HC Deb 29 June 1951 vol 489 cc1773-5

(1) The following provisions shall have effect in relation to land within a new town area, that is to say:—

  1. (a) the development corporation may, with the approval of the Minister, exercise in relation to any such land any of the powers conferred by section fourteen of this Act on a local authority;
  2. (b) without prejudice to the provisions of subsection (5) of the said section fourteen, a local authority shall not carry out or make arrangements for the carrying out of any works under that section on such land except with the consent of the said corporation;
  3. (c) the following provisions of this Act, that is to say, section twenty-five (except paragraph (b) of subsection (1)), subsection (3) of section thirty-two and section thirty-three, shall apply to the said corporation as if it were a local authority, and references 1774 in those provisions to a local authority and to the area of a local authority shall be construed accordingly; and
  4. (d) any expenditure incurred by the said corporation in the exercise of powers conferred by this section, or in the payment of compensation thereunder, shall be defrayed out of the fund.

(2) In this section "new town area" and "development corporation" mean respectively an area designated under section one of the New Towns Act, 1946, as the site of a new town and the development corporation established for the purposes of that new town under section two of that Act.—[Mr. Dalton.]

Brought up, and read the First time.

Mr. Dalton

I beg to move, "That the Clause be read a Second time.

This Clause is designed to enable a new town development corporation to be treated as a local authority for the purpose of Clause 14. Under the Bill as it stands the restoration of any work on ironstone land within the designated area of any new town can be carried out by the local authority as owners or by means of arrangements entered into by the local authority under Clause 14.

This Clause will have application only to one new town, namely, Corby new town. I think it is felt by all, including the local authority, that it would be more convenient to let the new town corporation exercise these powers within the area. As I understand, the relations between the Corby New Town Corporation and the local authority are very friendly, and I do not think there would be any difficulty there. This is one of the worst examples of derelict ironstone areas that I have ever seen.

Sir H. Williams

I fully understand what is in the mind of the Minister and why he is seeking to do this, but I do not like the principle that an autocratically appointed body should have the powers of a democratically elected council. I am a firm believer in the rights of the individual, and if we allow Corby to do this we may later have another Bill in which the powers of a local authority are conferred upon another new town corporation, and this present case will be quoted as a precedent. The precautionary words of the Minister this morning may not be remembered, because when one is considering Bills one does not always look at HANSARD. I wish to put on record my protest against a Clause which I think is dangerous in principle.

11.45 a.m.

Mr. Mitchison

I think the hon. Member for Croydon, East (Sir H. Williams) is really objecting to the whole of the New Towns Act, and that he happens to have taken one particular instance of the growth of the powers of a development corporation as a peg upon which to hang a more sweeping form of difficulty.

I am very glad indeed that this new Clause is before us. As the Minister rightly said, the ground all around Corby and within the area of the new town has been largely worked for iron ore, and the spectacle is at present both striking and rather disgusting. The risk is that Corby will be imprisoned within a ring of these workings unless the provisions of this Bill are fully used, as I hope and expect they will be, by way of restoration.

It is not merely a question of the ground around the town. The iron ore workings come right up alongside the streets and it is exceedingly urgent that they should be dealt with. Moreover, I entirely agree that the development corporation ought to have the powers to do this, for it is their business to plan the new town of Corby, to put their own plans into operation, and for that purpose they will clearly need the powers given to a local authority under Clause 14.

I was very glad to hear the Minister say—and I entirely agree with him—that there is in this case likely to be little or no difficulty because the relations between the development corporation and the local authority are exceedingly good. Perhaps my right hon. Friend will allow me to say that he can take a little credit for that himself because of the very wise and sensible appointments that were made to the development corporation where regard was had to the need for local government experience, and regard also was had to the very useful and extensive work already done in a somewhat similar respect by the urban district council itself.

Question put, and agreed to.

Clause read a Second time, and added to the Bill.