4.45 Where a local authority can delegate powers, it can also arrange for that function to be carried out by another authority as its agent. Where authorities come together in a Joint Committee, that Joint Committee can take decisions, but because it is not a separate legal entity it cannot enter a contract, employ staff or hold land in its own name. So it is necessary to arrange for one or more authorities to actually do what is necessary to implement the decisions of the Joint Committee. So, where you have a Joint Committee, you almost always have one or more Lead Authorities, acting as agents for the other participating authorities.
See further guidance below on this issue.