Citation and commencement
1. These Regulations may be cited as the Dorset (Structural Changes) (Modification of the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007) Regulations 2018 and come into force on the day after that on which they are made.
Interpretation
2. In these Regulations—
“the 2007 Act” means the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007(1);
“the relevant authorities” means Bournemouth Borough Council, Christchurch Borough Council, Dorset County Council, East Dorset District Council, North Dorset District Council, Poole Borough Council, Purbeck District Council, West Dorset District Council and Weymouth and Portland Borough Council.
Application of Part 1 of the 2007 Act
3. Chapter 1 of Part 1 (structural and boundary change) of the 2007 Act applies in relation to the relevant authorities as if—
(a)in subsection (1) of section 2 (invitations and directions for proposals for single tier of local government), after “any principal authority to make”, there were inserted “, or any principal authority may make on its own initiative,”;
(b)in section 3 (invitations, directions and proposals: supplementary)—
(i)in subsection (5), after “a direction under that section,”, there were inserted “or in determining whether to make a proposal on its own initiative under that section,”; and
(ii)after subsection (6) there were inserted—
“(6A) An authority making a proposal under section 2 on its own initiative may make its own proposal or make a proposal jointly with any other authority.”;
(c)in section 7 (implementation of proposals by order)—
(i)in subsection (1) after “in response to an invitation or direction”, there were inserted “or on an authority’s own initiative”; and
(ii)in subsection (3) after “implementing a proposal”, there were inserted “received in response to an invitation or direction”.
Pre-commencement proposals
4. A proposal made by any of the relevant authorities before the date that these Regulations come into force that otherwise complies with section 2 of the 2007 Act (as modified by these Regulations) shall be treated as a proposal made under that section.
Expiry of Regulations
5. These Regulations expire at the end of March 2020 (but without affecting any Order made under Part 1 of the 2007 Act as it has been applied under these Regulations).
Signed by authority of the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
Rishi Sunak
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
24th May 2018