49A.— (1) Subject to subsection (3), there shall be established, in accordance with this section and Chapter 2 of Part 13 (including any regulations made or general policy guidelines issued under that Chapter) by resolution of each local authority in respect of its administrative area a committee, to be known as the Local Community Development Committee, for the purposes of developing, co-ordinating and implementing a coherent and integrated approach to local and community development.

(2) Subject to this section and Chapter 2 of Part 13, each Local Community Development Committee is independent in the performance of its functions.

(3) Where the Minister has approved in writing a proposal by a local authority for the establishment of more than one Local Community Development Committee within its administrative area, the local authority may by resolution establish such number of Committees so proposed.

(4) A local authority may, by resolution and with the prior approval of the Minister in writing, dissolve a Local Community Development Committee established by it but the dissolution is without prejudice to anything previously done by such Committee.

(5) A Local Community Development Committee dissolved in accordance with subsection (4) shall be replaced by resolution of the local authority concerned—

(a) where subsection (3) applies, by such number of Local Community Development Committees as are approved by the Minister for establishment under that subsection, or

(b) in any other case, by a new Local Community Development Committee.

(6) Except where a Local Community Development Committee would stand dissolved in accordance with subsection (4) in respect of a day that would be the ordinary day of retirement of the members of the local authority concerned, a Local Community Development Committee shall, notwithstanding section 51(6), continue to stand established on and following that day.

(7) An annual report of a local authority shall include an outline of the activities of each Local Community Development Committee within the authority’s functional area during the period to which the annual report relates.

(8) Section 45 shall not apply to meetings of the Committee.]