Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Bill [HL]

Some people have sat on a council for so long that, if they do not resent it, they do not like the challenge. The Government should be commended for saying that, in 2009, there needs to be a stimulus. People may rearranged words and put emphasis on different words, but we are all about the same. Some people want to do something, while others want to do nothing. Doing nothing might be the answer, but the Government are entitled to say that, based on the evidence, there is a need to do something. My noble friend has pointed out that the test of democracy may be the number of people who vote. I would be surprised if evidence can be produced to show that, consistently, uniformly, throughout the country, there has been a steady rise in the number of people who vote, and we should forget the outcome of the voting. An aspect of the Bill that I applaud is that it may encourage people in the communities we represent to wonder what they can do to make their democracy more vibrant. I sit as joint president with the noble Baroness, Lady Hamwee, and the noble Lord, Lord Jenkin of Roding, on London Councils, which represents, as its name implies, the London councils. I do not think a claim can be made that any one part of the country which is dominated by one political party is better off than another. During the past 40 years, the Government of the day would have been entitled to come forward with legislation to remedy the problem. There is a problem and it will not go away. The Government are entitled not just to defend their stance, but also to have the endorsement of this Committee and the House to do what they can.