Sussex wrote:
1. Council, following a period of consultations with the trade, agree a new tariff charge change.
2. The Council then advertises those changes, inviting objections within 14 days. The advertisement should state that the changes will come into effect on a certain date, usually at the end of those 14 days.
3. If objections are received, and not withdrawn, the council must meet and agree to keep the changes, reject the changes, or amend the changes. Any decision must be decided within two months of the first date.
4. If no decision is made within those two months then councils have no powers to raise fares. This isn't a case of where does it say that directly, it doesn't need to. The powers to set fares have a two month (from first date) timeline. Any increase outside of those parameters would be outside of the law.
Maybe those that wrote the legislation had councils that couldn't be arsed to make a decision in mind, and these provisions ensured they should be arsed.
The situation we have is that the council are not likely to make a decision within the 2 months timeframe so wouldn't that make the council in breach of the law for non determination? From what you seem to be saying the council can just sit on any request and do nothing.