Cities and Local Government Devolution Bill [HL]

My Lords, we are fully committed to openness and transparency in the proceedings of local governm...

My Lords, this amendment is in my name as well. Yes, it is important to have powerful leadership ...

I, too, support the amendment tabled by the noble Lords, Lord Shipley and Lord Storey. I declare ...

My Lords, as the speeches so far have come from the opposition Benches, I gently remind your Lord...

My Lords, Amendment 42A seeks to insert a new clause regarding access for the press and public to...

My Lords, can the Minister explain what the Government plan to do if all the members of a combine...

The noble Lord raises an important point, but it has always been thus—informal meetings between p...

I thank the Minister for her reply. We may need to revisit this issue on Report but, for the time...

Moved by

Baroness Janke

43: Clause 8, page 10, line 2, at end insert—

“( ) The ...

My Lords, I wish to speak to Amendments 43 and 44. I know that the Bill is important to local gov...

My Lords, we agree with the noble Baroness, Lady Janke, that we should give some thought to this ...

My Lords, this is a brief intervention. One of the most attractive features underlying this legis...

My Lords, our intention is to devolve far-reaching powers where strong, accountable and transpare...

Go on, be brave—make policy.

I would not dare. What part of budgets is devolved and how devolved budgets might be handled are ...

My Lords, I suspect I may know the answer to this. Would it be possible for a local authority in ...

My Lords, I think they would have to have a discussion with the Secretary of State.

Given everything the Minister has said, that proposal, which has had a fair degree of support in ...

My Lords, it could indeed and it would be a matter for discussion between that group of local aut...

I know that we deal with situations where the best can happen in the best of all possible worlds,...

My Lords, the noble Lord gives a theoretical example, which I am not in any position to stand at ...

I thank the Minister for her response. I am perhaps not as discouraged as I thought I might be. H...

Moved by

Lord Beecham

44A: Clause 8, page 10, line 2, at end insert—

“( ) The S...

My Lords, I find myself in the somewhat unusual position of agreeing with the Minister in her ana...

Will my noble friend read into the record, if he happens to have the information to hand, the 10 ...

I am afraid that I am going to have to follow the usual ministerial procedure and say that I shal...

My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Beecham, for clarifying the wording of Amendment ...

My Lords, one of the amendments put forward by my noble friend Lord Beecham has reminded me that ...

I wish to emphasise what my noble friend Lord Shipley and the noble Lord, Lord Smith, have just s...

My Lords, I support the comments made by my noble friend Lord Smith about the increasing frailty ...

My Lords, perhaps my noble friend would agree with me that a major part of the problem is that th...

I agree with my noble friends on our side of the House who have spoken about these issues. Counci...

Surrey!

My apologies—I meant Elmbridge in Surrey. I looked on my iPad at the description of Elmbridge, wh...

My Lords, as worded, Amendment 44A would allow the Government to confer powers on a combined auth...

I understand that a revaluation would have to be revenue-neutral, and obviously it is up to the l...

My Lords, I do not rejoice and I did not intend to be contentious. I was simply illustrating the ...

My Lords, while individual council tax payers might well feel a little more comfortable, of cours...

Moved by

Lord Beecham

44C: Clause 9, page 10, line 7, leave out “may” and insert “sha...

My Lords, Members of your Lordships’ House will have observed that I am short. I intended this sp...

My Lords, the Localism Act 2011 provides that local authorities have the general power of compete...

My Lords, if the noble Baroness is right, the general power of competence would seem to be more l...

My Lords, I do not think that it is reticence; it is about flexibility and what might be appropri...

With that, I beg leave to withdraw the amendment.