Business Rate Supplements Bill

Absolutely. I agree with the hon. Gentleman. I think that that has been the feeling of just about everybody on the Opposition Benches throughout the various stages of the Bill. We feel that the Bill makes a useful contribution to the big task that local authorities will face, which, as the hon. Member for Halton (Derek Twigg) said, will be in advising and working with business and preparing for the reconstruction of local economies given the circumstances in which we find ourselves. However, we believe that local businesses ought to have more to say through a ballot and that they ought to have greater involvement in the administration of a project through whatever means the Government come up with. Of course, I should put on record the fact that my party supports Crossrail, although that has been almost a separate debate. For that reason, as well as because of our agreement with the principle behind the Bill, even if we have grave doubts about its operation in its current form, we will not oppose it at this stage and we will allow our noble Friends further to consider it. I hope that when the Bill is debated in the other place, the Government will have a slightly more generous attitude towards giving way on some of the crucial issues, such as ballots. Perhaps they will revisit business involvement in ongoing oversight and, of course, the interaction with BIDs in order to reassure businesses that they can support BIDs as well as major infrastructure projects to which the BRS might make a contribution.