Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Bill

My noble friend Lady Morgan is the expert on the Sustainable Communities Bill, so I shall have to take advice from her on that. I repeat that there is nothing in the Bill to preclude any of the non-named partners that we have mentioned from being involved in shaping the place, making the targets and putting their oar in as many ways as possible. However, I shall look at the Bill’s relationship with the Sustainable Communities Bill. Local strategic partnerships, like housing market renewal pathfinders, do not have legal status. They are voluntary and it is therefore inappropriate to include them in the Bill. However, I emphasise to the noble Lord that the local strategic partnership is no ordinary partnership. It has a crucial role in helping to articulate, visualise and inform the local area agreement. It has been doing that with the LAAs. It is that body which brings together all the key local partners, voluntary and statutory, to co-ordinate their actions, of which there are some hugely successful examples. The clauses that we are discussing seek to ensure that responsible local authorities co-operate with all the partners and provision is made for them to consult. The local strategic partnership is crucial in bringing its intelligence, experience and inclusivity to the table.