Local Government (Scotland) Act 1947

Halls, Offices and Buildings.

74 Provision of halls, offices and buildings.

(1) A local authority may acquire or provide and furnish and maintain halls, offices and other buildings whether within or without the area of the authority to be used for the purpose of transacting the business of the authority and the business of any other body or court for which the authority is required or authorised by this Act or any other enactment or any statutory order to provide accommodation and for public meetings and assemblies:

Provided that buildings shall not be provided for public meetings and assemblies under this section except with consent of the Secretary of State.

(2) The powers conferred by this section shall in the case of a county council be deemed to include power to acquire or provide and furnish and maintain such halls, offices and buildings in conjunction with court-houses under the Sheriff Court-houses (Scotland) Acts, 1860 to 1884, or any local Act.

(3) The expenditure incurred by a county council or a town council under this section shall be defrayed as part of such branch or branches of expenditure as the council determine, having regard to the purpose for which the expenditure is incurred in each case.

(4) Where the town hall of a burgh or the principal offices of the town council are situated outwith the burgh, then notwithstanding anything in this Act or in any other enactment requiring the declaration of the result of an election to be made within the burgh or a dean of guild court or other court for the burgh to be held within the burgh, such declaration may be made or such court may be held at the town hall or principal offices outwith the burgh.

(5) Any hall, offices or other buildings provided by a local authority under this section or under any enactment repealed by this Act for the purpose of transacting the business of the authority may be used for the purposes of concerts or other entertainments which the authority are hereby authorised to provide or which may be provided by any other person, and any such hall, offices or buildings may be let by the authority for those purposes or for the purposes of meetings or bazaars or for other such purposes at such times and in such manner as will not interfere with the purposes for which the hall, offices or buildings are provided, so however that no concert or other entertainment provided by a local authority under this subsection shall include—

(a) the performance of a stage play; or

(b) any performance which is in the nature of a variety entertainment or in which scenery theatrical costumes or scenic or theatrical accessories are used; or

(c) the showing of any cinematograph film, other than a film illustrative of questions relating to health or disease or any function of the authority.

(6) Nothing in this section shall affect the provisions of the Sheriff Court-houses (Scotland) Acts, 1860 to 1884, or any local Act relating to court-houses.

75 Use of schoolroom for district council meetings.

(1) A district council shall, for the purpose of any meeting of the council or of any committee or sub-committee thereof or for the purpose of any meeting relating to any of the functions of the council, be entitled to use free of charge after reasonable notice and at all reasonable times any suitable room in a grant-aided school:

Provided that—

(a) nothing in this section shall authorise the use of a room used as part of a private dwelling-house or authorise any interference with the use of a school for educational purposes; and

(b) any expense reasonably incurred by the authority or person having control over the room or any damage done to the room or its contents or to the school in consequence of the room being so used shall be defrayed by the district council.

(2) Any question as to what is reasonable or suitable under this section shall be determined by the authority or person having control of the school.