Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Bill

I knew of the NALC situation because, as I suspect is obvious, I work closely with it and with the Essex branch of NALC—the Essex Association of Local Councils. I am committed to creating more parish councils. What NALC says is absolutely true, but the origins of the problem go back to the creation of district councils in 1974. Those created in 1974 were often an amalgamation of lots of small towns. However, having created their own body, district councils are reluctant to give powers back to the small towns. Certainly in Essex and other parts of the country, we find that district councils are resistant to allowing the creation of town councils. In Essex, where we do not have town or parish councils, it is because the districts are resistant to returning to the pre-1974 situation, as they see it, and to the areas that now make up the new district councils. I assure the Committee that, if it is left to the district councils, there will not be many parish councils. Where agreement has been reached on parish councils, most of the area is already parished. I want to see parish councils in the areas that are not parished, and the county council could do that better than the district councils. Therefore, perhaps if we were to have one principal tier, it should be the county councils. On the other hand, county councils are currently trying to work better with district councils, and we do not want to take a power away from them. I think that there could be a solution. I am afraid that what the Government propose here is wrong and we will have to look for other ways of proceeding. Obviously, we will obviously pursue this matter further at later stages of the Bill but, for now, I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. [Amendment No. 204E not moved.] Clause 104 agreed to.