Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Bill [Lords]

I agree, but unfortunately that is only the latest in a long line of disappointments on this issue. The Government like to talk a good game about wanting to give people real information about the public money being spent in this area, but they seem to try to prevent that debate at every opportunity. The result is that they do not have to deliver the commitment that they promised in earlier legislation. I shall not spend long on the new clauses in this group, as I hope that we will have an opportunity to vote on them. The Government have the opportunity to address their tarnished reputation on sustainability—an issue dear to my heart, as I have outlined already. New clause 13 would compel the Government to publish local spending reports. That is a cornerstone of engaging people in local democracy and decision making, because it gives them an opportunity to see how public money is being spent. When they know that, the next step is that they will want to have a say about where it could be better spent. The Government have not delivered spending reports in the way they promised when we debated the Sustainable Communities Act 2007. New clause 14 would make a series of improvements to the 2007 Act. It would ensure that people would have more than just a one-off opportunity—it proposes a rolling programme that would allow communities to have a real say about the changes needed to make a real difference to their lives. In addition, the new clause would allow local authorities to submit proposals on a rolling basis and involve town and parish councils—a serious omission from the 2007 Act. I hope that the Minister will address these issues of sustainability, for which there is a real need and appetite at local level. What amazed me the most about the 2007 Act was that it was a local campaign that turned into a legislative programme. If the Government are serious about involving people and re-engaging them in politics, these are the sort of provisions they should be supporting rather than trying to run away from.