Sustainable Communities Act 2007 (Amendment) Bill

My Lords, we have just received this Bill from the Commons, but I think that noble Lords who take an interest in these matters will know that it has received considerable attention there and has widespread support from the Government and from Members of Parliament of all political persuasions. The Act that this amends, the Sustainable Communities Act 2007, is widely seen as a success. It provided new ways in which communities could bring forward proposals for action by their councils and the public authorities and in conjunction with other private third parties. It has been widely recognised that that Act has stimulated great innovation in those areas, with over 100 councils taking it up and 300-plus proposals being generated to promote local sustainability and reflect the views of local people and local groups. The Bill is designed to carry forward, speed up and broaden that process and ensure that it goes on to the next stage after the successful round 1. The detailed provisions are that Clause 1 recognises that decisions on proposals coming from the community may be complex, and that it is not necessarily sensible to leave all action on those proposals until a single decision that has covered all the points. The clause therefore enables decisions to be taken in whole or in part and carried forward, whereas the present wording constrains that and therefore slows things down. Clause 2 inserts four new sections into the original Act. Inserting new Section 5A simply clarifies what was always intended and sets a date by which the Secretary of State must specify when the next round of proposals will be invited. Inserting new Section 5B will improve the process of agreeing proposals, including consultation on the procedure for administering councils’ and communities’ suggestions, and requiring the Secretary of State to seek agreement on them. Those procedures are clearer. The new section also provides for the rights of parish councils to be involved, an important improvement, and the rights of voters themselves to petition councils about submitting proposals. It also identifies who will shortlist and select proposals that are to be taken forward. New Section 5C will extend the right to submit proposals to county associations and parish councils, as was promised by a CLG Minister in another place. Inserting new Section 5D adds some other procedural improvements, particularly that regulations shall be made under the negative resolution procedure in both Houses. This is therefore a straightforward Bill, building on something that is already successful and well appreciated in communities up and down the land and by councils of all political persuasions. These are modest improvements but they can make a real impact on extending local democracy and local engagement. I beg to move.