Part XII Miscellaneous and General
Status, etc.
245 Status of certain districts, parishes and communities.
1
If, on a petition presented to Her Majesty by the council of a district praying for the grant of a charter under this subsection, Her Majesty by the advice of Her Privy Council thinks fit so to do, She may by the charter confer on that district the status of a borough, and thereupon—
a
the council of the district shall bear the name of the council of the borough;
b
the chairman and vice-chairman of the council shall respectively be entitled to the style of mayor and deputy mayor of the borough.
2
A petition for a charter under subsection (1) above shall not be presented except on a resolution passed by not less than two-thirds of the members voting thereon at a meeting of the council specially convened for the purpose with notice of the object.
3
No charter under subsection (1) above shall take effect before 1st April 1974.
4
Where a petition is presented to Her Majesty before 1st April 1974 by the council of a district praying for the grant of a charter under subsection (1) above and it is signified on behalf of Her Majesty before that date that She proposes to accede to the petition and that She approves—
a
the use for the district of any style previously belonging to an existing borough which on that date will become wholly or partly comprised in the district; and
b
the use for the chairman and vice-chairman of the council of the district of any style previously belonging to the mayor or deputy mayor of that borough;
those styles may be so used as from 1st April 1974.
5
A district which has the status of a borough, or for which the style of borough may be used, by virtue of the foregoing provisions of this section and the council of any such district shall not be treated as a borough or the council of a borough for the purposes of any Act passed before 1st April 1974.
6
The council of a parish F1. . . which is not grouped with any other parish F1. . . may resolve that the parish F1. . . shall have the status of a town and thereupon—
a
the council of the parish F1. . . shall bear the name of the council of the town;
b
the chairman and vice-chairman of the council shall be respectively entitled to the style of town mayor and deputy town mayor;
c
the parish meeting F2. . . shall have the style of town meeting.
7
A resolution under subsection (6) above shall cease to have effect if the parish F1. . . to which it relates ceases to exist.
8
If a parish F1. . . council which has passed a resolution under subsection (6) above is dissolved without the parish F1. . . ceasing to exist, the dissolution shall not affect the status of the parish F1. . . or the application to it of paragraph (c) of that subsection and in England the parish trustees shall have the style of town trustees.
9
A parish F1. . . council by whom a resolution under subsection (6) above has been passed or, if the council has been dissolved, the parish meeting in England F3. . . may resolve that the parish F1. . . shall cease to have the status of a town and thereupon subsection (6)(a) to (c) above and subsection (8) above shall cease to apply to the parish F1. . ..
10
The foregoing provisions of this section shall have effect subject to any provision made by a grant under Her Majesty’s prerogative and, in particular, to any such provision granting the status of a city or royal borough or conferring the style of lord mayor, deputy lord mayor or right honourable.