Local Government Act 1972

Special community reviews E+W

1 As soon as practicable after 1st April 1974 the Welsh Commission shall conduct a review (to be known as the special community review) of the whole of Wales for the purpose of making proposals to the Secretary of State for effecting changes appearing to the Commission desirable in the interests of effective and convenient local government by any of the following means or any combination of those means—

(a) the alteration of a community;

(b) the constitution of a new community by the amalgamation of communities or by the aggregation of parts of communities or by the separation of part of a community;

(c) the abolition of a community and the distribution of its area among other communities;

(d) the inclusion in a district of an area forming part of a county but not of a district and the constitution of a new community by—

(i) the establishment of the whole or part of that area as a community; or

(ii) the aggregation of the whole of that area or any part of it with one or more communities or parts of communities;

(e) the alteration of the area of a county or a district in consequence of any such change;

and any proposals made by the Commission may include a proposal that the area of a community should be co-extensive with the area of a district.

2 In conducting the special community review the Welsh Commission shall also consider whether any community established by section 20 above or proposed to be constituted in consequence of the review (other than a community which it is proposed should be or remain co-extensive with the area of a district) should—

(a) have a separate community council;

(b) be grouped under a common community council; or

(c) should not have a community council, whether separate or common;

and shall, if they think fit, make proposals accordingly.

3 In considering whether to formulate proposals under paragraph 1 or 2 above the Welsh Commission shall have regard to the wishes of the inhabitants of the areas in question.

4 If in conducting the special community review the Welsh Commission consider it desirable that a poll of local government electors of a community or part of a community should be taken on any question, they may arrange for such a poll to be taken and paragraphs 34(5), 37 and 38 of Schedule 12 to this Act shall apply to the poll as they apply to a poll consequent on a community meeting.

5 In conducting the special community review the Welsh Commission shall also review the electoral arrangements for every community, having regard to any proposals which they propose to make in relation to the community under paragraph 1 or 2 above and also to the desirability of making any change in those arrangements apart from those proposals and shall make such proposals, if any, as they think fit with respect to those arrangements.

6 Without prejudice to any direction given by the Secretary of State under section 59 above, where in the course of the special community review the Welsh Commission are of the opinion that they are in a position to submit to the Secretary of State a report on the review of any part of Wales, they shall submit a report to him on the review of that part of Wales, together with the proposals they have formulated thereon or, as the case may be, a notification that they have no proposals to put forward thereon.

7 On receipt of a report under paragraph 6 above the Secretary of State shall either make an order giving effect to any proposals of the Welsh Commission submitted with the report (whether as submitted or with modifications) or make an order providing for the continuation of the existing arrangements applicable to the community or communities in question.

8 If in relation to any area the Secretary of State decides to make an order under paragraph 7 above giving effect with modifications to any of the Welsh Commission’s proposals with respect to the boundaries of communities or the establishment of community councils, he may, if he thinks fit, direct the Commission to conduct a review or further review, as the case may be, of the electoral arrangements for the whole or part of that area and to make revised proposals with respect to those arrangements within a time specified in the direction.

9 The following provisions of this Act, that is to say, sections 59, 60(1), (2), (5), (6) and (7), 61, 65, 67, 68, 69 and 78 shall apply in relation to the special community review and any order made in consequence thereof as they apply in relation to a review under Part IV of this Act and any order made in consequence thereof.