Council Tax (New Valuation Lists for England) Bill

As the hon. Gentleman and I have discussed before, the White Paper provides for a changed role for local government that builds on the existing strength of its relationship with schools. If, like me, he had been in Sheffield last week talking to the local authority, he would know that it does not see itself running schools. It is for head teachers and governing bodies to run schools, but the role of local authorities is to step in and to promote reform and development, which is what the best local authorities throughout the country are doing.