Where a local authority consider it expedient for the promotion or protection of the interests of the inhabitants of their area—
they may prosecute or defend or appear in any legal proceedings and, in the case of civil proceedings, may institute them in their own name, and
they may, in their own name, make representations in the interests of the inhabitants at any public inquiry held by or on behalf of any Minister or public body under any enactment.
In this section "local authority" includes the Common Council , a corporate joint committee and a fire and rescue authority created by an order under section 4A of the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004 and the London Fire Commissioner.
In the application of subsection (1) to a corporate joint committee, the reference to the corporate joint committee's area is to be read as a reference to the area specified as the corporate joint committee's area in regulations under Part 5 of the Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021 establishing the corporate joint committee.