London Local Authorities Bill [Lords]

As ever, I am grateful for my hon. Friend's perspicacity. There has always been a variance in local authority legislation in the United Kingdom, and, in fact, that represents localism at its best. I may be wrong, and I hope that the House will forgive me if I am, but my understanding of the ““power of competence”” is that councils would be allowed to do only what an individual can do. Given that individuals do not have the power to regulate street trading, and, however attractive the prospect of ridding ourselves of a tortuous experience may seem, that sadly would not work in this instance. I also take the point that bad legislation is being promoted because constant amendments are being proposed, but even Government legislation is subject to amendment and redrafting. We accept that as part of the process. As I have said, I support amendment 26, which proposes the insertion of the words ““in the course of business”” to deal with the sale of vehicles on the internet. I agree with my hon. Friend the Member for Christchurch (Mr Chope) that vehicle traders are causing a problem and inconveniencing many residents in London streets where parking is at a premium. However, the Bill is not intended to target the innocent Mr and Mrs Bloggs who are trying to sell their Morris Minor outside 22 Acacia avenue; it is aimed at those who are seeking to sell more than one car on the highway in the course of a business. At present, existing legislation can deal with those who seek to trade and advertise a car for sale on the highway, but, as we know, unscrupulous traders can always find a loophole and, in this instance, they have found it in the internet. We must adapt to that, and ensure that such traders cannot continue to clog up our residential streets and inconvenience our local council tax payers without having to meet the legal requirements by ceasing to trade or regularising their activities. My hon. Friend the Member for Christchurch suggested that we should extend controlled parking zones. Westminster has been mentioned in that context. I am not a great parker at Westminster—I cannot possibly afford it—and for all I know most of it may well consist of yellow lines or requirements for residents' parking permits, but Westminster council is a very small council, one of the smallest in the country. My local authority, Barnet, is the largest borough in London in geographical terms. The suggestion that the whole borough of Barnet should become a single CPZ to deal with the problem of unscrupulous traders of vehicles on the highway simply does not hold water, not least because our residents already oppose the continued expansion of CPZs. To make the whole borough a CPZ would simply not be practical, let alone popular.