Greater London Authority Bill

I thank the Minister for that reply, which was not at all unexpected. However, it denies the effect that the Greater London Authority is beginning to have on Londoners in terms of the amount of the precept. It also denies the reason why a local authority should have to explain why the Greater London Authority requires so much from council tax payers. The Greater London Authority has responsibility for the police and fire authorities and raises precepts for other things. It is up to that authority to explain why the budgets have increased and what it has done to justify those budgets. That is not the local council’s responsibility. It is the local council’s responsibility to collect what the GLA demands. If the GLA had maintained the figure envisaged when the first GLA Bill was introduced, when I believe the relevant figure was something like 3 per cent—it was an extremely low expectation of what the Mayor would need from the London boroughs—perhaps there would have been no need for this amendment. An explanation is absolutely essential. Why the local authorities should have to give it, I do not know. If they give it, it may not be a very fair reflection of what the Mayor is doing because they all have different views on how he is performing. That is the reason behind the amendment. However, I hear what the Minister says. I beg leave to—