Local Government and Rating Act 1997

13 Consultation with Local Government Commission

(1) The Local Government Commission for England must consider any of the following matters which the Secretary of State directs it to consider—

(a) where any recommendations are made to the Secretary of State under section 9, the recommendations and any matter relating to the recommendations which might have been covered in them,

(b) where any petition is sent to him under section 11, the petition, any recommendations sent to him under section 12 relating to the petition, and any matter relating to the petition which might have been covered in such recommendations.

(2) If the Commission is directed by the Secretary of State to consider any matters within subsection (1), the Commission must—

(a) take the steps it considers sufficient to secure that persons who may be interested in those matters are informed of them and of the period within which representations about them may be made, and

(b) take into consideration any such representations made to it within that period.

(3) If the Commission decides not to make any further or different proposals about the matters it is directed to consider, the Commission must inform the Secretary of State of its decision.

(4) If the Commission decides to make any further or different proposals, the Commission must—

(a) send them to the Secretary of State, and

(b) take the steps it considers sufficient to secure that persons who may be interested in its proposals are informed of them.

(5) The Commission must provide the Secretary of State with any additional information he directs it to provide.

(6) The power of the Secretary of State under this section to direct the Commission to consider a petition sent to him under section 11 or recommendations sent to him under section 12 is not affected by the fact that the petition or recommendations were sent after the end of the periods mentioned in sections 11(4) and 12(7) respectively.