Local Government Act 1929

50 Review by county councils of electoral divisions.

(1) The council of every county, as soon as may be after completing the first general review of the circumstances of districts wholly or partly within the county made or treated as having been made by them under this Part of this Act, shall review the electoral divisions of the county and shall consider whether any alteration of the boundary of any such division, or of the number of county councillors and electoral divisions in the county, is desirable, and shall forthwith, after the review is completed and before the first day of January, nineteen hundred and thirty-three, or such later date as the Secretary of State may in any case allow, send to the Secretary of State a report of the review, together with proposals as to the alterations (if any) which they consider desirable, and any such proposals shall have effect as if they had been a representation made to the Secretary of State under section fifty-four Of the Local Government Act, 1888:

Provided that, if in the case of any county the Secretary of State is satisfied after considering such representations, if any, as may be made by local authorities in the county, that it is unnecessary to make any such review as aforesaid, he may direct that this section shall not apply as respects that county.

(2) If either on representations made by a local authority or otherwise it appears to the Secretary of State, after consultation with such authorities as appear to him to be interested, that there is a prima facie case for making any such alteration as aforesaid and that the county council have failed to make a proposal for the purpose within the time allowed, the Secretary of State shall publish in one or more newspapers circulating in the county a notice that he proposes to make the alteration, and that a copy of his proposals is open to inspection at a specified place, and that representations with respect thereto may be made to him within six weeks after the publication of the notice, and the Secretary of State, after considering any representations which may be made within that period, and if any objections are made by any local authority and are not withdrawn, after holding a local inquiry with respect to the proposals to which the objections relate, may make an order effecting the alteration or such modified alteration as appears to him to be expedient.

(3) An order made under this section shall be laid before Parliament as soon as may be after it is made.