Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Bill [Lords]

Bob Thomas! He was the prime minister of Manchester. He was the big man of Manchester, and people deferred to him. The chairpersons of the committees of Manchester city council had a quasi-ministerial—cabinet, as we now call it—role. Nevertheless, there was some decision sharing. Some councils were without a particularly strong party political tradition, with residents, independents and a smattering of people representing political parties serving on them. A committee system certainly worked in those instances. I draw upon my experience as a young man, as a local government officer working for Surrey county council, where I observed, and served, the committee system as a committee clerk. There were a lot of very good people. We laughed at them at the time. They were all Colonel this, Wing Commander that and Squadron Leader this—because this was in the 1960s. We thought that they were Colonel Blimps, but actually, looking back, they were not bad people to have in local government. They had run regiments and believed in getting the biggest bang for their buck. They were also quite accommodating. Although they were clearly of a conservative tradition, they readily accommodated the few Labour, Liberal and independent members in the decision-making process. There was a degree of contentment. I have further relevant experience from my time as a minority council member in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames. I look back, even now, and remember occasions when I was able to persuade, in committee, the Conservative majority about the prudence of a particular course, decision or project. I would not have achieved those successes had there been this hard-and-fast, miniature mirroring of proceedings in Westminster. I have concluded that Westminster proceedings are very sterile and synthetic. Day after day, Members stick their tongues out—basically—at those on the other side of the House. There is no mature decision making. The committee system in local government gave and promoted a degree of collegiality, and gave people with a particularly good case the opportunity to advance it and persuade others, despite party politics. Frankly, that brought with it better decision making. I would like that option to be restored to local government. The cabinet system, which councils are now basically obliged to follow, unless they go through the tortuous process of a referendum on a directly elected mayor, is unhealthy. It has all the chemistry for arbitrary decision making and government. It also means—much more so even than in this House, where it is bad enough—that if someone is not a member of the so-called cabinet, they are an also-ran; they are not on the inside. It has always surprised me that we pay councillors lots of money to attend meetings at which fewer decisions are taken. There is less of a feeling of ownership and commitment, and of that natural progression by which people can gain experience, become municipal fathers and mothers and emulate Bob Thomas and others such as Jeremy Beecham, who I think had a distinguished period in Newcastle. No doubt those on the Conservative and Liberal Benches can think of their own distinguished municipal leaders. I ask hon. Members to pause and reflect that this is an opportunity to remedy a wrong that we enacted in 2000. I echo the sentiments of a number of hon. Members on both sides of the House who feel that this is a lost legislative opportunity. Instead of setting local government free and encouraging it to exercise and enjoy general competence powers, in so many cases the Bill is prescriptive and restrictive—and a big mistake. It has created more buzz words and meaningless titles, and a plethora of additional bodies, all of which have the hallmarks and fingerprints of the previous Secretary of State, my right hon. Friend the Member for Salford (Hazel Blears), who incidentally is notable by her absence this evening. She should have been here, because she is the architect of this legislation. I suspect that right hon. Friend the Minister, sitting on the Treasury Bench, would never have concocted this vast telephone book of odd pieces of legislation, much of which, as has been said, need not be on the statute book; it clutters it in a very unhealthy way. My little new clause, at least to some degree, would push back some of the restrictions and rules with which we have tied the arms of local government and those, across the political spectrum, who are great practitioners, enthusiasts and lovers of local government and who believe that it is extremely important. I invite anyone who wishes to help me as a Teller, or to join me in the Division Lobby, to do so. I would very much welcome that, because I think that we ought to test this matter in the House.