Queen’s Speech

My Lords, I start with some special thanks to my predecessor, my noble friend Lady Hamwee, who has moved to take on the home affairs brief for our group. In addition to being a long-standing friend of mine, she has held the local government brief in its various different names and incarnations for no fewer than 18 years in this House. I feel sure that that has to be some sort of record. Surprisingly, she felt that it was time for a move, and I picked up—or had thrust into my hands—the chalice. As my Chief Whip is sitting in front of me, I assure him that I harbour no ambitions whatever to break my noble friend’s record. I thank her particularly because in those 18 years she has made a huge contribution to local government legislation in this House. If successive governments had listened to her more attentively and taken her advice, as we always did, local government would be in a much better condition than it is now. Next I must make my declaration. I have been a councillor in the London Borough of Sutton for 35, coming on 36, years. I am a member of its executive—which in other places might be called its Cabinet. I add another declaration, which I rarely make in this House although I sometimes wonder why. I have been a member of the European Union’s Committee of the Regions since its formation in 1994. It seldom gets a mention in this House, which I find a little surprising because at least eight Members of your Lordships’ House have at various times been members of that committee, including the noble Baroness, Lady Farrington, who is sitting next to the Minister and may be able to tell him what it is.