Marine and Coastal Access Bill [HL]

I thank the noble Lord, Lord Greenway, and my noble friend for contributing to this debate. The Government are designing an unnecessarily bureaucratic scheme, which, as my noble friend said, could involve many local authorities having to run in circles to achieve the very thing that one body could achieve and pay back from its revenue. I see that I shall not persuade the Minister tonight, but my years in local government getting various capital schemes funded lead me to conclude that the Government’s design comes from those who have not had to operate within those constraints and, therefore, do not quite know what they are. I plead that they talk with their opposite numbers in the Department for Communities and Local Government before coming to a final conclusion. Meanwhile, I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment A238 withdrawn. Amendment A239 not moved. Clause 170 agreed. Amendment A240 not moved. Clause 171: Expenses of IFC authorities Amendments A240A to A240C not moved. Clause 171 agreed. Clauses 172 to 175 agreed.