My Lords, I am grateful to those who have spoken, including my noble friend. It is important to understand—perhaps I should say this twice, because it needs to be understood—that I am not seeking to defeat the whole order; that is a separate matter. My amendment refers to a small part of the order relating to office to residential. I am not seeking an untrammelled power; I am seeking an audience in Parliament for people who are suffering adversely from the way in which the policy operates. My amendment states that the local authority can seek to opt out only if it demonstrates,
“that active businesses within its area are being expelled from office space”—
businesses thrown out under this Administration—
“to enable conversion to residential use”;
that is to say, “When the lease terminates, go: we are turning this into a home”; or the local authority must show that there is economic damage.
10.15 pm
I am extremely grateful for what my noble friend said. I am not ideological about this. I am seeking a practical solution for local needs, not an overall position. Of course, I am prepared to have further discussions to see if we can find a way. It need not be my way and this amendment. I am not arrogant enough to demand that. I can see the defects. I understand the Government’s concerns about the order. But I ask for a degree of compassion and understanding.
I mentioned some examples and I will not go on with the list, but there is a fast-expanding consultancy with six employees that was ousted from central Twickenham to a fringe location with a higher rent; there were relocation costs of almost £1,000 and a loss of parking. That should not be happening. In an intelligent country and with the wisdom there is in the Government—exemplified by my noble friend—we must be able to find a way between now and Third Reading to take both tricks. That would allow the Government to keep the overall order and enable it to operate, and find a way of protecting these small businesses that are suffering. I am grateful for the offer from my noble friend to meet.
I was obviously disappointed by my noble friend Lord O’Shaughnessy. I understand that he is the author of the policy. I had not realised that, but it does not affect my estimation of him. It is too late at night to be bitchy and I did not intend to be; but for good policy-making you sometimes have to trim your sail after a bit of time. You do not always have to cling to the ideological principle you had at the start. It is a good principle and I agree with him on the principle of getting homes that way, but can we not just trim the sail? Ideology and policy must at times meet real life. In parts of London, as we have heard this evening, it is clashing with real life and we must find a way forward. Given what my noble friend said, I still travel in hope that we might find a way of squaring the circle. Therefore, I beg leave to withdraw the amendment.