HC Deb 20 March 1987 vol 112 c651W
Mr. Sheerman

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has as to which local authority areas still have local acts in force.

Mr. Chope

By virtue of section 262 of the Local Government Act 1972 almost all pre-1 April 1974 local legislation will have been automatically repealed, in general. at the end of 1986 unless specifically replaced by new local or general legislation.

There are certain exceptions. Greater London is excluded because its local legislation was reviewed under the London Government Act 1963; such powers as protective provisions and provisions relating to statutory undertakers are also excluded from the effect of section 262; and some individual local Act provisions have been preserved by order (S.I. 1986, No. 1133). The 1986 deadline has also been extended by order (S.I. 1986, No. 2106) for one year to preserve pre-1 April 1974 local legislation from repeal for eight local authority areas in England and Wales to enable their replacement local legislation to complete its passage through Parliament.

The following local authority areas in England have promoted local legislation by virtue of section 262: The metropolitan counties of Greater Manchester, Merseyside, South Yorkshire, Tyne and Wear, West Midlands and West Yorkshire. The counties of Avon, Berkshire, Cheshire, Cleveland, Cornwall, Cumbria, Derbyshire, East Sussex, Essex (Bill in Parliament), Hampshire, Humberside, Isle of Wight, Kent, Lancashire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Staffordshire and Surrey. The districts of Bournemouth, Cambridge, Durham, Epsom and Ewell, Exeter (Bill in Parliament), Harrogate, Hereford, Kingston upon Hull, Lincoln, Luton, Norwich, Plymouth, Poole, Scarborough, Warwick, Worcester and York (Bill in Parliament).

Apart from section 262 local legislation, the following local authority areas in addition to Greater London have obtained local powers for various purposes since 1 April 1974: The metropolitan counties of Greater Manchester, South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire. The metropolitan districts of Barnsley, Birmingham, Sheffield and Solihull. The counties of Cleveland, Cumbria, Devon, East Sussex, Essex, Isle of Wight and Nottinghamshire. The districts of Aylesbury Vale, Bath, Castle Morpeth, East Lindsey, Gosport, Great Yarmouth, Hove, Nottingham, Plymouth, Preston, Shrewsbury and Atcham, South Lakeland, South Cambridgeshire, Suffolk Coastal, Thurrock, Torbay, Vale of White Horse, and Weymouth and Portland. Washington Development Corporation.