§ 12. Mr. Stevensasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will reconsider his decision to exclude the private sector from membership of partnership committees.
§ Mr. HeseltineNo, Sir. I want to keep the partnership committees and the attendant bureaucracy as small as possible. Partnership authorities have been told, however, that their inner area programmes will not be approved if there has not been adequate consultation with the private sector. This appears to be producing the involvement I want to see.
§ Mr. StevensIs my right hon. Friend aware that at some meetings up to 60 participants, all from the public sector, are present? Does he not agree that, with regard to the Lambeth partnership scheme, where every Conservative councillor is excluded—even though there are 22 Conservative councillors to 36 Labour councillors—some change in the balance of representation is desirable?
§ Mr. HeseltineI sympathise with my hon. Friend's suggestion that we wish to see a greater private sector input. My own experience—not in Lambeth, but elsewhere—is that we are able to achieve a substantial private sector input without the question of the formal membership of the committee being involved.