Clause 3
Local Democracy, Economic Developmentand Construction Bill [Lords]
4:30 pm
Paul Goodman (Shadow Minister, Communities and Local Government; Wycombe, Conservative)
Welcome to the Chair, Mr. Amess. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, as it always has been. Two Ministers new to the Bill are in the Committee, but we will find a certain repetitive quality to the debates. I will briefly address clause 3 in the same way that my Opposition colleagues addressed clauses 1 and 2.
It is obviously desirable in principle for local authorities to promote understanding of other bodies, including monitoring boards, courts boards and youth offending teams. Many Members of Parliament work frequently in our constituencies to promote understanding of such bodies, which is a worthwhile objective. However, we do not understand why the promotion of understanding has to be included in a Bill, as it is in this one. We did not receive much of an answer in relation to other bodies when we discussed clauses 1 and 2, and I suspect that we will get the same on clause 3.
My hon. and learned Friend the Member for Harborough (Mr. Garnier) was far ruder about this clause on Second Reading than I intend to be now. We simply do not understand why it needs to be included in the Bill. It is separate from clause 2. Presumably, there is a reason why the bodies included in clause 3 do not fit in the same category as those included in clause 2.
As the hon. Member for Falmouth and Camborne pointed out this morning regarding the bodies listed in clause 2, we wonder whether there will be a reciprocal duty on the bodies included in clause 3 to promote understanding of local authorities or themselves. Local authorities will promote understanding of the bodies, but there is nothing on statute, as far as I am aware—the Minister may know otherwise—that obliges the bodies to promote themselves. By the Government’s logic, surely they should do so. I look forward to the Minister’s explanation of that, just as we are looking forward to hearing whether the bodies will have a reciprocal duty to promote local authorities.
Clause 3, like the others, is burdensome, bureaucratic and unnecessary. We see no reason why it should stand part of the Bill. We have tabled an amendment that would delete it, which was obviously not selectable. The Liberal Democrats have since withdrawn their names from it, and it is over to them to say what they have to say on the matter.