Greater London Authority Bill

As I was explaining, the Mayor’s powers to intervene will spin out the process to an interminable extent. It is important that we recognise that the most effective way of delivering the local housing that Londoners need is through Conservative councils delivering in tune with their voters’ wishes. As the historical record shows, when Conservatives are in power planning applications are processed more quickly, and more housing is delivered. When Labour councils are in power, or when a Labour Mayor is in power, unfortunately the wishes of local people, and housing delivery, are frustrated. The system envisaged by the Bill will be bureaucratic and, as the right hon. Gentleman was forced to concede, less democratic. It was he who asked why there was no definition of ““strategic”” in the Bill. We are assured by the Minister that we will have a definition before Committee stage. Why can we not have it now, when we are voting on Second Reading this evening? Why is the definition being kept covert, just as the Mayor will exercise his powers in secret? The hon. Member for Ealing, Acton and Shepherd's Bush and the right hon. Member for Greenwich and Woolwich both said that they wanted clarity. The Opposition want clarity, not least about Labour Members’ position on how the Mayor should exercise his powers.