Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994

78 Liability of occupiers etc. for charges.S

(1)Subject to the following provisions of this section and except in so far as provision to the contrary is made by any agreement to which a new water and sewerage authority are a party—

(a)supplies of water provided by them shall be treated for the purposes of this Part of this Act as services provided to the occupier for the time being of any premises supplied; and

(b)the provision of sewerage, and the disposal of sewage, provided by them shall be treated for such purposes as provision to, or as disposal for, the occupier for the time being of any premises which—

(i)are drained by a sewer or drain connecting, either directly or through an intermediate sewer or drain, with such a public sewer of the authority as is provided for foul water or surface water or both; or

(ii)are premises the occupier of which has, in respect of the premises, the benefit of facilities which drain to a sewer or drain so connecting;

and such supply of water, provision of sewerage or disposal of sewage are referred to in subsection (2) below as “relevant services”.

(2)Subject to subsection (3) below, charges which, under the preceding provisions of this Part of this Act, are fixed in relation to any premises by reference to volume may be imposed so that a person remains liable, in relation to those premises, to pay charges for relevant services provided by a new water and sewerage authority after the person has ceased to be occupier of the premises.

(3)A person shall not be liable by virtue of subsection (2) above for any charges fixed in relation to any premises by a new water and sewerage authority except where—

(a)he fails to inform the authority of the ending of his occupation of the premises at least two working days before he ceases to occupy them; and

(b)the charges are in respect of a period ending no later than with the first relevant day.

(4)In paragraph (b) of subsection (3) above, “the first relevant day” means whichever of the following first occurs after the person ceases to occupy the premises—

(a)where the person informs the authority of the ending of his occupation (but not timeously), the twenty-eighth day after informing the authority;

(b)any day on which any meter would normally have been read in order for the amount of the charges to be determined;

(c)any day on which any other person informs the authority that he has become the new occupier of the premises.

(5)In subsection (3)(a) above, reference to two working days is to a period of forty-eight hours calculated after disregarding any time falling on—

(a)a Saturday or Sunday;

(b)Christmas Day or Good Friday; or

(c)a day which is a bank holiday in Scotland under the M1Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971.

(6)In the application of this section to services which are the subject of a determination under section 79(1)(a) of this Act, references in subsection (1) above to the occupier of premises shall be construed as references to the person liable under or by virtue of sections 75 to 77 of the M2Local Government Finance Act 1992 to pay council tax in respect of the premises (“council tax” being construed in accordance with section 70(1) of that Act).