John Healey (Minister of State (Local Government), Department for Communities and Local Government; Wentworth, Labour)

I beg to move amendment No. 49, in clause 8, page 4, line 40, leave out ‘district council’ and insert ‘county council, or district council,’.

Eric Illsley (Barnsley Central, Labour)

With this it will be convenient to discuss Government amendments Nos. 50 to 52, 151 and 152.

John Healey (Minister of State (Local Government), Department for Communities and Local Government; Wentworth, Labour)

We are committed to ensuring that local people have their say during the development of national policy statements that identify particular locations as potentially suitable for national infrastructure projects. Under clause 8, when the Secretary of State is determining what sort of publicity is appropriate, the local authority in which the land is located and the adjoining local authorities must be consulted. Similar provision is included in parts 4 and 6 for development consents in consultations with interested parties.

However, as currently drafted, the relevant clauses would require consultation and publicity to be at district council level only in those areas where there are two-tiered local authorities. The purpose of the amendment is to ensure that in such areas the county council will also be consulted. I hope that that is sensible, clear and acceptable.

David Curry (Skipton & Ripon, Conservative)

To clarify, metropolitan and unitary councils are technically district councils under the terms of the Bill.

John Healey (Minister of State (Local Government), Department for Communities and Local Government; Wentworth, Labour)

Correct.

Jacqui Lait (Shadow Minister, Communities and Local Government; Beckenham, Conservative)

Is that the last gasp of the current Foreign Secretary, who decided to play around with local government reorganisation when he was in the Department for Communities and Local Government, decided that he wanted unitary councils and completely forgot about county councils, because that is what this smacks of? I have to declare an interest because my husband is the leader of East Sussex county council.

John Healey (Minister of State (Local Government), Department for Communities and Local Government; Wentworth, Labour)

He is a very busy man.

Jacqui Lait (Shadow Minister, Communities and Local Government; Beckenham, Conservative)

He is a very busy man and a very effective leader—[ Interruption. ] In the interests of unity on this side of the Committee, I will not comment on the robust financial health of that particular county.

What can we do but agree that the Minister should bring into the scope of the Bill the county councils, which are one of the key operators in local government? It is with a degree of amusement rather than pleasure that I say that we will not oppose the amendments.

David Curry (Skipton & Ripon, Conservative)

The hon. Member for Meirionnydd Nant Conwy and I are concerned about national park authorities. Are they technically county councils?

Elfyn Llwyd (Parliamentary Leader; Meirionnydd Nant Conwy, Plaid Cymru)

Is there an oversight here? In Snowdonia and in the area of Yorkshire represented by the right hon. Member for Skipton and Ripon, the planning authority is the national park authority. With regard to planning, those national park authorities are free-standing from the local council. Will the Minister advise us as to whether those should also be included?

John Healey (Minister of State (Local Government), Department for Communities and Local Government; Wentworth, Labour)

The hon. Gentleman might be mixing things up. The clause is about consulting the local community, and the role of councils, as elected representatives, in advising the Secretary of State on appropriate publicity arrangements for any potential national policy statement that may include specific locations. In that respect, the fact that national parks are planning authorities is not relevant to the substance of the clause. I hope that that is helpful.