Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Bill

I apologise profusely for the fact that my mobile phone went off. The Committee will not believe it but I am opening a waste conference tomorrow morning and someone in another part of the building is writing my speech for that. I do not like to keep referring to Essex, but it has 12 district councils and the county council. It is imperative that we get them all together to deliver an efficient waste system. It will cost something like £3.5 billion over the next 15 years or so. Raising that sum of money and getting everyone working together is one of the most important things that is happening at the moment as far as I am concerned as a leader of a council.