Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Bill [HL]

In moving Amendment 65, I shall also speak to my Amendment 66 and to Clause 6 stand part. My noble friend Lady Hamwee has two or three amendments in the group. I am sure that we are all delighted to see her back; the rest of our entourage certainly is. This group of amendments relates to the duties on connected authorities to promote greater understanding of local democracy and to provide information on the guidance that the Bill makes provision for the Secretary of State to provide to principal local authorities in connection with those duties. Amendment 65 would place a duty on connected authorities to provide the necessary information. Clause 5(3) says that the Secretary of State may impose, "““by order … requirements relating to the provision of information””." My amendment says that this should be a duty and that the Bill should state this. It also states that the duty should require the connected authorities to provide information within three months. Amendment 66, which is consequential on Amendment 65, would provide the Secretary of State with the power to impose other requirements as per the Bill. Many of us doubt whether the system will work because it will involve so many different connected authorities relating to the principal local authority. However, if it is to work, it is vital that this information should be provided. If it is not provided, the system simply will not work and it will be a waste of everyone’s time. It therefore seems fairly obvious that the requirement on connected authorities to provide the information should be a duty and that the Bill should state that it is a duty. My noble friend has tabled an amendment to Clause 6 on the guidance. Given the kind of heavy guidance that will be provided under this provision—from what Ministers have said in debates on previous amendments—the clause is not necessary. The detail set out in the Bill is already quite prescriptive and, given the general requirement and duty on the principal local authority to do what is set out in the Bill, and given the parallel duty on connected authorities to provide information to the principal local authority, they can simply be left to get on with it. One hesitates to fear how much national guidance, and how much detail, there will be. Such guidance is simply not necessary and Clause 6 ought to be removed. The Government should stop trying to micromanage everything from the centre. I beg to move.