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PART IFinancial Assistance in respect of Housing Accommodation provided or improved by Local Authorities and other bodies

Exchequer contributions for special purposes

19Exchequer contributions towards expenditure of local authorities in respect of unfit houses purchased or held by them

(1)The Secretary of State may make such Exchequer contributions as are authorised by this section towards expenditure incurred by a local authority in respect of houses approved by the Secretary of State for the purposes of this section, being—

(a)houses purchased by the local authority under section 14(1) of the principal Act; or

(b)houses purchased by them under section 20 of the principal Act; or

(c)houses of which the demolition is postponed under section 40 of the principal Act.

(2)Subject to the following provisions of this section, Exchequer contributions under this section in respect of any house shall be as follows, that is to say—

(a)in the case of a house purchased by the local authority, an Exchequer contribution equal to one-half of the annual loan charges referable to the cost of the purchase, payable for each financial year during the whole or part of which the house or any part of the house is used for housing purposes with the approval of the Secretary of State ; and

(b)in any case, an Exchequer contribution—

(i)if the house was approved for the purposes of this section on or before 13th November 1963, of seven pounds five shillings,

(ii)if the house was so approved after that date, of twelve pounds five shillings,

payable for each year of a period of fifteen years from the date on which the house was approved for the purposes of this section:

Provided that the Secretary of State may from time to time by order direct that paragraph (b) of this subsection shall have effect, in relation to houses approved after the date on which the order comes into force, as if for the sum specified in head (ii) thereof there were substituted such higher or lower sum as may be specified in the order.

(3)If it appears to the Secretary of State that the expenditure incurred as a whole by a local authority in carrying out works on houses approved by the Secretary of State for the purposes of this section is unduly low having regard to the amount of the Exchequer contributions for the time being payable in respect of those houses under paragraph (b) of subsection (2) of this section, he may withhold the whole or any part of the Exchequer contributions payable under that paragraph to the authority.

(4)The power to make orders under this section shall be exercisable by statutory instrument, and an order so made shall be of no effect until it is approved by a resolution of the Commons House of Parliament.

(5)For the purposes of this section the annual loan charges referable to the cost of a purchase shall (whatever may be the manner in which the local authority have provided or intend to provide the money required for the purchase) be the annual sum which, in the opinion of the Secretary of State, would fall to be provided by the authority for the payment of interest on, and the repayment of, an amount of borrowed money equal to the said cost, being money the period for the repayment of which is sixty years.

20Exchequer contributions for building experiments

Where—

(a)the Secretary of State is satisfied on an application made to him by a local authority or a development corporation or a housing association with respect to a house which they have provided that the cost of providing the house has been substantially enhanced by reason of either or both of the following matters, namely—

(i)that, with his consent, the house has been constructed in whole or in part by an experimental method;

(ii)that, with his consent, materials have, for the purposes of experiment, been used in the construction of the house or equipment or fittings have, for those purposes, been installed in the house in the course of the construction thereof; or

(b)with the consent of the Secretary of State, expense is incurred by a local authority or a development corporation or a housing association in incorporating or installing in a house, otherwise than in the course of the construction thereof, materials, equipment or fittings for the purposes of experiment;

then, subject to such conditions (if any) as the Treasury may determine, the Secretary of State may make to the local authority or development corporation or housing association, as the case may be, an Exchequer contribution or Exchequer contributions of such amount and payable in such manner as he may determine.

21Exchequer contributions for hostels

(1)In respect of a new building provided, or a building converted, by a local authority or a development corporation or a housing association for use as a hostel or (in the case of a building so provided or converted on or after 3rd July 1962) as part of a hostel, being a building which—

(a)if provided or converted by a housing association, is so provided or converted under arrangements made with the housing association by the Secretary of State after consultation with the local authority of the district in which the building is, or will be, situated, and

(b)in any case, is approved for the purposes of this subsection by the Secretary of State,

the Secretary of State shall make to the local authority or development corporation or housing association an Exchequer contribution—

(i)payable for each year of such number of financial years, not exceeding sixty, as he may determine, being years beginning with the year in which the building was, or as the case may be, the works of conversion were, completed;

(ii)of such amount, not exceeding the sum produced by multiplying seven pounds (in the case of a building so provided or converted before 10th May 1967) or fifteen pounds (in the case of a building so provided or converted on or after 10th May 1967) by the number of bedrooms contained in the building, as he may determine having regard to the standard of construction and amenity of the building.

(2)The like Exchequer contributions, if any, shall be payable in respect of a building which under arrangements made under section 153 of the principal Act (including that section as extended by section 159 of the principal Act) by a local authority with a development corporation or a housing association has been provided or converted by the development corporation or housing association for use as a hostel or (in the case of a building so provided or converted on or after 3rd July 1962) as part of a hostel as would have fallen to be made if the building had been provided or converted by the authority for such use, and any such Exchequer contribution shall be paid to the authority, who shall pay to the development corporation or housing association, as the case may be, by way of annual grant an amount not less than the said Exchequer contribution.

(3)This section shall not apply to a new building completed or a building converted before 30th July 1949 or to any premises provided for the purposes of Part III of the [1948 c. 29.] National Assistance Act 1948 by a local authority or to any housing accommodation for single persons in a hostel to which section 84(7) of the [1950 c. 34.] Housing (Scotland) Act 1950 applies.

(4)In this section the expression " hostel " means—

(a)in relation to a building provided or converted before 3rd July 1962, a building in which is provided, for persons generally or for any class or classes of persons, residential accommodation (otherwise than in separate and self-contained dwellings) and board;

(b)in relation to a building provided or converted on or after 3rd July 1962, a building in which is provided, for persons generally or for any class or classes of persons, residential accommodation (otherwise than in houses) and either board or common facilities for the preparation of food adequate to the needs of those persons, or both.

Section 12(2) of this Act shall apply to the reference in this subsection to houses as it applies to such references in sections 1 to 12 of this Act.

22Exchequer contributions for temporary housing accommodation provided in certain war buildings

(1)Where a local authority have (whether before or after the commencement of this Act) for the purpose of discharging any of their duties under Part VII of the principal Act, acquired the right to use any government war buildings, and the Secretary of State has approved for the purposes of this section arrangements made by the authority for using those buildings, whether with or without alterations, for providing temporary housing accommodation, then—

(a)if the Secretary of State estimates that the local authority will incur a loss in any year in respect of the provision of housing accommodation in pursuance of the arrangements, he shall make to the authority an Exchequer contribution for that year of a sum equivalent to the estimated loss; and

(b)if the Secretary of State estimates that the local authority will make a profit in any year in respect of the provision of housing accommodation in pursuance of the arrangements, the authority shall pay to him in respect of that year a sum equivalent to the estimated profit.

(2)For the purposes of any such estimate there shall be deemed to accrue to a local authority, in respect of each house provided by the authority in pursuance of any such arrangements as aforesaid, in addition to any other income accruing from the house—

(a)where the local authority are the council of a county in which the density of the population does not exceed one hundred per square mile, or are the council of a burgh of which the population does not exceed two thousand, the sum of six pounds a year; and

(b)in any other case, the sum of eight pounds a year.

(3)Where any buildings are demolished by a local authority upon ceasing to be used for the purpose of providing housing accommodation in pursuance of such arrangements as aforesaid, then—

(a)the Secretary of State shall pay to the local authority the cost of demolition ; and

(b)any sums realised by the local authority by the disposal of materials derived from the demolished buildings shall be paid by the authority to the Secretary of State.

(4)In this section the expression " government war building " means any building which constitutes government war works as defined by section 59 of the [1945 c. 43.] Requisitioned Land and War Works Act 1945, and the expression " alterations" includes adaptations, enlargements and improvements.