52Rating in England and Wales
(1)For the purposes of valuation lists prepared under section 68 of the [1967 c. 9.] General Rate Act 1967 so as to come into force on any 1st April after the appointed day, the Minister of Housing and Local Government shall, after consultation with the Post Office and such associations of local authorities and such local authorities as he considers appropriate.—
(a)by order determine the aggregate amount of the rateable values of all hereditaments occupied by the Post Office by any such property as follows, namely, posts, wires, underground cables and ducts, telephone kiosks and other equipment not within a building, being property used for the purposes of telecommunication services; and
(b)by order determine the aggregate amount of the rateable values of the hereditaments occupied by the Post Office by the underground railway ;
and such person as that Minister may by order specify shall, in such manner as that Minister may by order prescribe.—
(i)apportion the amount determined under paragraph (a) above among the rating districts in which the hereditaments mentioned in that paragraph are situate; and
(ii)apportion the amount determined under paragraph (b) above among the rating districts in which the hereditaments mentioned in that paragraph are situate;
and (subject to the provisions of this section) for the purposes of those lists, so much of the amount determined under paragraph (a) above as is apportioned to a rating district shall be the rateable value of such of the hereditaments mentioned in that paragraph as are in that district, and so much of the amount determined under paragraph (b) above as is apportioned to a rating district shall be the rateable value of such of the hereditaments mentioned in that paragraph as are in that district; and rateable values shall be shown accordingly in lists transmitted to rating authorities in pursuance of section 68(2) of the [1967 c. 9.] General Rate Act 1967.
(2)An order under paragraph (a) of the foregoing subsection may, if the Minister of Housing and Local Government thinks fit, provide, with respect to each of the years subsequent to the first with respect to which the order has effect or with respect to such of those years as may be specified in the order.—
(a)for the aggregate amount referred to in that paragraph to be re-determined in manner prescribed by the order; or
(b)for the apportioned parts of that amount to be varied in manner so prescribed ;
and, where such an order includes such provision as is authorised by paragraph (a) of this subsection to be included therein, the aggregate amount, as re-determined in accordance with the order, shall be apportioned amongst the rating districts in which the hereditaments in question ace situate in like manner as that amount, as determined by the order, was apportioned.
(3)Where an order under this section includes any such provision as is authorised by the last foregoing subsection to be included therein it may, further, include provision for effecting such alterations in rateable values shown in rating lists as are rendered requisite in consequence of an apportionment effected by virtue of the last foregoing subsection or a variation effected by virtue of the order and for any incidental, supplementary or consequential matters for which it appears to the Minister of Housing and Local Government requisite to provide for the purposes of the order.
(4)No proposal shall be made under section 69 of the General Rate Act 1967 for the alteration of a rateable value shown, by virtue of this section, in a list.
(5)For the purposes of the law relating to rating, the Post Office shall be treated as not being a public utility undertaking.
(6)An order under this section shall be made by statutory instrument which shall be subject to annulment in pursuance of a resolution of either House of Parliament.
(7)Expressions used in this section and in the [1967 c. 9.] General Rate Act 1967 have the same meanings in this section as in that Act, and the expression " the underground railway " means the railway constructed, and the works executed, by the Postmaster General in exercise of the powers conferred by the [1913 c. cxvi.] Post Office (London) Railway Act 1913, and the railway constructed, and the works associated therewith executed, by him in exercise of the powers conferred by the [1954 c. xxix.] Post Office (Site and Railway) Act 1954.
(8)This section extends to England and Wales only.