Localism Bill

My Lords, I expect your Lordships will be familiar with the provisions of the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009, and specifically all the requirements laid down in Chapter 1. On the off-chance that all its details do not immediately spring to mind, perhaps I might be forgiven for outlining the relevant chapter. The duties referred to relate to the promotion of democracy, and the Act sets out a number of issues upon which councils have a duty to promote understanding. They include the democratic arrangements of authorities: that is, "““(a) the functions of the authority;""(b) the democratic arrangements of the authority;""(c) how members of the public can take part in those democratic arrangements and what is involved in taking part””." The duty also includes: "““a duty to promote understanding of the following among local people—""(a) how to become a member of the principal local authority;""(b) what members of the principal local authority do;""(c) what support is available for members of the principal local authority””." This is obviously designed to encourage greater participation and greater willingness on the part of people to stand for election and to serve as elected councillors. In addition, the Act requires councils to promote the understanding of and information about a range of other organisations with which local councils are connected: for example, monitoring boards, courts boards and youth offending teams. The Act also requires councils to promote understanding among local people about the magistracy: "““(a) the functions of a lay justice;""(b) how a member of the public can become a lay justice;""(c) what is involved in being a lay justice””." These are fairly simple tools with which to promote the involvement of people in local governance—using the term broadly—with both local authorities and, as I have indicated and as the Act makes clear, a range of other local institutions that impinge upon the life of the community and are very often dependent on the voluntary participation of members of that community. They are examples of engagement with society which any Government, including the present one, would presumably wish to encourage very strongly. I therefore do not understand why this Bill seeks to remove that duty. This Bill purports to be about localism and local government, about involving people in the decisions affecting their lives and those of their community, about encouraging wider civic responsibility, so why does this clause remove a basic, not particularly elaborate or expensive, duty to promote exactly that? What is this clause doing in this Bill?