A relevant authority shall have power to provide professional, technical and administrative services for owners or occupiers of dwellings in connection with their arranging or carrying out relevant works or to encourage or facilitate the carrying out of such works, whether or not on payment of such charges as the authority may determine.
Works are relevant works in relation to a dwelling or, as the case may be, a dwelling in any area, if they are works of any of the following descriptions, that is to say—
It shall be the duty of a relevant authority exercising any power conferred by subsection (1) above—
A relevant authority shall have power to give financial assistance in any form to—
towards the cost of the provision by that association, charity or body of services of any description for owners or occupiers of dwellings in arranging works of maintenance, repair or improvement or the encouraging or facilitating the carrying out of such works.
It shall be the duty of a relevant authority—
The Secretary of State may, with the consent of the Treasury, give financial assistance in any form to any person in respect of expenditure incurred or to be incurred by that person in connection with the provision, whether or not by that person, of services of any description for owners or occupiers of dwellings in arranging or carrying out works of maintenance, repair or improvement, or in connection with the encouraging or facilitating, whether or not by that person, the carrying out of such works.
The giving of financial assistance under subsection (6) above shall be on such terms (which may include terms as to repayment) as the Secretary of State, with the consent of the Treasury, considers appropriate.
The person receiving assistance shall comply with the terms on which itis given and compliance may be enforced by the Secretary of State.
In this section—
...
"housing association" means a housing association within the meaning of section 1(1) of the Housing Associations Act 1985, or a body established by such a housing association for the purpose of, or having among its purposes or objects, those mentioned in section 4(3)(e) of that Act (providing services of any description for owners or occupiers of houses in arranging or carrying out works of maintenance, repair or improvement, or encouraging or facilitating the carrying out of such works;
"local housing authority" shall be construed in accordance with section 1 of the Housing Act 1985; and
"relevant authority" means a local housing authority or county council.