17.—(1) The Department may by regulations make provision in relation to ballots.
(2) The provision which may be made by regulations under subsection (1) includes provision—
(a)as to the timing of ballots,
(b)as to the eligible ratepayers entitled to vote in a ballot,
(c)as to the question or questions to be asked in a ballot,
(d)as to the allocation of votes to those eligible ratepayers entitled to vote in a ballot,
(e)as to the form that ballots may take,
(f)as to the persons who are to hold ballots,
(g)as to the conduct of ballots,
(h)conferring power on the Department to declare ballots void in cases of material irregularity,
(i)for or in connection with enabling a district council to recover the costs of a ballot from such persons and in such circumstances as may be prescribed.
(3) Nothing in subsection (2) is to be taken as limiting the power conferred by subsection (1).
(4) In this section “ballot” means a ballot held for the purposes of section 5(1) or 16(2).