Physical Training and Recreation Act 1937

4Extension of powers of local authorities

(1)A local authority may acquire, lay out, provide with suitable buildings and otherwise equip, and maintain lands, whether situate within or without their area, for the purpose of gymnasiums, playing fields, holiday camps or camping sites, or for the purpose of centres for the use of clubs, societies or organisations having athletic, social or educational objects, and may manage those lands and buildings themselves, either with or without a charge for the use thereof or admission thereto, or may let them, or any portion thereof, at a nominal or other rent to any person, club, society or organisation for use for any of the purposes aforesaid.

The authority may also provide and, where necessary, arrange for the training of, such wardens, teachers and leaders as they may deem requisite for securing that effective use is made of the facilities for exercise, recreation and social activities so provided.

(2)Section seventy of the [15 & 16 Geo. 5. c. 71.] Public Health Act, 1925 (which relates to the use of public offices for entertainments and the like), shall apply in relation to any premises provided by a local authority under the preceding subsection as if those premises were offices for the transaction of business, and as if any local authority as defined by this Act were a local authority for the purposes of the said section seventy.

(3)A county council may provide public swimming baths and bathing places under Part VIII of the [26 Geo. 5. & 1 Edw. 8. c. 49.] Public Health Act, 1936, and, accordingly, in sections two hundred and twenty-one to two hundred and twenty-nine of that Act any reference to a local authority or their district shall, in relation to public swimming baths and bathing places, be construed as including a reference to a county council or their county.

(4)A local authority may contribute towards expenses incurred by another local authority, whether under this or any other Act, or by a voluntary organisation, in providing or maintaining within the area of the contributing authority, or on a site where it will benefit any of the inhabitants of that area, anything mentioned in subsection (1) of this section, or a swimming bath or bathing place.

(5)Section sixty-nine of the [54 & 55 Vict. c. 22.] Public Health Act, 1925, and so much of the Museums and Gymnasiums Act, 1891, as relates to gymnasiums, shall cease to have effect and any property held by a local authority for the purposes of the enactments thus repealed shall, without any necessity for formal appropriation, be held by them for the purposes of this section,