Sustainable Communities Bill

My right hon. Friend makes a fair point. I very much hope that that is the way the Bill will work, but there is still a tension. We need a Secretary of State who genuinely believes that local people know best about what happens locally. I flag that up, although I accept the point that my right hon. Friend makes. My final point relates to the character of the Bill. I was slightly concerned by what all the previous speakers have said. My hon. Friend the Member for Ruislip-Northwood said that new clause 6 was a compromise and was not as radical as clause 5. The hon. Member for Stroud said that it was a compromise on a compromise, and the hon. Member for Falmouth and Camborne touched on the matter as well. There seemed to be a feeling that the Government were trying to water down—that was the phrase that my hon. Friend used—the effect of the Bill. That surprised me, as my understanding in Committee was that the Minister gave assurances on a number of occasions that the Government support the Bill, despite voting against it on Second Reading, and would not attempt to water it down. Will the Minister tell us whether his opposition to new clause 6 or the Government amendments are an attempt, even a minor one, to water down the Bill? Many people in my local community and many hon. Members would be worried if that was the Government’s intention. Many representations have been made to me locally about how important the Bill is. Much of the correspondence that I receive relates to things that are important to the local community rather than international or national events. I hope that the Minister will not attempt to water down the Bill, which is important for the future of local government and the maintenance of participation in local government and on parish councils. It is important to make sure that everybody in our local communities feels that they are part of what is being decided in their local areas.