Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Bill [HL]

Clause 3: Monitoring boards, court boards and youth offending teams Amendment 59 not moved. Debate on whether Clause 3 should stand part of the Bill. We have given notice that we feel that Clause 3 should not stand part of the Bill. We have spent much of today discussing what should or should not be on the list and what should or should not be included. We feel that independent monitoring boards, visiting committees and court boards are going too far from the roles and functions of local authorities and local governance and really have no part in the Bill. As with every part of the public sector, it would certainly be better if the public were better informed and had a better understanding of its role and function, to the extent that it is possible; and if they were more involved in what it is doing, to the extent that it is possible. That is not what local authorities should be there to do. In some ways, it is even misleading to suggest that local authorities might have some influence over that. Local authorities are not usually in a position to be able to answer questions that will arise in relation to those bodies. For those reasons, this clause should not be part of the Bill. I feel a little differently about youth offending teams, not least because in another life I am an executive councillor for community safety and I have political responsibility for a youth offending team in my local authority area. I simply do not understand why the work of the YOT would not be covered more than adequately by the earlier parts of the Bill and therefore why it needs to be in this clause. So for rather different reasons, I include that in our wish to remove the clause. Amendments 63 and 67 are consequential on Clause 3 not being part of the Bill. For as long as it remains part of the Bill, obviously they will not be moved.