Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Bill [HL]

I shall speak also to Amendment 135. This group of amendments is designed simply to ensure that principal local authorities assess the true impact of the provisions on petitions and on the duty to promote democracy. Early on, the Minister indicated that the Bill was, among other things, a response to the economic situation that the country currently faces. Could she confirm whether this is part of the much-advertised job creation scheme referred to by the Prime Minister? We on these Benches are not content to rely on the Government’s predictions about the costs and benefits of these provisions. Their own impact assessment is just that—a prediction based on a series of assumptions. It is logical that we should assess how the provisions of the Bill work in reality. Will the Minister explain a little more about the assessments that the Government have made? How much do they think these new duties will cost local authorities? How have those assessments been made? We know that each year the Government introduce countless new obligations on local authorities but rarely provide appropriate sums of money to compensate them for these extra undertakings. Will the Minister confirm how long the Government intend to provide funding to local authorities for the additional duties within the Bill? How, in this economic climate, can local authorities expect to find this money? Will it be redirected from other areas? There is a real danger that the money identified in the Government’s impact assessment will be wrapped up in the overall settlement package for local authorities, meaning that in real terms local government once again loses out. Local authorities have a duty to ensure that value for money is achieved across the board. It should be no different in this area. Without understanding the true costs and benefits, it is difficult to see how local authorities can make an accurate value-for-money valuation. The Bill has the potential to introduce significant new costs for local authorities. The proposed new clauses in these amendments would ensure that real cost was identified and that the Government’s own assessment was interrogated by empirical evidence. I beg to move.