§ " .—(1) A scheme may be made for Greater London or a metropolitan county by the constituent councils whereby one of those councils designated by the scheme has the function of—
- (a) carrying out, or assisting in carrying out, investigations into, and the collection of informtion relating to, any matters concerning that area or any part of it; and
- (b) making, or assisting in making, arrangements whereby any such information and the results of any such investigation are made available to any other local authority in that area, any government department or the public.
§ (2) Any such scheme shall require the other constituent councils to contribute as provided by subsection (3) below to the expenditure incurred by the designated council in carrying out its functions under the scheme.
§ (3) The constituent councils shall be required to contribute to any expenditure of the designated council which has been incurred with the approval of at least two-thirds of the constituent councils; and the amounts of the contributions shall be determined so that the expenditure in respect of which they are payable is borne by the constituent councils in proportion to the populations of their respective areas.
§ (4) For the purposes of subsection (3) above the population of any area shall be taken to be the number estimated by the Registrar General and certified by him to the Secretary of State by reference to such date as the Secretary of State may from time to time determine.
§ (5) A scheme may provide that, if two-thirds of the constituent councils so decide, the designated council may require all or any of the constituent councils other than the designated council to carry out in respect of their respective areas an investigation into, or the collection of information relating to, any specified matter concerning the area covered by the scheme or any part of it; and where such a requirement is imposed on a council—
- (a) that council shall comply with the requirement in such manner and within such time as may be specified in the requirement; and
- (b) if that council fails to comply with the requirement the designated council may itself do what was required and recover the cost of doing it from that council.
§ (6) The expenditure which is to be borne as mentioned in subsection (3) above shall not include—
- (a) any expenditure of the designated council which is recoverable by virtue of paragraph (b) of subsection (5) above; or
- (b) if a requirement is imposed by virtue of that subsection on all the constituent councils other than the designated council, any expenditure incurred by that council in doing in respect of its own area what it has required the other councils to do in respect of their areas.
§ (7) Any information collected by the designated council, and the results of any investigation carried out by it, in the exercise of its functions under the scheme shall be made available, on request, to each of the other constituent councils.
§ (8) A scheme shall not come into force before the abolition date but shall continue in force until the end of at least two financial years after that in which it is made.
§ (9) A scheme may, in the absence of agreement between all the constituent councils, be made by a majority of those councils so as to be binding on all of them; but a council shall not be designated by a scheme except with its consent.
§ (10) A scheme may contain such supplementary provisions as the councils making the scheme think necessary or expedient and, subject to subsection (8) above, may be revoked by those councils (or, in the absence of agreement between all of them, by a majority of those councils) with effect from the end of any financial year after that in which the decision to revoke the scheme is made.
§ (11) The council designated by a scheme may be giving not less than twelve months notice to the other constituent councils withdraw its consent to act as the designated council with effect from the end of any financial year not earlier than the second 753 financial year after that in which the scheme was made; and in that event the scheme shall terminate when the withdrawal takes effect.
§ (12) For the purposes of this section the constituent councils are—
- (a) in relation to Greater London, the London borough councils and the Common Council; and
- (b) in relation to a metropolitan county, the councils of the metropolitan districts comprised in the county.
§ (13) Whether or not a scheme is made under this section a London borough council, the Common Council and a metropolitan district council shall have the power to exercise any of the functions described in subsection (1)(a) and (b) above.
§ (14) The appropriate Minister with respect to any matter may require any such council as is mentioned in subsection (13) above to provide him with any information with respect to that matter which is in the possession of, or available to, that council in consequence of the exercise of any powers conferred by or under any enactment."
§ Amendments thereto:
§
(a) in line 1, leave out from beginning to end of line 4 and insert
'It shall be the function of each Metropolitan authority established by Part II of Schedule 1 to this Act to make arrangements for—'.
§
(b) in line 11, at end insert
'in the area of the Metropolitan authority'.
§
(c) in line 1, leave out from beginning to end of line 3 and insert
'It shall be the function of the London Authority to make arrangements for—'.
§ (d) in line 11, leave out subsections (2) to (14).
§ Lords amendment No. 61, in schedule 1, page 86, line 38, leave out paragraph 18.
§ Amendments thereto:
§ (a) in page 86, line 38, leave out 'may' and insert 'shall'.
§
(b) in line 38, leave out
'at any time after the passing of the Act'
and insert 'on the abolition date'.
§ (c) in line 39, after 'body', insert 'in each metropolitan county'.
§
(d) in line 39, leave out from 'known' to 'guidance' in line 40 and insert
'by the name of that metropolitan county with the addition of the word "Authority" to prepare.'.
§
(e) in line 40, leave out
'Planning Commission to assist him in preparing'
and insert 'Authority to prepare'.
§ (f) in line 41, leave out `Greater London' and insert 'the relevant metropolitan county'.
§ (g) in line 42, leave out 'him' and insert 'the Secretary of State'.
§
(h) in line 43, leave out
'for the appointment and terms of office of members of the commission'
and insert
'for the members of each metropolitan county authority to be elected by the local government electors of the relevant metropolitan county in accordance with this Act and the Representation of the People Act 1983'.
§ (i) in line 45, leave out 'may' and insert 'shall'.
§
(j) in line 46, leave out
'for the appointment and terms of office of members of the Commission'
and insert
'for the members of the London Authority to be elected by the local government electors of Greater London in accordance with this Act and the Representation of the People Act 1983;'.
§ (k) in page 87, line 1, leave out 'the commission' and insert 'each authority'.
754§ (l) in line 1, leave out 'Commission' and insert 'Authority'.
§ (m) in line 4, leave out 'the commission' and insert 'each authority'.
§ (n) in line 4, leave out 'Commission' and insert 'Authority'.
§ (o) in page 87, leave out lines 5 and 6.
§ Mr. Robert N. Wareing (Liverpool, West Derby)On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. With all due respect to you, Mr. Speaker, and acknowledging that London is a marvellous place, of the eight speakers called during the debate on the guillotine motion, including a Minister and a Front Bench Opposition spokesman, five were London Members and not one Member was called from a constituency which is part of a metropolitan county. With respect, Mr. Speaker, I ask you to acknowledge that millions live in the metropolitan counties that are affected by the Bill.
§ Mr. SpeakerI am well aware of that. Unfortunately, there was only an hour's debate on the guillotine motion.
"It will be generally agreed that Greater London, an area of some 610 square miles containing seven million people, must continue to be more than an agglomeration of 32 boroughs with different degrees of urban disease".
§ Mr. Patrick JenkinThe hon. Gentleman quoted figures of employees of the GLC and went on to say that there will be no democratic representation. Will he confirm that the figures included the entire work force and staff of ILEA? Under the Bill, the members of ILEA will be democratically elected. Therefore, the hon Gentleman is talking nonsense.
§ Mr. FraserI concede that the right hon. Gentleman is correct in saying that those who work for the ILEA will be controlled by a directly elected body. Why does the same principle not apply to every other county function that is being preserved as a result of the amendments made largely in another place under pressure from the Opposition? What is good for the ILEA and for countrywide local government at the moment should obtain in the future. Government supporters have the chance to vote for Opposition amendments, which would enable that democratic structure to be preserved. Otherwise, we shall simply have a distortion of local democracy. The main burden of our amendments is to give a democratic accountability to those functions which will continue not on a district or a borough basis, but on a countywide basis.
The second main purpose of the amendments is to recognise the reality of planning our conurbations, and to give each metropolitan county a joint planning commission, which would be elected. One cannot plan a road system from one borough to another. One has to deal with land use on a conurbation basis. A magnificent change has taken place in the nature of south London as a result of the GLC financing over many years on a countywide basis, for example, with the creation of 757 Burgess park. Much of south London was too densely populated and people were living with no green around them at all.
It is impossible to have such a planning function simply on a borough basis. On such a basis, it is impossible to plan the skyline around our cities, planning that is very important both in London and parts of Yorkshire, where, without adequate planning, it is possible to destroy the skyline.
The argument for planning our conurbations on a conurbationwide basis is made out in the Government's proposals on inner cities. The Government do not treat inner city policy as a subject merely for one borough or another. They recently set up, with a flourish from the Prime Minister, an organisation called City Action Teams, or CATs for short. As the Association of Metropolitan Authorities observed, what the country needs is not cats, but mice—more inner city expenditure.
At any rate, when looking at the problems of the inner city, the Government did not choose to do so from borough to borough or district to district. They took a strategic overall view, and said that Government Departments and local authorities must come together to take a strategic view of the inner city. The inner city should be planned in that way. As my hon. Friend the Member for Blackburn (Mr. Straw) said, we shall repeal the Bill at the earliest opportunity. The further the Bill gets in its passage, the nearer the opportunity will come for a Labour Government to undertake that task.
In the meantime, the amendments amount to no more than interim measures. They at least restore to planning some democratic accountability and sense. For that reason alone, I ask hon. Members on both sides of the House to support our amendments.
§ Mr. Hugh Dykes (Harrow, East)I wish to speak to amendment (b)
to the words so restored to the Bill":—Page 3, line 12, leave out from 'London' to end of line 15 and insert'Authority, and the functions of the London Authority in respect of planning matters'.The Government made some concessions in the other place to various aspects of the Bill, but from the point of view of those in all parties who have opposed the Bill all the way through, and regarded it as a sad piece of legislation, to say the least, that has not been sufficient to repair the damage that is contained in many parts of the Bill. In the other place the Government lost some crucial amendments on significant occasions, but it was not enough to persuade them to depart from the central and still extremely unwelcome aspects of the Bill's structure.Amendment (b) deals only with aspects to do with London, but later amendments incorporate the metropolitan counties. At this late stage it is worth remembering that my hon. Friends and colleagues in all parts of the House still have an opportunity to do some useful repair work to the Bill's structure. The confusion and chaos in the original text has to some extent been made worse by the Government's concessions in an attempt to achieve a more rational structure. Despite their Lordships' interesting and heroic efforts—I pay particular tribute to Lord Plummer for his amendments — the position is more difficult than previously.
758 With this amendment my colleagues and I suggest a significant adjustment to help the Government produce a much better structure. We do not seek to push them too far, or oblige them to depart from their original manifesto commitment, which is adhered to in the Bill. In some respects our arguments, fortuitously and felicitously, coincide with those of the Opposition Front Bench, but they are significantly and interestingly different. The substantial effect of the amendment is to put London's strategic planning, highways and traffic control, waste disposal and the important but often forgotten citywide research services into one directly elected London authority.
Thus, we return to the theme of the body being directly elected. The body is not to be compared in any way with the existing Greater London council. It has no relationship to it and is wholly different. It would be a small body, which would meet the Government's objectives of saving costs, and would have the opposite effect to the present one. The Coopers and Lybrand report shows beyond all doubt that the whole exercise will cost a one-off £170 million. That may be the top end of its range of estimates of the extra cost.
The amendment would transform the residuary body — which was supposed to be a marginal tidying-up body, but which has acquired more and more functions, which the Government's planners could not put elsewhere, as the text became more problematic—into a London authority. The amendment would also provide, together with related later amendments, that the London authority should nominate members of the London residuary body, instead of the Secretary of State.
In the other place successful amendments transferred parts of highways and traffic to the London residuary body. As has already been said, the boroughs end up with only a small minority of the total activities and expenditure in gross terms, contrary to the original intentions of both the manifesto and the Secretary of State. Although my hon. Friends and I believe that the decentralisation proposed for the boroughs in the change for the residuary body is right, it is not appropriate to move the remaining overall Londonwide highways and traffic functions to a temporary nominated quango, such as the London residuary body or a joint board.
The amendment is valuable in that it deals with direct elections, and immediately and specifically makes possible the co-ordination of those four important citywide services—planning, highways and traffic control, waste disposal and the research unit — into one London authority. Obviously, we want the authority to be directly elected because its powers and expenditure will be substantial, and it should be accountable to the ratepayers who will have to pay for its functions. We in this House and the other place will anyway have to return to the question of direct elections in separate legislation in due course.
As the Secretary of State has often reminded us, the Conservative party election manifesto promised to abolish the GLC on the grounds that it was a wasteful body and an unnecessary tier of government. Those arguments have been rendered otiose by the passage of the Bill and the detailed examination of all the arguments for and against it. We shall be left with a yawning gap and major lacuna in London local government, unless this admittedly late-in-the-day adjustment is made.
759 At the end of the Bill's passage — the Government will no doubt have a chance to refer to this later—there is little talk in official circles about saving large sums through abolition. All the evidence suggests that Londoners will face heavy one-off bills, and annually recurring bills for these regrettable changes. I do not exaggerate when I say that this is a tragic piece of legislation in every respect.
5.15 pm
The Londonwide tier of government will remain in a structural sense because the GLC's services have been distributed among various quangos, joint boards and joint committees, most of which will be under close ministerial supervision. Instead of the long-standing and solemn tradition of democratic co-ordinated government for London under whatever political control — elections come and go, to give all parties a chance—we have a muddle and a plethora of different bodies, which confuse everyone, including the Department, and none of which is directly elected. The boroughs will get about one third of the GLC's services in terms of gross revenue expenditure, excluding debt charges, according to the latest calculations, as opposed to most of the expenditure and functions, which was promised as the central rationale of the legislation when it began its unhappy passage.
One of the worst features of the new scheme for London government is that the entire operation seems to be confused, botched-up and temporary. In a few years' time Parliament will have to return to the subject, and do a major repair job. All parliamentarians must find it tragic to think of all the hours that have been wasted on the legislation. I, therefore, ask the House, especially the Secretary of State, even at this late stage to rise to the occasion, to retrieve something secure from this confusion and chaos, to put the essential services together in one authority rather than into the proposed body, and to make it directly elected and wholly separate and different from the existing GLC, with none of the Left-wing hang ups that have rightly irritated Conservative Members. In that way, we would once again have sensible local government in London.
§ Mr. Peter Hardy (Wentworth)I hope that the hon. Member for Harrow, East (Mr. Dykes) will forgive me if I do not follow his comments in detail. He spoke largely about London, whereas my interest lies in south Yorkshire. So far London and the Greater London council have attracted most attention in this debate. The hon. Gentleman suggested that their Lordships have made some minor improvements, and that may be the case. Some noble Lords who may normally be solid supporters of the Conservative party put the country's interest before those of their party in a way which I should like hon. Members in this House to do. The hon. Gentleman may be rather relaxed about the matter because he foresees further legislation in a few years' time. Our worry is that hon. Members from south Yorkshire do not have the time or the opportunity for a leisurely view. The economy of south Yorkshire is appalling and is deteriorating day by day. We are losing more than 200 jobs a week. This is not the time for the Government to plunge the area into the costly chaos that is bound to develop.
Conservative Members know that south Yorkshire metropolitan county has a vigorous, thriving and growing public transport system based on low fares. What has escaped their attention is the fact that ridership has 760 increased. The Government dislike the system and, for no other reason, they have adopted an attitude of hatred towards the county council, and cheer its departure because they want to privatise bus services, which in our area are first class.
I am especially interested in participating in the debate because of the other aspects of the South Yorkshire county council that deserve consideration. It has a high reputation for its environmental work. It commands respect for as intelligent approach towards strategic planning responsibilities, which are now to be changed at a time when the economic condition is critical.
The Minister does not have responsibility for steel and coal, but if he had he would turn grey at what is happening to our special steels industry. The week before last, we heard of the decision to close the British Steel Corporation's relatively new works at Tinsley Park, which he may have visited when he was at the Department of Trade and Industry. Last week, the River Don works, Britain's only large heavy forging and casting capacity, lost 500 or 600 jobs. In the coal industry, 4,000 or 5,000 jobs have been lost within a matter of months. This has happened while the Government are destroying our strategic planning capacity. Within the planning operation and generally, the county council has developed a splendid, internationally commended reputation in environmental protection. That is well known. If the Secretary of State cares to check, he will see that I am making no false or extravagant claims. The county council has done enormous work in recognising and conserving the ecology of our county. It has achieved much in the reclamation of derelict land. The Minister may be aware, despite the contraction of our coal industry, that there is a continuing problem of colliery spoil. There is a continuing and growing need to maintain the current work of the county council in land reclamation. I fear that the measure and the Government's attitude to the modest amendments carried in the other place will be of enormous disadvantage to the county.
I hope that the Secretary of State will not feel that I am being unfair, but the other day I heard him telling a substantial and important gathering how deeply committed the Conservative party was to conservation. He claimed that it is the party concerned with conservation in Britain. I am well aware of what the Conservative party is disposed to conserve.
§ Mr. Jeremy Corbyn (Islington, North)Themselves.
§ Mr. HardyThe Secretary of State made substantial claims on Saturday. However, I am patron of the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust. There may be other hon. Members from my region who subscribe to the organisation. It is a long-established and reputable body.
§ Dr. Keith Hampson (Leeds, North-West)indicated assent.
§ Mr. HardyI am glad to have the confirmation of the hon. Member for Leeds, North-West (Dr. Hampson). The West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire metropolitan county councils are the two most important financial supporters of the trust. If they disappear, the income they provide for the trust, which performs an important function in the county, will be imperilled. It is all right for the Minister to say that the quangos or the borough councils that will inherit the responsibility will be able to offer the same 761 support, but hon. Members from Yorkshire, and perhaps other hon. Members, will be aware that, under the rate-capping arrangements and contracting central support for local government to which the Government continue to be committed, there is no possibility of maintaining the support currently given by the county councils. If the Minister pretends otherwise, he is doing his Department and the House a disservice. It worries me that at a time when we need to enhance our environment, to invest in the economy and the environmental infrastructure, to give our crushed and critical economy some chance, to give our young people some hope and to provide some decency for the leisure of those who have gone in huge numbers into the dole queues, one major area of leisure is put under a severe and unacceptable threat. I hope that even at this late stage the Minister will recognise that, whatever concessions he may be prepared to make for London, he is making far too few concessions for the metropolitan counties in the north. In my county, the economic position is grave. The environment will be seriously disadvantaged entirely as a result of this petty, politically motivated and grossly unattractive measure.
§ Dr. HampsonI am glad to have the opportunity to follow my colleague from Yorkshire, the hon. Member for Wentworth (Mr. Hardy). It is undoubtedly true that there is anxiety about several of the changes that will result from the Bill, largely from the cash point of view. However, I do not understand why the matters that the hon. Gentleman raised, especially those relating to the environment, cannot be dealt with under a different structure, provided that sufficient resources are available. Today, we are dealing with the structures through which such services are carried out.
Since the Government came to power in 1979, they have talked about the abolition or reform of the metropolitan county structure. The matter was discussed in the Department of the Environment early in the life of this Government. No report on local government recommended the present metropolitan county structure. It was a compromise. Some of us thought from the beginning that it was a botched compromise, because those authorities were large, had large bureaucracies and incurred vast expenditure on salaries, but had relatively restricted functions. There was no case for continuing them. It was not only Conservative Members or members of the Government in 1979 who believed that; most Labour city leaders believed that. Mr. Ken Livingstone in London and the leaders in Leeds, Birmingham and Merseyside believed that, because there was no balance of responsibilities at the county level as there was at the shire level. They were not responsible for education, but they were responsible for substantial transport systems, the police and the fire services.
I do not accept that this legislation is tragic. It is bringing us back to the position in which we should have been from the start. Those authorities should never have existed, and are unnecessary. The Liberal party and the SDP today agreed that they are unnecessary. However, what they want in their place is equally horrendous, because I believe that the British people want powers pushed back down to a lower level, not the accumulation powers at a regional level.
§ Mr. Tony Banks (Newham, North-West)The hon. Gentleman must realise that the position is different in London. London has had directly elected, citywide government since the London county council was set up in 1889. Therefore, it is nothing new. If the metropolitan county councils are abolished, there will still be city government in Sheffield, Liverpool and Manchester, but there will be none in London. That is the difference.
§ Dr. HampsonThe point is that history moves on and structures do not remain absolute in value. In London the scale of responsibilities of the citywide authority has steadily diminished under all parties. Only about 10 per cent. of the resources spent on the individual citizen in London is channelled through the GLC. What is the value of the body? My hon. Friend the Member for Harrow, East (Mr. Dykes) always emphasises the need for "a voice" for London. I have never understood whom that voice is for, or to whom it is addressed. I can understand the ceremonial function and that people from around the world might want to be received, but the City of London could do that as well as the hon. Member for Newham, North-West (Mr. Banks).
§ Mr. Simon Hughes (Southwark and Bermondsey)Can the hon. Member explain the intention of the person who gave money to the Horniman museum, over the door of which is the inscription, to which the Bishop of Southwark referred,
Given to the London County Council as Representative of the people of London in perpetuity"?What authority other than the GLC or a county council can take responsibility for all citizens and look after all their interests?
§ Dr. HampsonCity government thoughout the world varies enormously. Municipal authorities elsewhere manage because such gifts are given to parts of cities or to institutions. There is nothing sacrosanct about a particular representative body for a city such as London. London happens to have evolved in a way which is different from other cities. Paris has evolved in yet another way. It has an elected mayor who has almost absolute power, whereas other elected representatives have little or no say. Power there is centralised. Nothing decrees that a particular body should speak for London and have particular powers.
If we had not transferred housing and other major responsibilities down the line the argument would be different. I should have thought that the hon. Member for Southwark and Bermondsey (Mr. Hughes), since he represents the Liberal party, would argue in favour of passing responsibilities down the line. He seemed to say that powers should be passed up to a regional body, which is even more divorced from the citizen. Most of my constituents do not know who their county councillors are or what functions they have, so how on earth would they know who to turn to at regional level?
§ Mr. Richard Tracey (Surbiton)Only inner London had a county council structure and it was called the London county council. The county of Surrey and the county of Middlesex represented many outer London boroughs. Previously most of the metropolitan areas were county boroughs, which were smaller, unitary authorities and therefore more understandable to the public.
§ Mr. HampsonThe people of Leeds wanted to remain within a county borough. No one recommended the metropolitan county of West Yorkshire, although I am sad to say that a Conservative Government created it. It makes no sense. It is not a metropolitan conglomeration but a huge city with a number of other small towns.
§ Mr. Harry Cowans (Tyne Bridge)The hon. Gentleman's argument would make sense if the Government intended to pass back to the old county boroughs or districts the functions they lost, but they are not doing that. They are setting up unelected, undemocratic quangos with no responsibility or accountability to the people of Leeds or anywhere else.
§ Dr. HampsonI am glad the hon. Gentleman has allowed me to return to my course. I want to deal with precisely those matters. People talk about the residuary body.—[Hon Members: "What is it?"] It is as described by definitiion. It is not intended to exist in perpetuity. Most of us believe that it is important to put the reorganisation on the road, to find out the rough edges and to resolve the problems.
Some of the amendments are farcical. The residuary body is intended to find out how to deal with the functions and to farm them out to the appropriate quarter. Such a body should not be elected. We do not want the residuary body to be perpetuated by making it an elected body.
The House of Lords has the notion that elections should take place for people who are to deal with tiny functions. My hon. Friend the Member for Harrow, East, for whom I have a great respect on a European level, wants a directly elected body to deal with waste—an important function—research agencies, libraries and museums. That is in the realms of farce. We do not have a tradition of direct elections to deal with specific functions.
In other countries such activities are handled on a broader basis on behalf of others by a single elected authority. Even in Britain we have a strong tradition of one authority acting on behalf of another. In education, for example, children can cross a boundary and be educated at a neighbouring school and one authority pays the recipient authority. We have a long tradition of agency agreements. Research facilities, safety inspectorates, quality controls and consumer standards can be operated by one authority on behalf of another through an agency agreement. That is a long-standing practice. An elected body is not necessary to perform that function.
§ Dr. HampsonI opposed that idea. I do not wish to be side tracked into that argument. At least I was, and am, consistent.
If we trust the authorities and place responsibilities firmly on them, rather than allowing them to hedge and pass the buck up the line to a nebulous body such as the county council, they will get together and reach agreement.
We tend to view government in the United States in terms of the Senate and Congress, but I have lectured on their history and politics and experienced local government there. Town planning is the responsibility of the town. Small communities and county-level government devise their own plans for their communities. Areas such as Texas deliberately might do little in the way of planning. Where they do, in the east coast states, for 764 example, boundaries adjoin and yet agreements are reached. When I was there last week I found local officials meeting over breakfast. Perhaps that is a good thing because there is less disagreement likely at that time.
The current proposition is not as absurd as some people think. We have accepted many tiers and people spend years making structural plans, decisions often overturned on appeal to the Secretary of State. In many ways the arbiters of planning proposals are the Secretary of State's regional officials. We do not need all the present tiers because people can get together at a planning level to resolve difficulties amicably.
These proposals are long overdue. The present county and London levels are unnecessary and the more quickly that we get rid of them the happier I and my constituents shall be.
§ Mr. John Cartwright (Woolwich)The most revealing point made by the hon. Member for Leeds, North-West (Dr. Hampson) came at the end of his contribution when he claimed that the Government's proposals are not so absurd as many people think—an admission that the Government's argument is not getting across so well as Ministers claim.
Hon. Members on both sides believe that this group of amendments provides the last chance of maintaining a minimal elected authority in each of the metropolitan areas and in Greater London. Unlike the hon. Member for Leeds, North-West, I believe that the powers proposed in these amendments are coherent and should be operated on a conurbationwide basis covering strategic planning, highways and traffic, waste disposal, central and support services and research and information. Those are all essential, practical services, not the high-visibility political issues which cause anxiety to so many people. The hon. Member for Leeds, North-West claimed that this was a minimal series of responsibilities for which to have people elected, but I believe that it entails a great deal more responsibility to exercise those powers across a metropolitan area or the Greater London area than is exercised by many elected district authorities.
§ Dr. HampsonIs it not sensible that decisions on the important functions which affect neighbouring authorities should be taken by representatives from the directly elected district councils who have the interests of their communities at heart? The people on those joint bodies could then resolve the difficulties.
§ Mr. CartwrightSome of us have experience of trying to get this sort of agreement at local level when the interest of one borough or district is different from that of its neighbours. It is not easy to achieve. This is one area in which some hon. Members are sceptical about the Government's belief that co-operation and co-ordination will magically break out at district or borough level and that it will be all right on the night. This has not happened in practice because, for perfectly understandable and defensible reasons, local authorities fight their corner and for their people. They do not see the overall needs of the wider area, nor should they when they are elected to do a rather different job.
The Government accept that many of these conurbationwide powers cannot be exercised by individual authorities because the Government have created an extraordinary patchwork quilt of joint boards, quangos and other authorities. Much of the expert evidence heard 765 during the Committee stage gives the lie to the belief that there will be co-ordination and co-operation at borough and district level.
Their Lordships went some way to recognise that key services are best carried out at metropolitan level. I welcome the idea of a joint planning committee for Greater London which will give elected borough councillors a chance to discuss planning issues, to represent their views to the Secretary of State and to send representatives to the south-east planning body. Having provided that committee for London, why will the Government not provide the same machinery for the other metropolitan areas, where the problems are the same and sometimes even worse—run-down inner city areas, declining industries, difficulty in attracting new developments and new jobs and problems with public and private transport? It is wildly illogical to provide that machinery for London and to deny it to the other metropolitan authorities.
I endorse what the hon. Member for Norwood (Mr. Fraser) said about the need to view inner city problems on a conurbationwide basis. Our experience of metropolitan government has made it clear that it is impossible to solve inner city problems on the basis of inner city areas alone. One must take a wider view. For example, the Thamesmead new town development in my constituency is a highly imaginative scheme originally launched by the Greater London council. No one could possibly suggest that such a gigantic project could have been undertaken by one or two borough or district authorities.
5.45 pm
The philosophy of this legislation is in sharp contrast with commitments given by the Conservatives before they came to power in 1979. When the Labour Government were considering the question of organic change—the idea of giving powers back to some of the biggest of the former county boroughs—the present Secretary of State for Defence was reported in the Local Government Chronicle of 9 March 1979 to have told the Conservative party local government conference in March 1979 in his traditionally strong and robust manner that the Conservative party rejected the idea of a reform of local government structure. He said:
I do not believe for one moment that the British people are looking for a major upheaval in local government.He went on to say:Change for change's sake or expensive experiments with the ratepayers' money must be ruled out and that must be the position of the Conservative party.The right hon. Gentleman announced that he had had discussions with the leaders of the Association of County Councils, the Association of District Councils and the Association of Metropolitan Authorities. He went on to make a clear declaration:We are agreed that we do not seek another major reorganisation of local government because we are certain that change in this field is likely to be expensive and divisive.It has certainly been divisive, and from the Coopers and Lybrand studies it is clear that it will also be expensive. The GLC figure for the transitional costs is between £122 million and £167 million. Even on the most optimistic Coopers and Lybrand assessment it would take almost 12 years of annual savings to recoup that kind of expenditure.766 The present Prime Minister, speaking at the same conference, promised a close relationship between a Conservative Government and Conservative local authorities. She declared:
We've worked with you in Opposition. I want to say very strongly that we shall go on working with you in Government.Clearly, she felt that there was some scepticism on that point because she went on to say:In case that comes as a shock to those of you with long memories—I repeat—we shall go on working with you in Government. Good Government rests on a partnership between Whitehall and town hall.She concluded:We are going to give back to you more of the responsibility for running your own affairs.That will raise a very hollow laugh from many Conservative councillors up and down the country who are suffering even tighter control from the Department of the Environment. It would certainly get a short, sharp and rude response from those Conservative councillors whose councils will be abolished by the Bill. Conservative Members who believe in the traditional Conservative view of local government should support the amendments.
§ Mr. Patrick JenkinThis short debate has allowed the House to rehearse various arguments which have been extensively debated on previous occasions in this House and in another place. In those circumstances, it would not be right for me to go on too long. I shall therefore set out briefly the Government view on the points made by the hon. Member for Norwood (Mr. Fraser) and others.
There seem to be three substantive issues. The first concerns planning in London. I was grateful for the welcome given by the hon. Member for Woolwich (Mr. Cartwright) to the amendment accepted in another place. Lords amendments Nos. 1 and 2 and the consequential Lords amendment No. 61 provide for a joint committee of borough council representatives instead of the appointed London planning commission originally envisaged in the Bill. The purpose of the joint committee would be to consider matters of common interest relating to the planning and development of Greater London and to inform the Secretary of State and neighbouring planning authorities of its views. It is important to note that the joint committee will not itself be a planning authority but an advisory committee, as the originally proposed London planning commission would have been.
The Lords amendments owe a good deal to the wisdom of my noble Friend Lord Sandford who has great experience in these matters. The London planning commission as an appointed expert body did not find much favour in another place. Instead, there was felt to be a need to co-ordinate the borough councils' approach to planning in and around London. The proposal for a joint committee has the support of the London Boroughs Association and of SERPLAN, the South East Regional Planning Conference. The Government are satisfied that that change made by the other place is an improvement, and I hope that the House will accept the relevant Lords amendments.
The Opposition amendments to Lords amendment No. 2 seek to do two things. First, they seek to extend the joint committee concept to the six metropolitan counties. Secondly—the hon. Member for Norwood touched on this briefly — they would empower the London joint committee, but, strangely, not the metropolitan joint committees, to issue guidance to which borough councils must have regard in preparing their unitary development plans.
767 I hope that the House will reject both Opposition amendments to Lords amendment No. 2. The Government remain unconvinced that there is any need for special planning machinery to cover the metropolitan county areas. In this context London is and always has been seen to be a special case. London has more than three times as many planning authorities as the largest metropolitan county and the impact of London's development on the surrounding area is far greater and more complex than that of any other conurbation in England. Our original proposal for a London planning commission recognised those facts and the decision to substitute a joint committee of the boroughs cannot alter the case against providing anything comparable for the metropolitan counties because there is simply no need for any such provision. Each of the metropolitan districts will be a powerful elected planning authority in its own right. To impose a joint planning committee would be an unnecessary bureaucratic top hamper and I advise the House to reject the amendments which call for it.
§ Mr. WareingThe right hon. Gentleman may regard London's problems as quantitatively greater than those of areas such as Merseyside or Tyne and Wear, but under the Bill the powers granted to the joint planning commission for London will go to the Secretary of State in the case of the metropolitan counties. That is even more bureaucratic. Does the right hon. Gentleman envisage no possibility of conflict between district councils such as Liverpool and Sefton? Such conflict does not make for good local government planning. What advantage is there to the metropolitan counties in the system proposed in the Bill?
§ Mr. JenkinIn the case of town and country planning powers in the metropolitan counties the proposal has always been that strategic guidance would be drawn up by the Department of the Environment in response to planning conferences held within the areas concerned. The broad, strategic guidance is and always has been a function of central Government Departments. To try to interpose an extra layer between the powerful district and borough planning authorities and the strategic guidance — I emphasise the word "strategic"—which must inevitably come from central Government will merely create confusion and difficulty, as has already occurred when large bodies of that kind interfere with the planning functions of a large number of districts and boroughs.
Thirdly, amendments to various parts of the Bill seek to provide for multi-purpose directly elected authorities either for London or for the six metropolitan counties or for all seven areas. A number of hon. Members, including my hon. Friend the Member for Harrow, East (Mr. Dykes), have spoken in favour of those amendments.
I note with some relief that this really is the last opportunity to debate this issue. No one has ever denied its importance. It has been the central issue in the Bill. It has been debated time and again at every stage of the Bill—on clause 1 on the Floor of the House, on several occasions in the Standing Committee and again on Report. On that last occasion, on 27 March, the Voice for London amendment was defeated by 335 votes to 193. Now, undaunted — perhaps refreshed after three months' freedom from the need to debate the matter — hon. Members on both sides have returned to the charge yet again.
§ Mr. CorbynAnd the Government still have not answered the case.
§ Mr. JenkinThe formation of the proposal is slightly different from those previously advanced, but the objective is the same. Whatever hon. Members may say, the objective is the retention in a different form of the GLC and the metropolitan county councils.
§ Mr. Tony BanksWill the right hon. Gentleman give way?
§ Mr. JenkinNo, I have only six minutes left—
§ Mr. CorbynThe Secretary of State is destroying local government, but he will not give way to the chairman of the GLC.
§ Mr. JenkinI know that a number of my hon. Friends are and always have been opposed to the abolition of the GLC, but I find the Opposition's stance puzzling. They have not put their names to the amendments relating to London, although they are supposed to be against abolition of the GLC. It is time that we were told what the Opposition policy for London really is.
§ Mr. CorbynDemocratic government.
§ Mr. JenkinDo the Opposition agree with the Frankenstein horror of a report currently going the rounds at County hall which proposes to recreate not just the GLC but a body which could take unto itself a whole mass of additional powers, including powers over the London police, many of the functions of the London boroughs, stretching its tentacles right out into the green belt to commutor services and so forth?
§ Mr. CorbynWill the right hon. Gentleman give way?
§ Mr. JenkinThat report proposes to lop off a number of outer London boroughs so as to give the resulting body a permanent and undefeatable Labour majority. We need to know whether the Opposition support those proposals.
As for the metropolitan counties, we were interested to see the press notice referring to a letter from the Leader of the Opposition to the leader of West Yorkshire county council, Councillor John Gunnell. The Leader of the Opposition was asked what was the Labour party's future commitment. We now know the answer to that question. The Leader of the Opposition wrote on 4 July:
With regard to the future commitment of the party I am quite sure that the strong case for strategic authorities in the metropolitan areas which you have advanced so well will influence our future policy considerations.That seems a less than wholehearted commitment to restore the metropolitan county councils.
§ Mr. Tony BanksRead the rest of it.
§ Mr. JenkinThe Government view has always been clear. We oppose recreation of the GLC or the metropolitan county councils in any form. Those authorities do not have enough functions to justify their existence as separate directly elected tiers of local government.
§ Mr. Dave Nellist (Coventry, South-East)Will the Secretary of State give way?
§ Mr. JenkinAlthough the amendments proposed today differ in some respects from those put forward on earlier occasions, neither they, nor, with great respect to my hon. Friend the Member for Harrow, East, any of the speeches that we have heard today, begin to make out a case for successor authorities.
769 Those who advocate directly elected authorities for London and the metropolitan counties have consistently failed to answer the following point. They know that the present arrangements do not work. They know that the boroughs and districts are now the major providers of local government services in those areas. They also know that major strategic planning and strategic transport decisions inevitably fall to central Government rather than to local government. That has always been so and will continue to be so in the future. Any attempt to stake out an area between the strong boroughs and districts and the central Government functions to be covered by an intermediate tier responsible for planning, highways, waste disposal and so on is doomed to failure. It is a very small area and certainly not large enough to justify a separate directly elected authority.
§ Mr. Nellistrose—
§ Mr. JenkinAt an earlier stage, my hon. Friend the Member for Harrow, East and other Conservative Members argued that we should abolish the GLC and establish a new body with most of the same functions. That was illogical. They now say that we should abolish the GLC and establish a body covering only a few of those functions. That is even more illogical. If the GLC itself does not have enough functions to justify its existence, how can a body with even fewer functions be justified?
§ Mr. Nellistrose—
§ Mr. JenkinThe case for directly elected countrywide authorities for London or the metropolitan counties does not stand up. Between the functions of the boroughs and districts, which are the major providers of services, and the functions of central Government, which are and always have been wider than those of individual boroughs and districts, there is simply not room for an intermediate tier. Acting jointly, the boroughs and districts can, with central Government, provide all the co-ordination that is necessary.
I do not deny the importance of this issue, but it has been debated time and again in both Houses of Parliament and time and again the changes proposed in the amendments have been firmly rejected. I ask the House to reject them firmly today.
§ Mr. NellistI had hoped that while the Secretary of State was speaking, attempting to clear up in people's minds the commitments made from the Opposition Front Bench, he would clear up the confusion resulting from his statements. He said at the beginning of this exercise that 7,100 jobs and £100 million would go if we did not have democratically-elected authorities. Where are those jobs to go? What services? Which counties? What were the targets in the mind of the Secretary of State when he started making those statements one and a half years ago? In Committee and so far on Report we have had no explanation. The hopes and aspirations of working people in the metropolitan areas and the GLC and the security of their jobs—
§ It being Six o'clock, MR. DEPUTY SPEAKER proceeded, pursuant to the Order this day, to put forthwith the Question already proposed from the Chair.
§ Question put, That this House doth agree with the Lords in the said amendment:—
§ The House proceeded to a Division—
770§ Mr. Tony Banks(seated and covered): On a point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker.
§ Mr. Deputy Speaker (Sir Paul Dean)Order. Does the point of order relate to the Division?
§ Mr. BanksYes. We have just had a speech from the Secretary of State for the Environment which lasted about 12 minutes, or one sixth of the allotted time in which the Government have forced the House to consider—
§ Mr. Deputy SpeakerOrder. I am sure that the hon. Gentleman knows that this is not a point of order for me. I am not responsible for Ministers' speeches or their length.
§ Mr. BanksFurther to that point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker. I was trying to ask you to protect the rights of Members who want to raise points because you decide when an hon. Member will be called. Ministers who coerce the House in terms of the guillotine should not be given a disproportionate amount of time to speak.
§ Mr. Deputy SpeakerI understand the hon. Gentleman's point, but he will know that the House has passed the allocation of time motion and it is my job to ensure that the will of the House in that respect is carried out.
§ Mr. Deputy SpeakerOrder. I have dealt with the hon. Gentleman's point. He is now getting close to arguing with the Chair.
§ The House having divided: Ayes 319, Noes 177.
773| Division No. 256] | 6 pm |
| AYES | |
| Adley, Robert | Brown, M. (Brigg & Cl'thpes) |
| Aitken, Jonathan | Browne, John |
| Alexander, Richard | Bruce, Malcolm |
| Alison, Rt Hon Michael | Bruinvels, Peter |
| Amery, Rt Hon Julian | Bryan, Sir Paul |
| Amess, David | Buck, Sir Antony |
| Ancram, Michael | Burt, Alistair |
| Ashby, David | Butcher, John |
| Aspinwall, Jack | Butler, Hon Adam |
| Atkins, Rt Hon Sir H. | Butterfill, John |
| Atkins, Robert (South Ribble) | Carlisle, John (N Luton) |
| Atkinson, David (B'm'th E) | Carlisle, Kenneth (Lincoln) |
| Baker, Rt Hon K. (Mole Vall'y) | Carlisle, Rt Hon M. (W'ton S) |
| Baker, Nicholas (N Dorset) | Cartwright, John |
| Baldry, Tony | Cash, William |
| Banks, Robert (Harrogate) | Chalker, Mrs Lynda |
| Batiste, Spencer | Chapman, Sydney |
| Beith, A. J. | Chope, Christopher |
| Bellingham, Henry | Churchill, W. S. |
| Bendall, Vivian | Clark, Hon A. (Plym'th S'n) |
| Bennett, Rt Hon Sir Frederic | Clark, Dr Michael (Rochford) |
| Best, Keith | Clark, Sir W. (Croydon S) |
| Bevan, David Gilroy | Clarke, Rt Hon K. (Rushcliffe) |
| Biffen, Rt Hon John | Clegg, Sir Walter |
| Biggs-Davison, Sir John | Cockeram, Eric |
| Blaker, Rt Hon Sir Peter | Colvin, Michael |
| Body, Richard | Coombs, Simon |
| Bonsor, Sir Nicholas | Cope, John |
| Boscawen, Hon Robert | Couchman, James |
| Bottomley, Peter | Cranborne, Viscount |
| Bottomley, Mrs Virginia | Crouch, David |
| Bowden, A. (Brighton K'to'n) | Currie, Mrs Edwina |
| Bowden, Gerald (Dulwich) | Dickens, Geoffrey |
| Braine, Rt Hon Sir Bernard | Dicks, Terry |
| Brandon-Bravo, Martin | Dover, Den |
| Bright, Graham | Dunn, Robert |
| Brinton, Tim | Durant, Tony |
| Brittan, Rt Hon Leon | Edwards, Rt Hon N. (P'broke) |
| Eggar, Tim | Kennedy, Charles |
| Emery, Sir Peter | Key, Robert |
| Evennett, David | King, Roger (B'ham N'field) |
| Eyre, Sir Reginald | King, Rt Hon Tom |
| Fairbairn, Nicholas | Knight, Greg (Derby N) |
| Fallon, Michael | Knowles, Michael |
| Farr, Sir John | Lang, Ian |
| Fenner, Mrs Peggy | Latham, Michael |
| Finsberg, Sir Geoffrey | Lawler, Geoffrey |
| Fletcher, Alexander | Lee, John (Pendle) |
| Fookes, Miss Janet | Leigh, Edward (Gainsbor'gh) |
| Forman, Nigel | Lennox-Boyd, Hon Mark |
| Forth, Eric | Lewis, Sir Kenneth (Stamf'd) |
| Fowler, Rt Hon Norman | Lightbown, David |
| Fox, Marcus | Lilley, Peter |
| Franks, Cecil | Lloyd, Ian (Havant) |
| Fraser, Peter (Angus East) | Lloyd, Peter, (Fareham) |
| Freeman, Roger | Lord, Michael |
| Freud, Clement | Luce, Richard |
| Fry, Peter | Lyell, Nicholas |
| Gale, Roger | McCrindle, Robert |
| Galley, Roy | Macfarlane, Neil |
| Gardiner, George (Reigate) | MacKay, Andrew (Berkshire) |
| Gardner, Sir Edward (Fylde) | MacKay, John (Argyll & Bute) |
| Garel-Jones, Tristan | Maclennan, Robert |
| Glyn, Dr Alan | Major, John |
| Goodhart, Sir Philip | Malins, Humfrey |
| Goodlad, Alastair | Marland, Paul |
| Gow, Ian | Marlow, Antony |
| Gower, Sir Raymond | Marshall, Michael (Arundel) |
| Grant, Sir Anthony | Maude, Hon Francis |
| Greenway, Harry | Mawhinney, Dr Brian |
| Gregory, Conal | Maxwell-Hyslop, Robin |
| Griffiths, Sir Eldon | Mayhew, Sir Patrick |
| Griffiths, Peter (Portsm'th N) | Mellor, David |
| Grist, Ian | Merchant, Piers |
| Ground, Patrick | Miller, Hal (B'grove) |
| Hamilton, Hon A. (Epsom) | Mills, Iain (Meriden) |
| Hamilton, Neil (Tatton) | Mills, Sir Peter (West Devon) |
| Hampson, Dr Keith | Mitchell, David (NW Hants) |
| Hancock, Mr. Michael | Moate, Roger |
| Hannam, John | Montgomery, Sir Fergus |
| Hargreaves, Kenneth | Moore, John |
| Harris, David | Morris, M. (N'hampton, S) |
| Haselhurst, Alan | Moynihan, Hon C. |
| Havers, Rt Hon Sir Michael | Mudd, David |
| Hawkins, Sir Paul (SW N'folk) | Murphy, Christopher |
| Hawksley, Warren | Neale, Gerrard |
| Hayes, J. | Needham, Richard |
| Hayhoe, Rt Hon Barney | Nelson, Anthony |
| Heathcoat-Amory, David | Neubert, Michael |
| Heddle, John | Newton, Tony |
| Henderson, Barry | Nicholls, Patrick |
| Heseltine, Rt Hon Michael | Norris, Steven |
| Hickmet, Richard | Onslow, Cranley |
| Higgins, Rt Hon Terence L. | Osborn, Sir John |
| Hogg, Hon Douglas (Gr'th'm) | Ottaway, Richard |
| Holland, Sir Philip (Gedling) | Owen, Rt Hon Dr David |
| Hordern, Sir Peter | Page, Sir John (Harrow W) |
| Howard, Michael | Page, Richard (Herts SW) |
| Howarth, Alan (Stratf'd-on-A) | Parris, Matthew |
| Howarth, Gerald (Cannock) | Patten, J. (Oxf W & Abdgn) |
| Howell, Rt Hon D. (G'ldford) | Peacock, Mrs Elizabeth |
| Howell, Ralph (N Norfolk) | Penhaligon, David |
| Howells, Geraint | Percival, Rt Hon Sir Ian |
| Hubbard-Miles, Peter | Pollock, Alexander |
| Hughes, Simon (Southwark) | Portillo, Michael |
| Hunt, David (Wirral) | Powell, Rt Hon J. E. (S Down) |
| Hunt, John (Ravensbourne) | Powell, William (Corby) |
| Hunter, Andrew | Powley, John |
| Irving, Charles | Price, Sir David |
| Jenkin, Rt Hon Patrick | Prior, Rt Hon James |
| Jenkins, Rt Hon Roy (Hillh'd) | Proctor, K. Harvey |
| Jessel, Toby | Pym, Rt Hon Francis |
| Johnston, Sir Russell | Raffan, Keith |
| Jones, Gwilym (Cardiff N) | Raison, Rt Hon Timothy |
| Jones, Robert (W Herts) | Rathbone, Tim |
| Jopling, Rt Hon Michael | Rees, Rt Hon Peter (Dover) |
| Joseph, Rt Hon Sir Keith | Renton, Tim |
| Kellett-Bowman, Mrs Elaine | Rhodes James, Robert |
| Rhys Williams, Sir Brandon | Taylor, Teddy (S'end E) |
| Ridsdale, Sir Julian | Tebbit, Rt Hon Norman |
| Rifkind, Malcolm | Temple-Morris, Peter |
| Roberts, Wyn (Conwy) | Terlezki, Stefan |
| Robinson, Mark (N'port W) | Thatcher, Rt Hon Mrs M. |
| Roe, Mrs Marion | Thompson, Patrick (N'ich N) |
| Rossi, Sir Hugh | Thorne, Neil (Ilford S) |
| Rost, Peter | Thornton, Malcolm |
| Rowe, Andrew | Thurnham, Peter |
| Rumbold, Mrs Angela | Townend, John (Bridlington) |
| Ryder, Richard | Tracey, Richard |
| Sainsbury, Hon Timothy | Trippier, David |
| Scott, Nicholas | Trotter, Neville |
| Shaw, Giles (Pudsey) | Twinn, Dr Ian |
| Shelton, William (Streatham) | van Straubenzee, Sir W. |
| Shepherd, Colin (Hereford) | Vaughan, Sir Gerard |
| Shepherd, Richard (Aldridge) | Viggers, Peter |
| Shersby, Michael | Waddington, David |
| Silvester, Fred | Wainwright, R. |
| Sims, Roger | Wakeham, Rt Hon John |
| Skeet, T. H. H. | Walden, George |
| Smith, Sir Dudley (Warwick) | Wall, Sir Patrick |
| Smith, Tim (Beaconsfield) | Wallace, James |
| Soames, Hon Nicholas | Waller, Gary |
| Speed, Keith | Ward, John |
| Speller, Tony | Wardle, C. (Bexhill) |
| Spencer, Derek | Watson, John |
| Spicer, Jim (W Dorset) | Watts, John |
| Spicer, Michael (S Worcs) | Wells, Sir John (Maidstone) |
| Squire, Robin | Wheeler, John |
| Stanbrook, Ivor | Whitfield, John |
| Stanley, John | Whitney, Raymond |
| Steel, Rt Hon David | Wiggin, Jerry |
| Steen, Anthony | Wolfson, Mark |
| Stern, Michael | Wood, Timothy |
| Stevens, Lewis (Nuneaton) | Woodcock, Michael |
| Stewart, Allan (Eastwood) | Wrigglesworth, Ian |
| Stewart, Andrew (Sherwood) | Yeo, Tim |
| Stewart, Ian (N Hertf'dshire) | Young, Sir George (Acton) |
| Stokes, John | |
| Stradling Thomas, J. | Tellers for the Ayes: |
| Sumberg, David | Mr. Carol Mather and |
| Tapsell, Sir Peter | Mr. Donald Thompson. |
| Taylor, John (Solihull) | |
| NOES | |
| Abse, Leo | Conlan, Bernard |
| Anderson, Donald | Cook, Frank (Stockton North) |
| Ashton, Joe | Cook, Robin F. (Livingston) |
| Atkinson, N. (Tottenham) | Corbett, Robin |
| Bagier, Gordon A. T. | Corbyn, Jeremy |
| Banks, Tony (Newham NW) | Cowans, Harry |
| Barnett, Guy | Cox, Thomas (Tooting) |
| Barron, Kevin | Craigen, J. M. |
| Beckett, Mrs Margaret | Cunliffe, Lawrence |
| Bell, Stuart | Dalyell, Tam |
| Benn, Tony | Davies, Rt Hon Denzil (L'lli) |
| Bennett, A. (Dent'n & Red'sh) | Davies, Ronald (Caerphilly) |
| Bermingham, Gerald | Davis, Terry (B'ham, H'ge H'l) |
| Bidwell, Sydney | Deakins, Eric |
| Blair, Anthony | Dixon, Donald |
| Boothroyd, Miss Betty | Dobson, Frank |
| Boyes, Roland | Dormand, Jack |
| Bray, Dr Jeremy | Dubs, Alfred |
| Brown, Gordon (D'f'mline E) | Duffy, A. E. P. |
| Brown, Hugh D. (Provan) | Dunwoody, Hon Mrs G. |
| Brown, N. (N'c'tle-u-Tyne E) | Eadie, Alex |
| Brown, R. (N'c'tle-u-Tyne N) | Eastham, Ken |
| Brown, Ron (E'burgh, Leith) | Edwards, Bob (W'h'mpt'n SE) |
| Buchan, Norman | Evans, John (St. Helens N) |
| Caborn, Richard | Ewing, Harry |
| Callaghan, Jim (Heyw'd & M) | Faulds, Andrew |
| Campbell, Ian | Field, Frank (Birkenhead) |
| Campbell-Savours, Dale | Fields, T. (L'pool Broad Gn) |
| Carter-Jones, Lewis | Flannery, Martin |
| Clarke, Thomas | Foot, Rt Hon Michael |
| Clay, Robert | Forrester, John |
| Clwyd, Mrs Ann | Foster, Derek |
| Cohen, Harry | Fraser, J. (Norwood) |
| Coleman, Donald | Freeson, Rt Hon Reginald |
| Garrett, W. E. | O'Brien, William |
| George, Bruce | O'Neill, Martin |
| Gilbert, Rt Hon Dr John | Orme, Rt Hon Stanley |
| Godman, Dr Norman | Park, George |
| Golding, John | Parry, Robert |
| Gould, Bryan | Patchett, Terry |
| Hamilton, James (M'well N) | Pavitt, Laurie |
| Hamilton, W. W. (Central Fife) | Pendry, Tom |
| Hardy, Peter | Pike, Peter |
| Harman, Ms Harriet | Powell, Raymond (Ogmore) |
| Harrison, Rt Hon Walter | Prescott, John |
| Hart, Rt Hon Dame Judith | Radice, Giles |
| Hattersley, Rt Hon Roy | Randall, Stuart |
| Haynes, Frank | Redmond, M. |
| Heffer, Eric S. | Rees, Rt Hon M. (Leeds S) |
| Hogg, N. (C'nauld & Kilsyth) | Richardson, Ms Jo |
| Holland, Stuart (Vauxhall) | Roberts, Allan (Bootle) |
| Home Robertson, John | Roberts, Ernest (Hackney N) |
| Hoyle, Douglas | Robertson, George |
| Hughes, Dr. Mark (Durham) | Robinson, G. (Coventry NW) |
| Hughes, Robert (Aberdeen N) | Rogers, Allan |
| Hughes, Roy (Newport East) | Rooker, J. W. |
| Hughes, Sean (Knowsley S) | Rowlands, Ted |
| Janner, Hon Greville | Ryman, John |
| John, Brynmor | Sedgemore, Brian |
| Jones, Barry (Alyn & Deeside) | Sheerman, Barry |
| Kaufman, Rt Hon Gerald | Sheldon, Rt Hon R. |
| Kilroy-Silk, Robert | Shore, Rt Hon Peter |
| Kinnock, Rt Hon Neil | Short, Ms Clare (Ladywood) |
| Lambie, David | Short, Mrs R.(W'hampt'n NE) |
| Lamond, James | Silkin, Rt Hon J. |
| Leighton, Ronald | Skinner, Dennis |
| Lewis, Ron (Carlisle) | Smith, C.(Isl'ton S & F'bury) |
| Lewis, Terence (Worsley) | Smith, Rt Hon J. (M'kl'ds E) |
| Litherland, Robert | Snape, Peter |
| Lloyd, Tony (Stretford) | Soley, Clive |
| Lofthouse, Geoffrey | Stott, Roger |
| McCartney, Hugh | Strang, Gavin |
| McDonald, Dr Oonagh | Straw, Jack |
| McKelvey, William | Thomas, Dafydd (Merioneth) |
| McNamara, Kevin | Thompson, J. (Wansbeck) |
| McTaggart, Robert | Thorne, Stan (Preston) |
| Madden, Max | Tinn, James |
| Marek, Dr John | Torney, Tom |
| Marshall, David (Shettleston) | Wardell, Gareth (Gower) |
| Mason, Rt Hon Roy | Wareing, Robert |
| Maxton, John | Weetch, Ken |
| Maynard, Miss Joan | White, James |
| Meacher, Michael | Wigley, Dafydd |
| Meadowcroft, Michael | Williams, Rt Hon A. |
| Michie, William | Winnick, David |
| Millan, Rt Hon Bruce | Woodall, Alec |
| Mitchell, Austin (G't Grimsby) | |
| Morris, Rt Hon A. (W'shawe) | Tellers for the Noes: |
| Morris, Rt Hon J. (Aberavon) | Mr. John McWilliam and |
| Nellist, David | Mr. Allen McKay. |
| Oakes, Rt Hon Gordon |
§ Question accordingly agreed to.
§ MR. DEPUTY SPEAKER then proceeded to put the Questions on the remaining Lords amendments to be disposed of at that hour.
§
Lords amendment: No. 3, in page 3, line 38, at end insert—
() The Secretary of State shall before the abolition date lay before Parliament a report on the steps he will take to secure the full adoption by metropolitan district councils and the London borough councils of those facilities, services, and responsibilities for the protection and enjoyment of the countryside and areas for urban nature conservation which serve the continuing needs of the wider county areas and neighbouring populations.
§ Read a Second time.
§
Amendments made to Lords amendment, (a) in line 4, leave out 'metropolitan district councils and the London borough councils' and insert
'the councils to which functions are transferred by this section in Greater London or a metropolitan county'.
§ (b) in line 8 leave out 'the wider county areas' and insert 'Greater London or that county'.—[Mr. Patrick Jenkin.]
§ Lords amendment, as amended, agreed to
§ Lords amendment No. 2 agreed to.
§
Lords amendment: No. 4, before clause 7, insert the following new clause — Highway and Road Traffic functions
. The Secretary of State shall by order taking effect on the abolition date make provision for the London Residuary Body to exercise the following functions relating to highways and road traffic in London to the extent and in the manner that such order shall provide—
§ Read a Second time.
§ Mr. Jeremy Hanley (Richmond and Barnes)I beg to move amendment (b) to the Lords amendment, in line 26, at end insert 775
'provided that, if such revision contains proposals for the designation of existing metropolitan roads as trunk roads, a public enquiry shall be held before any such road shall be so designated by the Secretary of State.'.
§ Mr. SpeakerWith this it will be convenient to take the following: amendment (c) thereto, in line 26, at end insert
'and the Secretary of State shall not direct that a highway or proposed highway shall become a trunk road until he has considered the proposals submitted to him under this subsection.'.Lords amendment No. 5, before clause 7, insert the following new clause—