§ (" . Schedule (Amendments to the 1972 Act) which contains amendments to the Local Government Act 1972 has effect.")
§ Lord WhittyMy Lords, I beg to move that the House do agree with the Commons in their Amendment No. 111. I shall speak also to the other amendments grouped with it.
The amendment introduces a new schedule to the Bill which makes a number of amendments to the Local Government Act 1972 consequential upon the establishment of executives and elected mayors under Part II of the Bill. The government amendments to the Commons amendments in this group simply add several modifications to that schedule.
Throughout the passage of the Bill, including in its latter stages in the Commons, we indicated that we should need to make a number of consequential amendments to existing legislation, and particularly to the 1972 Act, to take account of the existence of executives and directly elected mayors. In particular, we need to make sure that the relevant provisions in the 1972 Act which govern elected members are applied to elected mayors. This new schedule, as added to by Amendments Nos. 437A to 437E, helps to achieve that.
I commend the amendment to the House, and I hope that noble Lords will also support the government amendments to some of the Commons amendments later in the group.
Moved, That the House do agree with the Commons in their Amendment No. 111.—(Lord Whitty.) On Question, Motion agreed to.