of quarter sessions for judicial business.

(5) The council shall pay to the clerk of the peace in respect of his services as clerk of the peace and as clerk of the county council, such salary as may be from time to time fixed under the enactments relating thereto, and all fees and costs payable to the clerk of the peace which are not excluded when the salary of the clerk of the peace is fixed shall be paid to the county fund, and for the purpose of the enactments relating to such salary and fees, the standing joint committee of the county council and the quarter sessions shall be substituted for the quarter sessions and the local authority respectively,

(6) The clerk of the peace, when acting in relation to any business of the county council, and when acting under the Acts relating to the registration of parliamentary voters, or to the deposit of plans or documents, or to jury lists, or to any registration matters, shall act under the direction of the county council, and all enactments relating to such business, registration, or deposit, shall be construed as if clerk of the county council were therein substituted for clerk of the peace.

(7) The office of clerk of the peace of each of the administrative counties of Sussex and Suffolk shall be a separate office; but nothing in this Act shall prevent the same person from being appointed to both such offices; and the justices in general sessions assembled for the entire county of Sussex or Suffolk may from time to time appoint the person who is clerk of the peace for either administrative county to be clerk of the peace of such general sessions, and may remove such clerk, and the remuneration to be paid to such clerk_ shall be determined jointly by the standing joint committees for the administrative counties.

(8) The existing records of the county of Sussex and of the county of Suffolk shall, subject to the order of quarter sessions, continue to be kept by the clerk of the peace of East Sussex and by the clerk of the. peace for East Suffolk respectively.

(9) This section shall apply to the clerks of the peace and deputy clerks of the peace of the county of Lancaster, in like manner as it applies to clerks of the peace of any other county, but the appointment of any such deputy clerk of the peace may be discontinued if the standing joint committee think fit.

(10) The joint committee of the councils of the three ridings or divisions of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire may from time to time appoint a clerk of such joint committee, and may from time to time remove such clerk.

(11) The clerk of the peace for the county of London shall be a separate officer from the clerk of the county council for the administrative county of London, and

(a) the clerk of the peace shall, subject to the directions of the quarter sessions, have charge of and be responsible for the records and documents of those sessions and of the justices out of session, and the clerk of the county council shall, subject to the directions of the council, have charge of and be responsible for all other documents of the county; and

(b) the council may from time to time appoint a deputy clerk of the council, and the foregoing provisions of this section with respect to the deputy clerk shall apply; and

(c) the council shall pay to the clerk of the council such salary as may be from time to time fixed by them.

(12) The county council shall cause their clerk or other officer from time to time to send to a Secretary of State or the Local Government Board such returns and information as may from time to time be required by either House of Parliament.

(13) Provided always, that no paid clerk or other paid official in the permanent employment of a county council who is required to devote his whole time to such employment shall be eligible to serve in Parliament.