Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Bill [HL]

My Lords, we discussed this amendment in Committee. It is supported by the Local Government Association and members of all parties and I feel very strongly that it should be part of this legislation. When the White Paper was published, there was much that we did not see as democratic in the proposed legislation. The White Paper suggested that RDAs could delegate money to local authorities for particular projects. I do not like to mention my own county, which I often do. Noble Lords may laugh, but as I live in it every day, it is useful to give examples from it. We have three development areas. Two major ones are the Thames Gateway and the Haven Gateway and we have a development area in the M11 corridor. As everyone will know, because I am always talking about it, I like to see things done, rather than to have lots of meetings and bureaucracy. With development areas, RDAs and all sorts of other groupings, you can meet and talk about things for ever, but not do anything. That is a part of governance that I dislike intensely. I want to improve the lot of the people in my county and in the country. I want things to happen with money that is there. The noble Baroness will know, because she has been there, that Jaywick is a very deprived area in Essex, which is a wealthy county. Jaywick in Tendring is adjacent to Clacton and is one of the most deprived areas of the UK. The new chief executive of the RDA is a very positive lady and we worked very much together on whether she might delegate some money to the projects that we are developing there. It might have gone to Thames Gateway, but we want to move on this project. A joint committee involving Tendring District Council and the county council is working together to try to improve the lot of the people living in that very deprived area. Money that came directly from the RDA could facilitate that and get things done. The RDA, a development board and everyone else, including the county council, might then have to look at the project but I just want to see the lot of those people improved. There are defects in the legislation but there was a piece of it that I liked because I could see things happening. However, that has now been removed and RDAs cannot delegate money to local authorities. Local authorities are democratic bodies, and the amendment refers to the allocation of funds to partnerships of local authorities. In Committee, the noble Baroness said that that could happen, but I am assured that the RDA has to be accountable for the money that it spends and therefore will have to spend that money itself. Because of that, I can see some projects not happening or being delayed. Although there is never enough of it, I like to see the money that the Government make available spent at the coal-face. The noble Lord, Lord Bassam, has just walked in. He will know Jaywick very well because he originated not very far from there. I beg to move.