§ LOCAL AUTHORITY COMMITTEES AND JOINT BOARDS
§
Lords Amendment No. 55: In page 51, line 38, at end insert:
( ) A least one of the members of a joint board or joint advisory committee or a planning committee or sub-committee of a planning committee referred to in sub-paragraph (1) of this paragraph, who is appointed by each county council, shall be a county district councillor from a county district wholly or partially included in a National Park.
§ Read a Second time.
§ Mr. MacDermotI beg to move, That this House doth disagree with the Lords in the said Amendment.
The effect of this Amendment would be to require representation by county district councils, one representative for each constituent council, on National Park planning committees, sub-committees, joint boards or joint advisory committees. I believe that this Amendment was sponsored by the Rural and Urban District Councils' Associations and the A.M.C. I know that this is a matter about which the rural district councils have felt strongly for a long time, and I had the pleasure of receiving a deputation from their association just before the presentation of the Bill, and heard their views.
The composition of national park planning authorities provides that not less than one-third of the members shall be appointed by the local planning authority or authorities on the nomination of the Minister, the remaining two-thirds being appointed by the planning authority. The reason for this division was that it was intended to get a proper balance between the representation of the interests of preservation, enhancement and development of the area as a national recreational amenity, and the maintenance of a reasonable standard of living, commercial opportunity and tolerable levels of rate-borne expenditure for the local people.
209 11.15 p.m.
We accept that local interests should be represented on these boards, but we do not think the right way to achieve that is by a provision of this kind. Planning authorities may appoint a city councillor who may be living in a national park and be fully aware of and able to represent local interests. Some county councillors are also rural district councillors. Some flexibility needs to be preserved.
I did, however, tell the deputation which came to see me—and I had it confirmed later by letter—that when this Bill passes into law and we issue circulars to local authorities about its implementation, we would commend the practice of including district council representatives among the membership. That practice has been adopted by Dartmoor National Park and it is one of which we would generally approve, but, for the reasons I have given, we do not think it one which we should try to spell out rigidly in the way it would be by this
§ Amendment. For that reason I ask the House to disagree with the Lords in this Amendment.
§ Mr. ChannonThis matter was fully debated in another place when much the same arguments were put by the Government. It is very sad that the Government should decide to disagree with the Lords about this important matter which has been a matter of controversy for about 19 years. I thought, and I believe my noble Friends in another place thought, that a satisfactory agreement had been reached. The hand of the Minister would be strengthened if this Amendment were made. I did not find the argument of the Minister of State convincing. I therefore hope that my hon. Friends will support their Lordships and not accept the Motion.
§ Question put, That this House doth disagree with the Lords in the said Amendments:—
§ The House divided: Ayes 103, Noes 72.
211| Division No. 237.] | AYES | [11.19 p.m. |
| Allaun, Frank (Salford, E.) | Herbison, Rt. Hn. Margaret | Peart, Rt. Hn. Fred |
| Alldritt, Walter | Howarth, Robert (Bolton, E.) | Pentland, Norman |
| Atkinson, Norman (Tottenham) | Hoy, James | Perry, Ernest G. (Battersea, S.) |
| Blackburn, F. | Hynd, John | Price, Christopher (Perry Barr) |
| Blenkinsop, Arthur | Jackson, Peter M. (High Peak) | Reynolds, Rt. Hn. G. W. |
| Booth, Albert | Johnson, James (K'ston-on-Hull W.) | Robinson, W. O. J. (Walth'stow, E.) |
| Braddock, Mrs. E. M. | Jones, J. Idwal (Wrexham) | Roebuck, Roy |
| Broughton, Dr. A. D. D. | Jones, T. Alec (Rhondda, West) | Shaw, Arnold (Ilford, S.) |
| Brown, Hugh D. (G'gow, Provan) | Judd, Frank | Short, Rt.Hn.Edward(N'c'tle-u-Tyne) |
| Buchan, Norman | Lawson, George | Silkin, Rt. Hn. John (Deptford) |
| Callaghan, Rt. Hn. James | Leadbitter, Ted | Silkin, Hn. S. C. (Dulwich) |
| Carmichael, Neil | Lee, Rt. Hn. Frederick (Newton) | Silverman, Julius |
| Coe, Denis | Lestor, Miss Joan | Skeffington, Arthur |
| Concannon, J. D. | Lomas, Kenneth | Slater, Joseph |
| Davidson, Arthur (Accrington) | Loughlin, Charles | Spriggs, Leslie |
| Dell, Edmund | Lyons, Edward (Bradford, E.) | Summerskill, Hn. Dr. Shirley |
| Dickens, James | McBride, Neil | Thomas, Rt. Hn. George |
| Dobson, Ray | McCann, John | Tinn, James |
| Doig, Peter | MacDermot, Niall | Urwin, T. W. |
| Dunwoody, Mrs. Gwyneth (Exeter) | McGuire, Michael | Varley, Eric G. |
| Eadie, Alex | Maclennan, Robert | Wainwright, Edwin (Dearne Valley) |
| Ellis, John | MacPherson, Malcolm | Walker, Harold (Doncaster) |
| Evans, loan L. (Birm'h'm, Yardley) | Manuel, Archie | Wallace, George |
| Faulds, Andrew | Mendelson, J. J. | Watkins, David (Consett) |
| Fernyhough, E. | Millan, Bruce | Whitaker, Ben |
| Fletcher, Raymond (Ilkeston) | Miller, Dr. M. S. | White, Mrs. Eirene |
| Fletcher, Ted (Darlington) | Milns, Edward (Blyth) | Wilkins, W. A. |
| Ford, Ben | Morgan, Elystan (Cardiganshire) | Williams, Clifford (Abertillery) |
| Galpern, Sir Myer | Morris, Alfred (Wythenshawe) | Wilson, William (Coventry, S.) |
| Gray, Dr. Hugh (Yarmouth) | Morris, Charles R. (Openshaw) | Woodburn, Rt. Hn. A. |
| Griffiths, Will (Exchange) | Murray, Albert | Woof, Robert |
| Hamilton, James (Bothwell) | Newens, Stan | |
| Hannan, William | O'Malley, Brian | TELLERS FOR THE AYES: |
| Harrison, Walter (Wakefield) | Orme, Stanley | Mr. Ernest Armstrong and |
| Haseldine, Norman | Oswald, Thomas | Mr. Joseph Harper. |
| Hazell, Bert | Pavitt, Laurence | |
| NOES | ||
| Atkins, Humphrey (M't'n & M'd'n) | Channon, H. P. G. | Elliott, R.W.(N'c'tle-upon-Tyne,N.) |
| Boardman, Tom (Leicester, S.W.) | Clark, Henry | Errington, Sir Eric |
| Brewis, John | Costain, A. P. | Eyre, Reginald |
| Campbell, B. (Oldham, W.) | Deedes, Rt. Hn. w. F. (Ashford) | Fletcher-Cooke, Charles |
| Foster, Sir John | Lane, David | Price, David (Eastleigh) |
| Gibson-Watt, David | Langford-Holt, Sir John | Pym, Francis |
| Glyn, Sir Richard | Legge-Bourke, Sir Harry | Royle, Anthony |
| Grant-Ferris, R. | Lubbock, Eric | Scott, Nicholas |
| Grimond, Rt. Hn. J. | Maude, Angus | Sharples, Richard |
| Gurden, Harold | Maxwell-Hyslop, R. J. | Silvester, Frederick |
| Hall, John (Wycombe) | Maydon, Lt.-Cmdr, S. L. C. | Smith, Dudley (W'wick & L'mington) |
| Harris, Frederic (Croydon, N.W.) | Mills, Peter (Torrington) | Smith, John (London & W'minster) |
| Harrison, Col. Sir Harwood (Eye) | Monro, Hector | Speed, Keith |
| Hawkins, Paul | More, Jasper | Stoddart-Scott, Col. Sir M. (Ripon) |
| Hill, J. E. B. | Munro-Lucas-Tooth, Sir Hugh | Taylor, Edward M. (G'gow,Cathcart) |
| Holland, Philip | Murton, Oscar | Thorpe, Rt. Hn. Jeremy |
| Hordern, Peter | Nabarro, Sir Gerald | van Straubenzee, W. R. |
| Hornby, Richard | Noble, Rt. Hn. Michael | Vaughan-Morgan, Rt. Hn. Sir John |
| Hunt, John | Onslow, Cranley | Vickers, Dame Joan |
| Irvine, Bryant Godman (Rye) | Osborn, John (Hallam) | Whitelaw, Rt. Hn. William |
| Jopling, Michael | Page, Graham (Crosby) | Williams, Donald (Dudley) |
| Kaberry, Sir Donald | Percival, Ian | Wilson, Geoffrey (Truro) |
| Kershaw, Anthony | Pike, Miss Mervyn | |
| Kitson, Timothy | Pink, R. Bonner | TELLERS FOR THE NOES: |
| Knight, Mrs. Jill | Powell, Rt. Hn. J. Enoch | Mr. Anthony Grant and |
| Mr. Bernard Weatherill. |
§ Subsequent Lords Amendments agreed to.