20(1)For section 108 of the principal Act there shall be substituted—
(1)Any ratepayer and any valuation officer may at all reasonable times without payment inspect and take copies of and extracts from—
(a)any valuation list whether prepared under Part V of this Act, under Part III of the [1948 c. 26.] Local Government Act 1948, or under the [1925 c. 90.] Rating and Valuation Act 1925 ;
(b)any notice of objection, proposal or notice of appeal with respect to the valuation list currently in force in a rating area or, subject to subsection (3) of this section, the immediately preceding valuation list;
(c)minutes of the proceedings of any local valuation court with respect to the valuation list currently in force in a rating area or, subject to subsection (3) of this section, the immediately preceding valuation list; and
(d)minutes of the proceedings of any rating authority during the preceding ten years or, where the valuation list currently in force in the rating area of an authority was transmitted to it under section 68(2) of this Act before the commencement of that period, during the period since the list was transmitted to the authority.
(2)Any person having custody of any such document who obstructs a person in the exercise of any right under this section to inspect or take copies of or extracts from the document shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine of an amount not exceeding level 3 on the standard scale, as defined in section 75 of the [1982 c. 48.] Criminal Justice Act 1982.
(3)Where a valuation list currently in force in a rating area has been in force for more than ten years, paragraphs (b) and (c) of subsection (1) of this section do not apply to the immediately preceding valuation list.
(4)For the purposes of this section the expression " ratepayer " includes an occupier who pays a rent inclusive of rates, and also includes any person authorised by a ratepayer to act on his behalf under this section.”
(2)This paragraph shall come into force on 1st January 1985.