§ 2.43 p.m.
§ [The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Local Government Boundary Commission has now ceased operating in South-East England, and whether Her Majesty's Government have any statement to make relating to the future re-adjustment in this area of county boundaries and of borough and district boundaries within counties.]
§ THE JOINT PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY, MINISTRY OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES (LORD MITCHISON)My Lords, with the agreement of my right honourable friend the Minister of Housing and Local Government, the Local Government Commission have suspended their work on the Southern General Review Area and deferred a start on the South Eastern General Review Area. This is because my right honourable friend is considering whether there should be a new, radical review of local government, and, if so, what the effect should be on the work of the Commission. Until this is settled, it would be unfair to ask local authorities to be doing a lot of work for the Commission in the meantime. My right honourable friend hopes to be able to make a statement soon.
VISCOUNT GAGEMy Lords, I thank the noble Lord for that reply. I wonder whether he could give me an assurance that when this statement is made it will cover the points raised in my Question. The noble Lord is no doubt aware that there has not been a review since 1934 and that during that time a number of questions have arisen which have been deferred pending this visit of the Local Government Boundary Commission. If there should be a long delay caused by this new inquiry, those questions may become more important than they are now. Can the noble Lord give an assurance that this transitional period, which may be quite prolonged, will be adequately covered in the statement?
§ LORD MITCHISONMy Lords, the questions asked by the noble Viscount relate to the readjustment of county boundaries and borough and district boundaries within counties. The former of those is certainly a matter for the Local Government Commission, and for the time being they have suspended work. The latter is a question for county reviews and that will have to wait until the decision has been made on the question of a new review of local government. After all, a comprehensive review—indeed, the phrase used is "a radical review"—may alter the type of authority as well as alter the actual boundaries. Really, it is as impossible, I think, to ask local authorities to proceed with the county reviews as it is to ask the Commission to proceed with their functions until we get a decision on the advisability and type of review of local government. I think that is all I can say to the noble Viscount. I would point out to him that I did say that my right honourable friend hoped to be able to make a statement soon—and soon meant soon. It is a matter that is bound to take a certain amount of time, but I can assure the noble Viscount that my right honourable friend appreciates the difficulties in which a transitional period of this sort, necessary though it is, places local authorities.
VISCOUNT GAGEMy Lords, I am very grateful to the noble Lord. Can he say what is the present status of the Local Government Boundary Commission? They are not suspended, I understand. Would it be true to say that in another sphere they might be regarded as having gone on strike?
§ LORD MITCHISONMy Lords, they are suspended—but that does not mean hanged; it just means suspended. I cannot add to that. They have not gone on strike. It is more or less a temporary lock-out, I should have thought.
§ LORD NEWTONMy Lords, are we really to understand the noble Lord, Lord Mitchison, to be telling us that his right honourable friend Mr. Crossman is now about to carry out his own review in order to decide whether there should be a further local government review in addition to the present one being carried out by the Boundary Commission?
§ LORD MITCHISONMy Lords, this is a different matter. The noble Lord shakes his head, but it is a different matter. What the Local Government Commission is doing at present is carrying out its functions under the last Act. We had an instance here the, other day with the West Midlands Order, which I remember caused a considerable amount of discussion. What is asked now is whether there should be a new and radical review of local government. That, no doubt, includes boundaries; but it includes also a lot else. I cannot parallel the two things. It seems to me to be the right thing to do. Unless you are satisfied with the present structure of local government, you ought at least to consider whether a further review is required. I might point out, without going into it in detail, that there are a great many difficulties about local government at present, of which, perhaps, the West Midlands Order was quite a good example.
§ LORD NEWTONMy Lords, there have always been difficulties about local government, and I imagine there always will be. Might I ask a further question? In reply to my noble friend just now, the noble Lord said that this was not a strike by the Boundary Commission but something more in the nature of a lock-out. Will he now tell us why the lock-out occurred? Have there been strained relations between the Commissioners and the Minister? Otherwise, why did the Minister decide to lock them out?
§ LORD MITCHISONMy Lords, the phrase I used was "temporary lock-out". I do not know whether it was a happy phrase or not. One sometimes embarks 79 on the use of metaphors when one should not. What is happening is that my right honourable friend is now considering whether there should be a new, radical review of local government and, if so (and I am repeating what I have just said), what effect it would have on the work of the Commission. Until this has been settled, it would be unfair to ask the local authorities to do a lot of work for the Commission in the meantime; and it might well be unfair to ask the Commission to do a lot of work which might prove fruitless. Surely the position is clear. I find it difficult to believe that the noble Lord, Lord Newton, if he was prepared to accept that there are grave difficulties about local government at present, could object to this being done. I may add that it is almost overdue. I do not want to say anything about "thirteen years"; but it is, at any rate, being considered now.
§ LORD NEWTONMy Lords, may I say another word about this? Did the noble Lord want to say that the last Government are responsible for this lockout? It that right?
§ LORD MITCHISONReally, my Lords, it is what I called a "temporary lock-out". It is a suspension of the work of the Commission. Surely, in all the circumstances it is a reasonable thing to do. There has been no quarrel between the Commission and the Government. This is being done because a change is being contemplated. It seems to me rather far-fetched if I may say so, to suppose that there has been internal strife of this character. We know that it occurs from time to time in some political Parties. It does not often occur in machinery of this kind.
§ LORD LEATHERLANDMy Lords, just to balance things up a bit, is my noble friend aware that the decision of the Minister has been received with very considerable satisfaction by the County Council of Essex?
§ LORD MITCHISONMy Lords, I should like to thank my noble friend.