b'Chapter 12 Housing Housing powers 12.1 Local governments housing powers are contained, in the main, in the Housing Act 1985. Local housing authorities are district councils, London boroughs, the Common Council of the City of London or the Council of the Isles of Scilly. Section 9 of the Housing Act 1985 is the principal provision proffering powers to provide housing accommodation to local housing authorities. Under this section such authorities have powers to build houses on land acquired for that purpose, or to convert buildings into houses or simply to purchase houses. Unfortunately, the building of council houses has been in marked decline in recent years, mainly because of cutbacks in local government finance. Section 10 enables a local housing authority to fit out, furnish and supply a house provided by them with all requisite furniture, fittings and conveniences. Subsection (2) enables a local housing authority to sell, or supply under a hire purchase agreement or a conditional sale agreement, furniture to the occupants of houses so provided and may for that purpose buy furniture Section 11 enables a local housing authority to provide in connection with the provision of housing accommodation by it facilities for obtaining meals and refreshments, and the facilities for doing laundry and laundry services, such as accords with the needs of persons for whom the housing accommodation is provided. The section enables the authority to provide a laundry room with washing or drying machines or an actual laundry service for which a fee is charged. Under sub-section (2), the authority may make reasonable charges for meals and refreshments provided by virtue of this section and for the use of laundry facilities or laundry services so provided. If tenants want wine with their meals the authority must obtain a justices licence which authorises the authority to sell liquor for consumption with the meal. Subsection (3) has been substituted by the Licensing Act 2003 to provide: (3)Where a premises licence under Part 3 of the Licensing Act 2003 authorises the sale by retail of alcohol in connection with the provision of facilities of the kind mentioned in subsection (1)(a), then, notwithstanding the terms of that licence, it does not have effect so as to authorise the sale by retail of alcohol for consumption otherwise than with a meal. Section 11A was added by section 126 of the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 and is a specific power enabling the provision of welfare services by local housing authorities. The definition of welfare services is broad but excludes repair, maintenance supervision or management of houses or other property which is covered by section 21. The section is also unusual in that it is deemed to have had effect since 1 April 1990 and is, therefore, retrospective. The section reads as follows: 132'