Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Bill [HL]

The short impact assessment, which is part of the Explanatory Notes, tells us that the duties in Chapter 1 of Part 1 will have an annual net cost of £22.3 million, which is an assumption or a prediction, as the noble Baroness has just said. I would be interested to know how that can be a net cost. What is the gross cost? What would be taken off to arrive at a net figure? Indeed, is that possible? The Government rightly point to what they call the ““non-monetised”” benefits. It is hard to know where these are on the credit and debit side, or how much they should be. Do the Government propose to seek to collate information to see whether their assumptions have been correct? I would not want to see extra staff engaged by the local authorities on this exercise. I have one small point on the amendment itself, which is not intended to be opposition to the arguments that the noble Baroness has made. I doubt whether it would be possible to conduct an impact assessment within a year. I think that one would have to wait until after the end of a full financial year. That is a small point, however, in the middle of the wider issue.