4Designation and reports of head of paid service
(1)It shall be the duty of every relevant authority—
(a)to designate one of their officers as the head of their paid service; and
(b)to provide that officer with such staff, accommodation and other resources as are, in his opinion, sufficient to allow his duties under this section to be performed.
(2)It shall be the duty of the head of a relevant authority’s paid service, where he considers it appropriate to do so in respect of any proposals of his with respect to any of the matters specified in subsection (3) below, to prepare a report to the authority setting out his proposals.
(3)Those matters are—
(a)the manner in which the discharge by the authority of their different functions is co-ordinated;
(b)the number and grades of staff required by the authority for the discharge of their functions;
(c)the organisation of the authority’s staff; and
(d)the appointment and proper management of the authority’s staff.
(4)It shall be the duty of the head of a relevant authority’s paid service, as soon as practicable after he has prepared a report under this section, to arrange for a copy of it to be sent to each member of the authority.
(5)It shall be the duty of a relevant authority to consider any report under this section by the head of their paid service at a meeting held not more than three months after copies of the report are first sent to members of the authority; and nothing in section 101 of the [1972 c. 70.] Local Government Act 1972 or in section 56 of, or Schedule 10 or 20 to, the [1973 c. 65.] Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 (delegation) shall apply to the duty imposed by virtue of this subsection.
(6)In this section “relevant authority”—
(a)in relation to England and Wales, means a local authority of any of the descriptions specified in paragraphs (a) to (e) of section 21(1) below; and
(b)in relation to Scotland, means a regional, islands or district council.
(7)This section shall come into force at the expiry of the period of two months beginning on the day this Act is passed.