Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Bill [HL]

No, because we did not actually want to write that detail into the Bill, for the many good reasons the noble Lord has given us on many instances. However, the instance that he gives is a very good one—and, yes, I would expect it to be referred to the youth committee. But in my home town of Lewes there was a campaign for a very long time for somewhere special for young people to go. Nobody knew how many young people had that particular ambition or what they actually wanted. No committee in the world could simply invent something without asking young people what they wanted. That is what we mean by commissioning research. I cannot really see the objection to that or see how we are at odds on that matter. The other things on that list are there simply to indicate the range of actions that the local authority may take in support of the work of councils in their respective responsibilities. I take the point about overview and scrutiny; it is only one example on that list. I take the point about detail; we are continually wrestling with the balance in what we think is important detail in an area of policy that we have not addressed in legislation before. There are disagreements in this Committee about whether we should try to do this, but having embarked on it we thought that it was important to give an indication of the sort of scope that the local authority should offer by way of illustration. Sometimes it will be immediately clear that the elected members of the local authority and its committees can act and carry out the action, and inform the organiser immediately about that. I respect what the noble Lord has said and what he is trying to do in the amendment, but we have come at it slightly differently. What he has tried to do in this amendment is encompassed by the notion of giving effect. We could certainly put the kind of process that he outlined in guidance to make it clear, but his amendment imposes an administrate arrangement while our clause does not. It says that steps may be taken to secure the result that is of the greatest benefit to local people. On that basis, I cannot accept his amendment.