Local Government Act, 1955

Amalgamation of offices.

10.—(1) Where the same Minister is the appropriate Minister in relation to any particular offices, such Minister may, subject to the provisions of this section and after consultation with the local authority or local authorities concerned, by order amalgamate the offices, and thereupon the offices shall become and be one office under such title (if any) as is specified in the order.

(2) Where, as respects any particular offices, there are two or more Ministers each of whom is the appropriate Minister in relation to one or more than one of such offices, those Ministers may, subject to the provisions of this section and after consultation with the local authority or local authorities concerned, by order amalgamate the offices, and thereupon the offices shall become and be one office under such title (if any) as is specified in the order and having such Minister as is specified in the order as appropriate Minister for the purposes of Part II of the Act of 1941, Part III of the Act of 1946 and this Chapter of this Part of this Act.

(3) Offices shall not be amalgamated under this section unless—

(a) each of the offices is vacant, or

(b) each of the offices is held by the same person, or

(c) one only of the offices being not vacant, the holder thereof consents to the making of the order, or

(d) in any other case, the same person holds each of such of the offices as are not vacant and such person consents to the making of the order.

(4) Where offices amalgamated under this section are not all under the same local authority, the following provisions shall have effect:

(a) appointments to the amalgamated office shall be made by such one of the local authorities concerned as the appropriate Minister shall by order specify,

(b) the holder of the amalgamated office shall be paid remuneration by such local authority as makes appointments to the amalgamated office, and that local authority may recover from any other local authority concerned such portion of the remuneration as may be settled by agreement between them or, in default of agreement, by the appropriate Minister or where two or more Ministers are concerned, by agreement between them.

(5) An order made or deemed to have been made under section 36 (repealed by this Act) of the Act of 1946 and in force immediately before the commencement of this section shall continue in force and shall be deemed to have been made under this section and to be capable of being amended or revoked accordingly.