Commentary Introduction Section 132 - Revision proposals
297.This section provides a mechanism for a multi-area agreement that has been approved by the Secretary of State to be amended.
298.Subsection (1) provides that a proposal to modify an approved multi-area agreement can be prepared and submitted to the Secretary of State by the responsible authority at any time while the agreement is in force, but must be prepared and submitted if the Secretary of State directs the authority to do so. A direction under this subsection may stipulate the time period within which the revision proposal must be submitted and can be varied or revoked (subsection (5)).
299.Subsection (2) sets out the types of changes to an approved multi-area agreement that will require a revision proposal. Enlarging the area covered by the multi-area agreement may mean extending it to cover more of the area of a local authority that is already a signatory to the agreement, or, it may entail adding a local authority to the agreement whose area was previously outside the boundaries covered by the agreement. A revision proposal will not be required where a district council, in an area where there is also a county council, whose area was covered by the multi-area agreement but did not originally agree to it, subsequently decides that it does want to be party to the agreement.
300.Subsections (3) and (4) stipulate that where changes to an improvement target or the addition of an improvement target is proposed, the revision proposal must specify who it relates to (see section 121(5)) and the geographic area covered by it if it does not apply to the whole area of the multi-area agreement. This is consistent with the information requirement for a draft multi-area agreement set out in section 125.