Commons Bill [HL]

I shall speak briefly to the amendment tabled by the noble Lord, Lord Williams, because it gives me a chance to have a whinge. I have a great deal of sympathy with what the noble Lord said and see no problem with the commons association getting involved with organised clubs. Indeed, on the commons that I own and manage, twice a year we have a rally. It is all organised by a club. It works extremely well. Everyone enjoys themselves, there are no environmental problems and everyone is happy. The difficulty is with those who come who are not invited and are not members of clubs. With the greatest will in the world, the commons association and the owner can set what rules they like, but they will not stop those people unless the police start taking greater action than they are at present. That is becoming an ever-increasing problem.