Greater London Authority Bill

I am pleased to have the opportunity to contribute to the debate, at long last. I have two regrets: the first is that I do not have more time to speak before handing over to the Minister for his closing remarks, and the second is that I am the sole Member representing Wandsworth residents to make any substantive contribution in this debate. This is an important Bill for London as a whole, and I want to add my voice to those of hon. Members from all parties who have tonight expressed concerns about the changes to the planning process. Like many Londoners, when I first saw the proposals in the Bill, I wondered why on earth the Mayor wanted more powers, when so many current problems fall within his remit. I only have to come to work every day on the District line to experience one of them. I notice that many male hon. Members extolled the virtues of the congestion charge, but from a female perspective, one of its downsides is that now that it has priced women off the roads, it is not much fun going home late at night after a late vote. On the planning issues, I have genuine concerns about the transferral of powers from London boroughs to the Mayor. Ironically, planning is the one local authority process in which many local residents will ever get involved, and they do so because planning issues are important to them. The impact of planning is felt strongly locally, not only outside the borough, but right at home. I have another concern about giving the Mayor more powers, because London is a dynamic city that changes all the time. We heard my hon. Friend the Member for Bexleyheath and Crayford (Mr. Evennett) say that it had been several years since the Mayor had the chance to visit his part of London. In many respects, that is understandable, as there are 30-plus London boroughs—in fact, the City of London makes it 33. My concern is that the Mayor will simply not have the local knowledge base that he needs to enable him to take an informed decision, when he is presented with a matter on which he will have to take a view. We risk undermining one of the best processes used by residents, by tinkering with it in a fundamental way. Increasingly, in this internet age, Londoners are using the internet to input into the planning process in a way that is easier than ever before. It worries me that we are proposing to take those powers further away from local communities. A huge regeneration project is taking place in my constituency in Roehampton, and if we can make sure that it works for our local community, it will be extremely welcome. It causes me concern that at a time when we are encouraging residents to say what they want, so that we can make the regeneration exactly right for my area, we may bring about a situation in which the Mayor can torpedo such plans for some ulterior motive that may or may not be in the best interest of local residents. It should be up to us to take a view on what we think is best for us, locally. There is a danger that we will give the Mayor a planning sledgehammer, which he may use unwittingly and inappropriately. I urge Ministers to pause for thought. Much concern has been expressed about the planning aspects of the Bill, and it is unusual how cross-party that concern is. I urge the Minister to pause and think about the matter when the Bill is in Committee, and to really consider whether its provisions are the best way of approaching the subject.