County Management Act, 1940

Estimates meetings.

24.—(1) At an estimates meeting of the council of a county or an elective body or at an adjournment of such meeting, such council or elective body (as the case may be)—

(a) may (subject to the subsequent provisions of this section) by resolution amend, whether by addition, omission, or variation, the estimate of expenses required by this Act to be considered at such meeting, and

(b) shall by resolution adopt such estimate of expenses either (as the case may require) without amendment or with the amendments made therein under the foregoing paragraph of this sub-section, and

(c) shall by resolution determine, in accordance with such estimate of expenses as so adopted, the rates in the pound to be levied for the several purposes specified in such estimate or, in the case of an elective body which is not a rating authority, prepare and by resolution adopt, in accordance with such estimate of expenses as so adopted, the demand or other instrument whereby the money to meet the expenses of such elective body in the local financial year then next ensuing is to be obtained.

(2) Whenever at an estimates meeting of the council of a county or of an elective body, an amendment of the estimate of expenses required by this Act to be considered at such meeting is proposed and the county manager for such county or the manager for such elective body (as the case may be) is of opinion that such amendment, if made, would seriously prejudice the efficient or the economical performance of the duties of such council or elective body, the said county manager or manager (as the case may be) shall at such meeting state his objection to such amendment and his reasons therefor, and thereupon such council or elective body shall consider such objection and either shall decide at such meeting not to make such amendment or shall adjourn, in accordance with the next following sub-section of this section, the further consideration of such amendment.

(3) When the further consideration of an amendment of an estimate of expenses is adjourned under the next preceding sub-section of this section the estimates meeting shall, after all business which can lawfully and conveniently be transacted thereat without adjournment is disposed of, be adjourned for not less than six days and at such adjourned meeting the amendment or amendments which occasioned the adjournment (with or without any modification thereof) but no other amendment of the said estimate of expenses shall be considered and decided upon and the business of the estimates meeting shall be completed.