Local Government and Housing Act 1989

169 Powers of local authorities and Secretary of State as respects services etc. for owners and occupiers of houses for work on them

(1) A relevant authority shall have power to provide professional, technical and administrative services for owners or occupiers of dwellings in connection with their arranging or carrying out relevant works or to encourage or facilitate the carrying out of such works, whether or not on payment of such charges as the authority may determine.

(2) Works are relevant works in relation to a dwelling or, as the case may be, a dwelling in any area, if they are works of any of the following descriptions, that is to say—

(a) works to cause the dwelling to be fit for human habitation,

(b) where the occupant is disabled, works for any of the purposes specified in section 114(3) or (4) above,

(c) works for any of the purposes specified in section 115(3) above, and

(d) works for any of the purposes specified in or under section 131(1) above.

(3) It shall be the duty of a relevant authority exercising any power conferred by subsection (1) above—

(a) to consider whether or not to make a charge for exercising it; and

(b) to take such measures as are reasonably available to them to secure contributions from other persons towards the cost of exercising it.

(4) A relevant authority shall have power to give financial assistance in any form to—

(a) any housing association,

(b) any charity, or

(c) any body, or body of any description, approved by the Secretary of State,

towards the cost of the provision by that association, charity or body of services of any description for owners or occupiers of dwellings in arranging works of maintenance, repair or improvement or the encouraging or facilitating the carrying out of such works.

(5) It shall be the duty of a relevant authority—

(a) in deciding whether to exercise any power conferred by subsection (4) above in relation to any association, charity or body, to have regard to the existence and extent of any financial assistance available from other persons to that association, charity or body; and

(b) in exercising any power conferred by subsection (4) above in relation to any association, charity or body—

(i) to have regard to whether that association, charity or body has made or will make charges and their amount; and

(ii) to encourage the association, charity or body to take such measures as are reasonably available to them to secure contributions from other persons.

(6) The Secretary of State may, with the consent of the Treasury, give financial assistance in any form to any person in respect of expenditure incurred or to be incurred by that person in connection with the provision,whether or not by that person, of services of any description for owners or occupiers of dwellings in arranging or carrying out works of maintenance, repair or improvement, or in connection with the encouraging or facilitating, whether or not by that person, the carrying out of such works.

(7) The giving of financial assistance under subsection (6) above shall be on such terms (which may include terms as to repayment) as the Secretary of State, with the consent of the Treasury, considers appropriate.

(8) The person receiving assistance shall comply with the terms on which it is given and compliance may be enforced by the Secretary of State.

(9) In this section—

• “charity” means any institution, corporate or not, which is established for charitable purposes and is subject to the control of the High Court in the exercise of the Court’s jurisdiction with respect to charities;

• “housing association” means a housing association within the meaning of section 1(1) of the [1985 c. 69.] Housing Associations Act 1985, or a body established by such a housing association for the purpose of, or having among its purposes or objects, those mentioned in section 4(3)(e) of that Act (providing services of any description for owners or occupiers of houses in arranging or carrying out works of maintenance, repair or improvement, or encouraging or facilitating the carrying out of such works);

• “local housing authority” shall be construed in accordance with section 1 of the [1985 c. 68.] Housing Act 1985; and

• “relevant authority” means a local housing authority or county council.