Electricity Act 1947

7Consultative Councils.

(1)A Consultative Council shall be established for the purposes mentioned in this section for the area of every Area Board.

(2)Each of the said Councils shall consist of not less than twenty nor more than thirty persons to be appointed by the Minister of whom—

(a)not less than half nor more than three-fifths shall be appointed from a panel of persons nominated from amongst members of local authorities in the area by such associations as appear to the Minister to represent those authorities; and

(b)the remainder shall be appointed, after consultation with such bodies as the Minister thinks fit, to represent agriculture, commerce, industry, labour and the general interests of consumers of electricity and other persons or organisations interested in the development of electricity in the area.

In making the appointments mentioned in paragraph (b) of this subsection, the Minister shall have particular regard to any nominations made to him by the bodies aforesaid of persons who are recommended by them as having both adequate knowledge of the requirements of the interests to be represented and also the ability to exercise a wide and impartial judgment on the matters to be dealt with by the Council generally.

(3)A person shall be disqualified for being appointed or being the chairman of a Consultative Council so long as he is a member of the Commons House of Parliament, but a member of a Consultative Council other than the chairman shall not by reason of his appointment as such a member be disqualified for being elected to, or for sitting, or voting as a "member of, the Commons House of Parliament.

(4)Each of the said Councils shall be charged with the duties—

(a)of considering any matter affecting the distribution of electricity in the area, including the variation of tariffs and the provision of new or improved services and facilities within the area, being a matter which is the subject of a representation made to them by consumers or other persons requiring supplies of electricity in that area, or which appears to them to be a matter to which- consideration ought to be given apart from any such representation, and where action appears to them to be requisite as to any such matter, of notifying their conclusions to the Area Board; and

(b)of considering and reporting to the Area Board on any such matter which may be referred to them by that Board.

(5)Each of the said Councils shall be informed by the Area Board of that Board's general plans and arrangements for exercising and performing their functions under this Act and may make representations thereon to that Board.

(6)The Area Board shall consider any conclusion, reports and representations notified or made to them by the Council for their area under the two last foregoing subsections and the Council may, after consultation with the Area Board, make representations to the Central Authority on matters arising thereout.

(7)Where representations have been so made to the Central Authority and it appears to that Authority, after consultation with the Area Board and with the Council, that a defect is disclosed in that Area Board's general plans and arrangements for the exercise and performance of their functions under this Act, the Central Authority may give to the Area Board such directions as they think fit for remedying the defect and the Area Board shall give effect to any such directions.

(8)A Consultative Council may, after consultation with the Central Authority, make representations to the Minister on any matters arising out of representations made by them to the Central Authority under subsection (6) of this section, and if it appears to the Minister, after consultation with the Area Board and with the Council, that a defect is disclosed in the Area Board's general plans and arrangements for the exercise and performance of their functions under this Act, he may notify the defect to the Central Authority, and thereupon the Central Authority shall give to the Area Board such directions as they think necessary for remedying the defect, and the Area Board shall give effect to any such directions.

(9)Every Consultative Council shall prepare and submit to the Minister a scheme for the appointment by them of committees or individuals to be local representatives of the Council in such localities as may be specified in the scheme, and it shall be the duty of such committees and individuals to consider the particular circumstances and requirements of those localities with respect to the distribution of electricity and to make representations to the Council thereon, and to be available for receiving on behalf of the Council representations from consumers in those localities; and, if the scheme is approved by the Minister, the Consultative Council shall put it into effect.

A member of a Consultative Council shall be eligible for appointment under such a scheme, either as a member of a committee or as an individual, but membership of the Council shall not be a necessary qualification for such an appointment.

(10)A Consultative Council may, subject to the approval of the Minister as to numbers, appoint such officers as appear to the Council to be requisite for the proper exercise and performance of their functions (including functions of any committee or individual appointed under the last foregoing subsection) , and there shall be paid by the Central Authority—

(a)to the members of the said Councils or of any such committee or to any such individual such allowances in respect of any loss of remunerative time and such travelling allowances and allowances in respect of their out-of-pocket expenses; and

(b)to the officers of the said Councils such remuneration (whether by way of salary or fees) and such allowances,

as the Minister may with the approval of the Treasury determine.

(11)A Consultative Council shall be furnished by the Area Board concerned with such office accommodation as appears to the Board to be requisite for the proper exercise and performance of their functions (including the functions of any such committee or individual as aforesaid or as may be directed by the Minister.

(12)Where, in consequence of the variation of the areas of Area Boards under the foregoing provisions of this Part of this Act, it is necessary to establish new Consultative Councils under this section, the Minister may by order provide for dissolving and winding up the affairs of any Consultative Council who cease to exercise or perform functions by reason of the variation.

(13)Provision may be made by regulations in relation to Consultative Councils for any matters for which provision may be made by regulations under section three of this Act in relation to the Central Authority and any Area Board, and for the appointment of a chairman of each of the said Councils, with or without provision for another to act in his place, and, subject to the provisions of any such regulations, the said Councils shall have power to regulate their own procedure.

(14)The foregoing provisions of this section other than subsection (8) shall apply to the North of Scotland Board as if that Board were an Area Board and the North of Scotland District were the area of an Area Board, subject to the modifications that—

(a)for references to the Minister there shall be substituted references to the Secretary of State; and

(b)for the references to the Central Authority there shall be substituted—

(i)in subsections (6) and (7) references to the Secretary of State, and

(ii)in subsection (10) references to the North of Scotland Board.