Clause 55 - Commencement of BID arrangements
Local Government Bill
2:45 pm
Mr Edward Davey (Kingston and Surbiton, Liberal Democrat)
That is not my understanding of the veto arrangements. Perhaps the hon. Gentleman will intervene to explain why his understanding is different. My understanding from debates within the local business community in Kingston upon Thames is that they will leave a short period after the vote takes place to make the necessary legal arrangements for incorporation and so on, but because they are practical business people they want to push ahead with setting up the business improvement district to derive the benefits from it.
They want to ensure that the benefits they seek to make Kingston a cleaner, safer, well-maintained and better-promoted town centre are achieved as early as possible. I am pleased with the way the Government have phrased clause 55. It leaves discretion for the local BID proponents to decide exactly when the commencement of the BID arrangements suits them in order to deal with the practical issues that they will face. I would not want to see it amended, and I hope that it will be carried.