Clause 81
3:15 pm
Stephen Williams (Bristol West, Liberal Democrat)
I will be incredibly brief, as even the hon. Gentleman spoke briefly to his own amendment.
I am heavily sceptical about the amendments, which seem to delete entirely the role of local authorities when it comes to people who are under the age of 19. I think the hon. Gentleman referred to the dead hand of local authority control. As a former county councillor, albeit in the post-college incorporation period—I was elected in 1993—I do not think that local authorities are a dead-hand part of our government structure. Good local authorities can be enabling authorities, which will work in concert with employers. I think that that is the better way forward, rather than deleting their role entirely.