PART 1STRENGTHENING LOCAL DEMOCRACY

CHAPTER 2LOCAL AUTHORITY DEMOCRATIC SERVICES

8Head of democratic services

(1)

A local authority must—

(a)

designate one of its officers to discharge the functions in section 9 (“democratic services functions”);

(b)

provide that officer with such staff, accommodation and other resources as are, in its opinion, sufficient to allow his or her functions to be discharged.

(2)

A head of democratic services may arrange for the discharge of democratic services functions by staff provided under this section.

(3)

An officer designated by a local authority under this section is to be known as the head of democratic services.

(4)

A local authority may not designate any of the following under this section—

(a)

the head of the authority’s paid service designated under section 4 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989;

(b)

the authority’s monitoring officer designated under section 5 of that Act;

(c)

the authority’s chief finance officer, within the meaning of that section.