Education Reform Act 1988

49 Required financial delegation apart from schemes

(1) In respect of any period during which any county, voluntary or special school maintained by a local education authority does not have a delegated budget it shall be the duty of the authority to make available a sum of money which the governing body of the school are to be entitled to spend at their discretion during that period (but subject to subsection (2) below) on books, equipment, stationery and such other heads of expenditure (if any) as the authority may specify or as may be prescribed.

(2) A governing body to whom any sum is made available under this section—

(a) shall comply in spending that sum with such reasonable conditions as the authority think fit to impose; and

(b) may delegate to the head teacher, to such extent as they may specify, their powers in relation to that sum.

(3) Before making any regulations for the purposes of subsection (1) above, the Secretary of State shall consult such associations of local authorities as appear to him to be concerned and any local authority with whom consultation appears to him to be desirable.