HC Deb 24 April 1963 vol 676 cc357-8
Mr. Leburn

I beg to move, in page 7, line 8, at the end to insert: (2) Before making any rules under the foregoing subsection, the Secretary of State shall consult with such associations of local authorities as appear to him to be concerned; and any such rules shall be subject to annulment in pursuance of a resolution of the Commons House of Parliament. The Amendment meets two undertakings which I gave in Committee. First, it provides that local authority associations must be consulted about the rules proposed to be made under Clause 9; that is, rules specifying the factors to be taken into account in calculating the pro- duct of a rate of a penny in the £. Secondly, the rules are to be subject to annulment by this House.

The rules are of a mainly technical nature with no substantial policy aspects and will be designed simply to give a fair measure of the real rating resources of a local authority. I hardly think that they warrant the affirmative procedure and, if my memory serves me correctly, the hon. Member for Kilmarnock (Mr. Ross) has indicated that he shares that view.

Amendment agreed to.