OpenLegislation

Section 155 Emergency financial assistance to local authorities.C1C2

England, Wales and Scotland

(1)

In any case where—

(a)

an emergency or disaster occurs involving destruction of or danger to life or property, and

(b)

as a result, one or more local authorities incur expenditure on, or in connection with, the taking of immediate action (whether by the carrying out of works or otherwise) to safeguard life or property, or to prevent suffering or severe inconvenience, in their area or among its inhabitants,

the Secretary of State may establish a scheme under this section for the giving of financial assistance to those authorities in respect of that expenditure.

F1(1A)

Expenditure incurred as mentioned in subsection (1) above by—

(F2a)

the London Fire Commissioner,

(F3b)

the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime, or

(c)

Transport for London, in respect of places or areas within Greater London,

shall be treated for the purposes of this section as expenditure so incurred by the Greater London Authority (and, accordingly, as so incurred by a local authority).

(1B)

To the extent that any financial assistance given to the Greater London Authority under this section is referable to expenditure incurred by a body mentioned in paragraph (a), (b) or (c) of subsection (1A) above, the financial assistance shall be treated for the purposes of section 103 of the Greater London Authority Act 1999 as a payment made to the Greater London Authority for the purposes of that body.

(2)

Financial assistance given pursuant to a scheme under this section shall take the form of grants paid by the Secretary of State with the consent of theTreasury and, subject to that, the terms and conditions of a scheme shall be such as the Secretary of State considers appropriate to the circumstances of the particular emergency or disaster concerned.

(3)

Without prejudice to the generality of subsection (2) above, a scheme under this section may—

(a)

make the payment of grants conditional upon the making of claims of a description specified in the scheme;

(b)

make provision with respect to the expenditure qualifying for grant and the rates and amounts of grants;

(c)

make provision in certain specified circumstances for the repayment of any grant, in whole or in part; and

(d)

make different provision for different local authorities or descriptions of authority and for different areas.

(4)

In the application of this section to England and Wales, any reference to a local authority is a reference to—

(a)

a county council;

F4(aa)

a county borough council;

(b)

a district council;

F5(bb)

the Greater London Authority;

(c)

a London borough council;

(d)

the Common Council of the City of London;

(e)

the Council of the Isles of Scilly;

F6(ea)

a police and crime commissioner;

(eb)

F7. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

F8(f)

the Receiver for the Metropolitan Police District; or

C3(g)

a joint authority established by Part IV of the M1Local Government Act 1985, other than F9an Integrated Transport Authority; F10...

F11(h)

a fire and rescue authority constituted by a scheme under section 2 of the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004 or a scheme to which section 4 of that Act applies;

F12(ha)

a fire and rescue authority created by an order under section 4A of that Act;

F13(hb)

a mayoral combined authority (which has the same meaning as in Part 6 of the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009 — see section 107A(8) of that Act) in its capacity as a fire and rescue authority by virtue of section 1(2)(f) or (g) of the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004;

(hc)

a mayoral CCA (which has the same meaning as in Chapter 1 of Part 2 of the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 — see section 27(8) of that Act) in its capacity as a fire and rescue authority by virtue of section 1(2)(f) or (g) of the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004;

F14(i)

a National Park authority; or

(j)

the Broads Authority.

(5)

In the application of this section to Scotland, any reference to a local authority is a reference to

  • F15a council constituted under section 2 of the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994

  • F16... a joint board or joint committee within the meaning of the M2Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973.

(6)

The reference in subsection (1)(b) above to expenditure incurred by a local authority includes, in the case of an authority in England and Wales, expenditure incurred in defraying, or contributing towards defraying, expenditure incurred by a parish or community council.

(7)

This section shall come into force on 1st April 1990.

Annotations

Textual amendments

F1

S. 155(1A)(1B) inserted (3.7.2000) by 1999 c. 29, s. 104(1)(2) (with Sch. 12 para. 9(1)); S.I. 1999/3434, art. 4

F2

S. 155(1A)(a) substituted (31.1.2017 for specified purposes, 1.4.2018 in so far as not already in force) by Policing and Crime Act 2017 (c. 3), s. 183(1)(5)(e), Sch. 2 para. 91; S.I. 2018/227, reg. 4(c)

F3

S. 155(1A)(b) substituted (16.1.2012) by Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 (c. 13), ss. 27(2), 157(1); S.I. 2011/3019, art. 3, Sch. 1 and the words “Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime” also expressed to be substituted for the words “Metropolitan Police Authority” in s. 155(1A)(b) (16.1.2012) by Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 (c. 13), s. 157(1), Sch. 16 para. 206(2); S.I. 2011/3019, art. 3, Sch. 1

F4

S. 155(4)(aa) inserted (7.1.1997) by S.I. 1996/3071, art. 2 Sch. para. 3(8)

F5

S. 155(4)(bb) inserted (3.7.2000) by 1999 c. 29, s. 104(1)(3)(a) (with Sch. 12 para. 9(1)); S.I. 1999/3434, art. 4

F6

S. 155(4)(ea) substituted (22.11.2012) by Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 (c. 13), ss. 27(3), 157(1), Sch. 16 para. 206(3); S.I. 2012/2892, art. 2(a)(i)

F7

S. 155(4)(eb) repealed (1.4.2002) by 2001 c. 16, ss. 128(1), 137, Sch. 6 Pt. II para. 53(b), Sch. 7 Pt. V(1); S.I. 2002/344, art. 3 (with transitional provisions in art. 4)

F8

S. 155(4)(f) ceased to have effect (3.7.2000) by virtue of 1999 c. 29, s. 104(1)(3)(c) (with Sch. 12 para. 9(1)); S.I. 1999/3434, art. 4

F9

Words in s. 155(4)(g) substituted (9.2.2009) by Local Transport Act 2008 (c. 26), s. 134(4), Sch. 4 para. 57(2); S.I. 2009/107, art. 2(1), Sch. 1 Pt. 1

F10

Word in s. 155(4) repealed (1.10.2006) by Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 (c. 16), ss. 65(3), 107(3)(b), Sch. 12; S.I. 2006/2541, art. 2 (with Sch.)

F11

S. 155(4)(h) substituted (1.10.2004 except in relation to W., 10.11.2004 for W.) by Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004 (c. 21), s. 61, Sch. 1 para. 71(5); S.I. 2004/2304, art. 2; S.I. 2004/2917, art. 2

F12

S. 155(4)(ha) inserted (31.1.2017 for specified purposes, 3.4.2017 in so far as not already in force) by Policing and Crime Act 2017 (c. 3), s. 183(1)(5)(e), Sch. 1 para. 66; S.I. 2017/399, reg. 2, Sch. para. 38

F13

S. 155(4)(hb)(hc) inserted (29.6.2026) by English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act 2026 (c. 23), s. 108(5), Sch. 25 para. 8(3) (with s. 102)

F14

S. 155(4)(i)(j) inserted (1.10.2006) by Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 (c. 16), ss. 65(2), 107(3)(b); S.I. 2006/2541, art. 2 (with Sch.)

F15

S. 155(5) words substituted (1.4.1996) for paras. (a)(b)(c) by 1994 c. 39, s. 180(1), Sch. 13 para. 161(12)(a) (with s. 128(8)); S.I. 1996/323, art. 4(1)(c)(d)

F16

S. 155(5): letter “(d)” repealed (1.4.1996) by 1994 c. 39, s. 180(1), Sch. 13 para. 161(12)(b), Sch. 14 (with s. 128(8)); S.I. 1996/323, art. 4(1)(c)(d)

Marginal citations

M1

1985 c. 51.

M2

1973 c.65.

Modifications

C1

S. 155 amended (28.11.1994) by S.I. 1994/2825, reg. 41

S. 155 power to deal with matters of the kind dealt with in this part conferred (1.9.1997) by 1997 c. 50, s. 44(1), Sch. 4 para. (j)(iv); S.I. 1997/1930, art. 2(m)

C2

S. 155 applied (with modifications) (E.) (20.12.2023) by The York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority Order 2023 (S.I. 2023/1432), arts. 1(2), 46(2), Sch. 7 para. 3(5)

C3

S. 155(4)(g) applied (with modifications) (E.) (8.5.2017) by The Greater Manchester Combined Authority (Fire and Rescue Functions) Order 2017 (S.I. 2017/469), art. 1(3), Sch. para. 3(3)