16.—(1) An appointing authority may, by giving 21 days’ notice in writing to a local access forum, and the relevant appointing authorities may, by giving 21 days’ joint notice in writing to the joint local access forum, change the area for which the forum is established—
(a)so that the forum thereafter exercises its functions in respect of an additional area; or
(b)so that the forum thereafter exercises its functions in respect of a reduced area.
(2) If an appointing authority makes a change under paragraph (1)(b), they must, as soon as reasonably practicable after making such change—
(a)establish a new local access forum for the area in respect of which the original forum ceases to have functions; or
(b)change the area for which another existing local access forum is established, being a forum for which the authority is the appointing authority, so that such other forum exercises its functions in respect of that area.
(3) Before giving notice under paragraph (1), an appointing authority must consult any appointing authority or local access forum which they consider will be affected by the change.