Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Bill [HL]

I support the proposal from the noble Baroness, Lady Hamwee. Officers are appointed to serve the whole council; they are not there to second-guess the political will of either the administration or anybody else. This is very dangerous territory. I have been in positions when officers have said the wrong things. I can remember that once one of our officers was actually in our council chamber trying to hang one of the other officers in effigy, so when we had a council meeting there was a scarecrow hanging from the roof who was supposed to be one of our officers. He had said things that he should not have done about the waste programme. I endorse what has been said: it is the members who take the decisions, obviously with officer guidance—but it is exactly the same as in Parliament. We are getting into very dangerous territory here.