Every appointment of a person to a paid office or employment under—
a local authority or parish or community council in England and Wales, ...
an elected local policing body,...
a corporate joint committee, or
a local authority in Scotland,
shall be made on merit.
Subsection (1) above applies to all appointments made by, or by any committee or sub-committee of, a local authority , corporate joint committee or parish or community council, whether made under section 112 of the Local Government Act 1972 or section 64 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 (appointment of staff) or otherwise, but has effect subject to—
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section 18 of the Fire Services Act 1947 (regulations as to appointment etc. of chief officers and fire brigades);
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section 113 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988 and section 6 above (qualifications of officers responsible for administration of financial affairs of certain authorities);
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sections 39, 40 and 49 to 51 of the Equality Act 2010 (employees and office-holders), so far as relating to disability, and Schedule 8 to that Act (reasonable adjustments for disabled persons) so far as it applies in relation to sections 39 and 49 to 51 of that Act; and
paragraph 1 of Schedule 9 to that Act (occupational requirements), so far as relating to sex, pregnancy and maternity, marriage and civil partnership, gender reassignment or race.
This section shall come into force at the expiry of the period of two months beginning on the day this Act is passed.