Greater London Authority Bill

Yes, as long as my hon. Friend does not charge me the usual legal fees. Amendment No. 5 does indeed deal with enforcement; I am grateful to my hon. Friend the Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Robert Neill), and I am sure that he will be able to expatiate on the subject at much greater length than I can. The amendment proposes that functions in relation to the enforcement of planning control be provided for, and amendments Nos. 6 and 7 deal with section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. As everybody will know, section 106 is the basis on which local councils have been able to extract some value for their local communities from planning applications, in terms of doctor’s surgeries, roads, and schools. We have all experienced the benefits. The Bill proposes that the Mayor should be able to dispose of section 106 agreements, but with the best will in the world we should just think about some of the Mayor’s pet projects, including his proposal on the gateways to London. The word ““hubris”” comes to mind when I think of that project, but some section 106 money might even be spent on that. Conservative Members do not wish the Mayor to get any control over section 106 money. If there is such a thing as a reward for local communities that face the pressures that increased housing could put on their services, it is that money, which is a way of dealing with those extra pressures and putting something back into the community. We do not wish the Mayor to be able to take it away from the community and dispose of it as he wishes, and that is why we have tabled amendments Nos. 6 and 7. That was a brief rundown of this large group of amendments. I look forward to listening to the other issues raised in the debate.