HC Deb 17 July 1972 vol 841 c270

EXPENSES AND ACCOUNTS OF JOINT COMMITTEES

Amendment made: No. 606, in page 67, line 25, leave out from 'committee' to 'authorities' in line 27 and insert: 'of two or more local authorities whether appointed or established under this Part of this Act or any other enactment shall be defrayed by those'.

No. 607, in page 67, line 29, leave out 'the appointing' and insert 'those'.—[Mr. Graham Page.]

Mr. Graham Page

I beg to move Amendment No. 622, in page 67, line 33, after 'by', insert: 'a single arbitrator agreed on by the appointing authorities or, in default of agreement, appointed by'. Clause 103 provides that expenses incurred by joint committees shall be defrayed by the local authorities which appoint or establish them in such proportions as they may agree. In the event of disagreement about the proportions, the Secretary of State is given the job of determining the disagreement where authorities which appoint the joint committee are not parish or community councils situated in the same district. This is not the sort of squabble the Secretary of State ought to be asked to settle. The right thing to be done is for the authorities to appoint an arbitrator and not to bring in the Secretary of State.

Amendment agreed to.

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