Without prejudice to the provisions of Part V (the right to buy) F1. . ., a local authority have power by this section, and not otherwise, to dispose of land held by them for the purposes of this Part.

A disposal under this section may be effected in any manner but, subject to subsection (3), shall not be made without the consent of the Secretary of State.

No consent is required for the letting of land under a secure tenancy F2or an introductory tenancyor under what would be a secure tenancy but for any of paragraphs 2 to 12 of Schedule 1 (tenancies, other than long leases F2and introductory tenancies, which are not secure).

For the purposes of this section the grant of an option to purchase the freehold of, or any other interest in, land is a disposal and a consent given to such a disposal extends to a disposal made in pursuance of the option.

Sections 128 to 132 of the M1Lands Clauses Consolidation Act 1845 (which require surplus land first to be offered to the original owner and to adjoining land-owners) do not apply to the sale by a local authority of land held by them for the purposes of this Part.

The Secretary of State shall consult the Regulator of Social Housing before deciding whether to consent under this section to anything within the Regulator’s remit.