Sustainable Communities Act 2007 (Amendment) Bill

My Lords, I express gratitude and appreciation for the support from all sides in this Chamber for the Bill and to those in another place—to Alistair Burt and to all those who signed the EDM, as the Minister said. We have got this on the agenda. It is building on success and, as the noble Lord, Lord Bates, implied, is devolving power not only to local authorities but from local authorities to the people on the ground. That is an important development in our democracy and one that we are all committed to sustaining. I also thank Mr Ron Bailey, as did my noble friend. He is probably one of the super-lobbyists for Private Members’ Bills—to no gain whatsoever to himself, but to the great benefit of the community at large in the area of democracy and the environment. It is important that a Bill such as this can fill a gap and get a process going which we are all agreed is important and positive. Bill passed and sent to the Commons.