Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Bill

Because I have not been asked to until now. I am reflecting the debate in Committee. My hon. Friend should look back on the five principles that I mentioned, one of which the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Robert Neill) disagreed with. This might seem surprising coming from the Labour Benches, but tradition is important in this area. It is not desirable to create turbulence in the system, but at the same time we should move in a generally devolutionary direction. My hon. Friend the Member for High Peak (Tom Levitt) is trying to move the debate forward. I have tried to ensure that the Government have not been too restrictive in imposing all-out elections, so as to allow for a change in the direction of travel, but I cannot, as yet, go as far as he is asking. If he gives me a chance to list the figures, he will get some satisfaction. The hon. Member for Hazel Grove could be described in this instance, if not outside this debate, as a political anorak. I do not mean that in a pejorative sense. I congratulate him on going to the Library to ask the question that he did, and I am interested to hear that he did not get a satisfactory answer. In 2002, six authorities moved to election by halves—Cheltenham, Fareham, Gosport, Hastings, Nuneaton and Bedworth, and Oxford. Several councils have moved from whole council elections to election by thirds. They include Warrington in 1997, Purbeck in 1999, Castle Point in 2003, North-East Lincolnshire in 2003, and Plymouth in 2003. Councils that have moved from election by thirds to whole council elections include Medway in 1997, Broadland in 2007 and Eastbourne in 2007. I know that the hon. Member for Hazel Grove is especially interested in Eastbourne. Hon. Members asked about the position in York. For the purposes of the Bill, it is a non-metropolitan district. It is, of course, a unitary authority, so the answer to the question about York is yes. The hon. Member for Hazel Grove asked about halves and metropolitan districts. No metropolitan districts elect on the basis of halves; they have no tradition of that. Seven non-metropolitan districts work on the basis of halves, and could move back to a previous system. Indeed, I have just provided a list of them. All metropolitans could go back to a previous system if they first choose to move to whole council elections. If any of the 81 districts or 19 unitaries that currently elect by thirds or the seven district councils that work on the basis of halves moved to whole council elections, they could move back to thirds or halves, as the case may be. Any of the 150 district councils that currently hold whole council elections but previously elected by thirds could move back. Since 1997, three district councils have moved to whole council elections; they could therefore move back. I hope that that is as clear as possible.