4.—(1) Before making any proposal under section 2 of the Act a local authority must comply with this regulation.
(2) The authority must have regard to the guidance that the Secretary of State has issued under section 5(5) of the Act.
(3) The authority must also—
(a)establish or recognise a panel of representatives of local persons constituted in accordance with regulation 5,
(b)consult the panel about any proposal, and
(c)try to reach agreement with the panel about proposals.
5.—(1) A panel established or recognised by a local authority under regulation 4(3)(a) must be constituted in accordance with this regulation.
(2) Sufficient representatives must be involved in the panel so that, in the opinion of the authority, local persons are adequately represented by the panel.
(3) Paragraph (4) applies where–
(a)a local authority takes reasonable steps to involve a group of local persons in a panel, but
(b)no representatives of that group become so involved.
(4) There is no breach of this regulation merely because of the lack of involvement of the group.
6.—(1) The selector must prepare a written report on the proposals, which must include—
(a)a list of any proposals that it has rejected; and
(b)a statement of its reasons—
(i)for selecting the proposals on the short-list, and
(ii)for rejecting any other proposals made by local authorities.
(2) The selector must send the report to the Secretary of State at the time it sends the short-list.