Greater London Authority Bill

My Lords, I am most grateful for the response to the amendment. All credit goes to my ministerial colleagues and officials in the Department for Communities and Local Government. I am just the bringer of good news—that does not normally fall to me, so I am very pleased. Two central points have been raised. The majority of waste funding will continue to go to London’s waste authorities. As I said in my opening speech, the amount of funding will be decided as part of the Comprehensive Spending Review. The boroughs and joint waste disposal authorities are already able to borrow money, so we do not think it is necessary for the board to have that power. The fund will enable extra strategic spend on top of the money that goes to the authorities. I accept that I am a complete outsider regarding London’s politics and governance, but I understand that the issue of the chair is highly sensitive. It is our wish that the Mayor should take the chair. The second best option, which is in line with that, is that the board should be given strong strategic directional leadership by the Mayor, or by the chair, if he is not to be appointed to that position. We will discuss this further with the stakeholders. We believe that the chair should be appointed from the membership of the board and that it should have 11 members—four, four, three. It is better if the chair is appointed from the membership of the board by agreement, and details will be set out in the order. We are working on this and will discuss it further with the stakeholders. We want an amicable solution. I have stated our preferences that the chair should be the Mayor or that the Mayor should give strong strategic leadership. Whoever is appointed chair from the board’s membership must carry the board with him or her anyway. This is a matter on which agreement can be reached but further discussions are taking place on it.