1(1)Subject to the provisions of this paragraph, each of the following councils shall be the registering authority for their area for the purposes of this Schedule, that is to say—
(a)in England, the council of any county or county borough ;
(b)in Scotland, the council of any county or large burgh.
(2)For the purposes of paragraph (b) of the foregoing sub-paragraph—
(a)a county shall be deemed to include any small burgh, and not to include any large burgh, situated therein, and section 118 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1947 (which relates to the combination of certain counties for certain purposes) shall have effect accordingly ;
(b)the expressions "small burgh" and "large burgh" have the same meanings as in the said Act of 1947.
(3)Any such council as aforesaid may delegate their functions under this Schedule to a committee consisting of members of the council.
(4)Any two or more councils such as aforesaid may combine in delegating their functions under this Schedule to a joint committee consisting of members of the constituent councils.
(5)In England, a county council may delegate their functions under this Schedule to the standing joint committee of quarter sessions and of the county council appointed under section 30 of the Local Government Act 1888, and in that case, so long as the delegation is in force—
(a)subject to paragraph (b) of this sub-paragraph, it shall be the duty of that committee to discharge those functions ;
(b)that committee shall have the like powers as are conferred on councils of counties and county boroughs by sub-paragraph (4) of this paragraph, and accordingly any reference in that sub-paragraph or in paragraph 2 or 3 (b) of this Schedule to a council or councils shall be construed as including a reference to that committee.
(6)Section 274 of the Local Government Act 1933 or, as the case may be, section 123 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1947 (which empower county councils to delegate their functions to certain other authorities) shall not apply in relation to the functions of a county council under this Schedule.
2Where functions under this Schedule are delegated to a- committee or joint committee—
(a)in the case of a committee or joint committee specially appointed for the purpose, the number and term of office of the members thereof shall be fixed by the appointing council or councils; and
(b)subject to the provisions of this Schedule and to any directions given by the appointing council or councils, the procedure of the committee or joint committee shall be such as they may themselves determine.
3(1)Any expenses incurred in the execution of this Schedule by a standing joint committee of quarter sessions and a county council shall be defrayed by that county council, and any sums received under this Schedule by such a standing joint committee shall be paid or accounted for to that county council.
(2)Any expenses incurred in the execution of this Schedule by any other joint committee shall be defrayed by the appointing councils in such shares as may be agreed.