Clause 19 - Application to parish and community councils
Local Government Bill
3:00 pm
Mr Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Cotswold, Conservative)
The Minister may say that, but I have read out the list of the clauses that, under clause 19(1), will refer to parish councils. They include clause 2 ''Control of borrowing'', clause 6 ''Protection of lenders'', clause 9 ''Capital receipt'', clause 13 ''Security for money borrowed etc'', and even clause 18 ''Local authority companies'', which we have just debated. Parish and community councils will need sophisticated management if they are to manage a subsidiary company, with all the management and auditing that that will entail.
The Government need to think carefully about the role that they are giving parish and town councils. The Minister has not totally answered my questions, but clearly there is a limit to how far we can go on the matter before you rule us out of order, Mr. Conway. We have had a good canter around, so I will not ask my right hon. and hon. Friends to vote against the clause.
Question put and agreed to.
Clause 19 ordered to stand part of the Bill.