Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Bill

Yes. There is a commonality in the issues that face people who live in urban areas across the country. The existence of these urban parishes disproves the notion that parish councils can represent only communities in rural areas. We are clear that councils should be able to refuse to create a parish where they believe it would damage community relations or community cohesion, which I believe was a concern of the noble Baroness, Lady Hanham. Parish councils should not become destabilising influences in local communities in any part of the country. We intend to ensure that by the requirement in the Bill that councils must have regard to the identities and interests of the communities in their area and by issuing statutory guidance to councils which will include the need for them to have regard to community cohesion when making any decision about creating a parish. In the White Paper, the Government made it clear that Londoners are denied the option to form parishes, unlike elsewhere in the country, and we intend, as I said, to address that anomaly. The Association of London Government, the previous title of London Councils, took part in the technical working group that we established in 2006 which ran for over a year and looked at the existing legislation. We have already started discussions with key stakeholders, including London Councils, about the development of guidance on the creation of parishes. We heard from the noble Baroness that London already has a level of community governance and does not need parish councils. Again, London is not peculiar in this respect; area committees, area forums and community councils exist across the country alongside, and in place of, parish councils. It will be for the London boroughs themselves to decide what is appropriate. Why should they not have that option, as the noble Baroness, Lady Scott of Needham Market, asked? We support the establishment of area committees and other alternative forms of community representation. That is why another factor that councillors conducting community governance reviews must consider is the arrangements that are in place for the purposes of community representation or community engagement in the area under review. We have included that in the Bill in Clause 68(5). The review must look at alternative arrangements that are already there. If they are appropriate and effective, why change them? Alternative forms of community governance already exist in some parts of London and work well. It is therefore not our intention to force parishes upon the people of London. If there is genuinely no desire for them from local authorities or local people, they will not be created. However, we wish to ensure that when devolving this power to local authorities we do not exclude boroughs in London. Once again we have returned to the issue of devolution. It is for local authorities and local people to decide if they want to establish parishes in their city. I therefore ask the noble Baroness to withdraw the amendment.