Local Government Act 2000

18 Discharge of functions by area committees

(1) The Secretary of State may by regulations make provision for or in connection with enabling an executive of a local authority, or a committee or specified member of such an executive, to arrange for the discharge of any functions which, under executive arrangements, are the responsibility of the executive by an area committee of that authority.

(2) Regulations under this section may impose limitations or restrictions on the arrangements which may be made by virtue of the regulations (including limitations or restrictions on the functions which may be the subject of such arrangements).

(3) In this section—

• “area committee”, in relation to a local authority, means a committee or sub-committee of the authority which satisfies the conditions in subsection (4),

• “specified” means specified in regulations under this section.

(4) A committee or sub-committee of a local authority satisfies the conditions in this subsection if—

(a) the committee or sub-committee is established to discharge functions in respect of part of the area of the authority,

(b) the members of the committee or sub-committee who are members of the authority are elected for electoral divisions or wards which fall wholly or partly within that part, and

(c) either or both of the conditions in subsection (5) are satisfied in relation to that part.

(5) Those conditions are—

(a) that the area of that part does not exceed two-fifths of the total area of the authority,

(b) that the population of that part, as estimated by the authority, does not exceed two-fifths of the total population of the area of the authority as so estimated.