Clause 53 - Power of veto
Local Government Bill
2:30 pm
Mr Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Cotswold, Conservative)
As always, the Under-Secretary is courteous. Officials would be completely overwhelmed if they were asked for enough copies for all members of the Committee. Two or three copies will suffice. Having borrowed a copy from the Liberal Democrats this morning, I hereby return it to them. It did not disappear in the bin. I have a spare copy for any other member of the Committee who wants one.
I want to make progress this afternoon and deal with the BIDs fairly rapidly. The purpose of the group of amendments is to prise out of the Government not only the timetable within which the notice of revocation must be served, but the conditions that they must envisage before using the power of veto. Amendment No. 76 identifies a class of property owners who, in the interests of equity, should be considered before a BID arrangement goes forward. As we know, there can be various layers. There can be a licensee, a tenant, a lessee, a head lessee, and a Crown Lessee on top, so it is not a straightforward matter. Having introduced the amendments as briefly as I can, it will be interesting to hear what the Under-Secretary has to say.