As usual, the law is difficult to understand and not definitive.
I've become very cynical, but I believe that's what they want these days. If it's almost impossible to understand, there's more chance they can catch somebody out for not complying with some obscure rule.
i have spent the last 2 days trying to understand health and safety law
I think that comes under "Cruel & unusual punishments" doesn't it?
But with regard to the original point, this extract is from a circular letter issued by the ODPM in March of last year:
C.7 Local authorities have no powers to ask householders or others who are not qualified to carry out testing and complete a BS 7671 electrical installation certificate at the householders’ expense. Where a local authority thinks that such testing is necessary in the circumstances to ensure that reasonable provision has been made the local authority must do this at its expense.
http://www.communities.gov.uk/pub/12/CircularLetter30March2006_id1165012.pdf The government office responsible for creating the rules in the first place has made it perfectly clear to councils that they are not allowed to do this.
So why are they still trying to do it?