Clause 121
Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Bill [Lords]
10:00 am
Julia Goldsworthy (Falmouth and Camborne, Liberal Democrat)
Although the amendments have been grouped with clause 121, they relate right the way through clauses 121 to 129. Considering them together is logical, because the next part of the Bill seeks to set out the mechanics of how multi-area agreements work: how they are initiated, how the proposals move forward, and how they are prepared, approved, submitted and revised.
In the Minister’s earlier remarks on multi-area agreements, she spoke of local authorities’ demand that multi-area agreements be put on a statutory footing. However, what concerns we Liberal Democrats is not only that almost every stage of the progress of multi-area agreements—their initiation, proposal, preparation, approval, revision and submission—is dependent on the Secretary of State’s approval, but that every stage could be initiated by direction of the Secretary of the State. It is difficult for the process to be purely bottom-up if, at every stage, the Secretary of State can direct a multi-area agreement to be revised, initiated or proposed. That concerns us greatly, because it could undermine what, according to the Minister, multi-area agreements are there to achieve, which is to allow local authorities to work together. They are not there to allow groups of local authorities to work together under the direction of the Secretary of State.
Our proposals would allow local authorities to notify the Secretary of State of their intention to put forward a multi-area agreement, rather saying to the Secretary of State that they would like to do so. The amendments put all the power firmly in the hands of the local authorities that will be delivering the multi-area agreements, rather than in the hands of the Secretary of State. That is the principle we are seeking to establish. We are trying to establish a clear, bottom-up process, rather than the top-down one that we fear is being perpetuated through these clauses.