§ 12.1 am
§ Mr. David Lidington (Aylesbury)I rise to present a petition on behalf of some of my constituents and those of my hon. Friends who represent other Buckinghamshire constituencies. It reads:
To the House of Commons, The petition of the Friends of Buckinghamshire declares that the £13 million the Local Government Commission says it would cost to set up its new councils in Buckinghamshire and the ongoing costs of up to £5 million a year would be better spent on improvements to services provided by the existing county and district councils. Breaking the county up would damage important countywide services such as Education, social services and libraries. The MORI opinion poll carried out on behalf of the Commission showed that only 19 per cent of respondents favoured the four unitary council plan. Nearly twice as many said they wanted no change to existing councils, or change limited to the creation of a new council for Milton Keynes.The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons rejects the Local Government Commission's recommendations for Buckinghamshire.The petitioners are headed by my noble Friend Lord Carrington, and an identical petition signed by 25,000 of people in Buckinghamshire has been presented to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment.To lie upon the Table.