§ 31B.—(1) Any community charge benefit provided for by virtue of a scheme under section 20(1) above (in this Act referred to as a community charge benefit scheme) is to be administered by the appropriate authority.
§ (2) For the purposes of this section the appropriate authority in relation to a particular benefit is—
- (a) in relation to England and Wales, the charging authority as regards whose personal or collective community charge a person is entitled to the benefit;
- (b) in relation to Scotland, the levying authority to which the personal or collective community charge is payable by a person entitled to the benefit.
§ (3) Charging authorities may agree that one shall carry out responsibilities relating to community charge benefits on another's behalf.
§ (4) Levying authorities may agree that one shall carry out responsibilities relating to community charge benefits on another's behalf.
§ (5) A charging authority or levying authority may modify any part of the community charge benefit scheme administered by the authority—
- (a) so as to provide for disregarding, in determining a person's income, the whole or part of any war widow's pension payable to that person;
- (b) to such extent in other respects as may be prescribed,
§ and any such modifications may be adopted by resolution of an authority.
§ (6) Modifications other than such modifications as are mentioned in subsection (5)(a) above shall be so framed as to secure that, in the estimate of the authority adopting them, the total of the benefits which will be allowed by the authority for any year will not exceed the permitted total of benefits for that year.
§ (7) An authority which has adopted modifications may by resolution revoke or vary them.
§ (8) If the community charge benefit scheme includes power for an authority to exercise a discretion in allowing community charge benefits, the authority shall not exercise that discretion so that the total of the benefits allowed by it for any year exceeds the permitted total of benefits for that year.
§ (9) In relation to any authority the permitted total of benefits for any year shall be such amount as is calculated in accordance with rules contained in an order made by the Secretary of State.