Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Bill

I strongly support the amendment in the name of the noble Lord, Lord Hanningfield, moved by the noble Lord, Lord Dixon-Smith. I am not sure whether I have declared my interest as president of the Local Government Association. The time has come for local government to boldly proclaim the good news about what it does and not feel inhibited or restrained by this code. As was rightly pointed out, the code arose at a time when—I think that we have to be honest—the GLC and Mrs Thatcher were at loggerheads. Those days are long gone. Local government has grown up and there are better relationships between local government and central government. Those in local government are now the place-shapers and community leaders, and they need to feel uninhibited in putting out good information and using the power of communications, whereas this code greatly inhibits people from doing just that. The code is interpreted in different ways; it is ambiguous, even though it is very narrowly confined. The heads of communications in local authorities take different views on what is in and what is out and how far you can go. Lawyers, when consulted, always take the most cautious possible view. It is important for local government to defend itself robustly when myths and misinformation are put out, not least by the BNP, on issues such as housing. We hear statements that are simply falsehoods in relation to local authority practices—for example, that they house only members of black and minority ethnic communities. Local authorities need to be able to robustly challenge misinformation and to feel uninhibited in so doing. Members of the other place now receive the opportunity to spend a communications allowance of £10,000 on publicising the good work that they do, which is in interesting contrast to local government, in which people feel very inhibited. When the press often carries the bad news and negative stories about local government, it is very important that that inhibiting code be removed and the opportunity is given to say the good things about local government.