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James backs greater support for local communities in planning their own future

James Arbuthnot, Member of Parliament for North East Hampshire this week gave his backing to fellow MP Alistair Burt’s Sustainable Communities Act 2007 (Amendment) Bill, designed to provide greater support for local communities in planning their own future.

The Bill received its second reading in the House of Commons on Friday 26th February 2010.

The principal aim of the original Sustainable Communities Act 2007 was to promote the sustainability of local communities, by encouraging the improvement of economic, social or environmental well-being. The Act invited local communities to work with their local authorities, following the invitation of the Secretary of State, to make proposals that would contribute to promoting local community sustainability. These proposals would then be evaluated by the Local Government Association, in order to draw up a shortlist of proposals to offer to the Secretary of State, who would then come back to explain what he or she would like done with the proposals and how they might be implemented.

The Act also required transparency in detailing what public money came into a local area through the publication of local spending reports, enabling the public to see at a glance exactly what was being spent in an area, what was committed to and what might be deemed to be discretionary and could therefore be transferred to a different area of community priority.

Building on the achievements of that 2007 Act, the purpose of Friday’s Bill was twofold: to allow the provisions of the original act to become a permanent, continuing process in the future and also to include provision for the specific involvement of parish and town councils in the process.

During the debate, James intervened:

"I have come back from my constituency, where I was visiting schools, to support my hon. Friend's Bill. I congratulate him on the way in which he has approached it and on his success today. I particularly wish to congratulate the Minister, and thank her for the way in which she has approached the Bill. Her approach is the sort of thing that will restore trust in Parliament."

Alistair Burt (MP for North-East Bedfordshire) replied:

"I thank my right hon. Friend for his kind remarks. He, too, has a good feel for and appreciation of the way in which grass-roots political activity contributes not only to this place, but to the success of local government and the like. I appreciate his comments and I am sure that they will be noted by the whole House."

The Bill was accordingly read a second time and now moves for consideration to a Public Bill Committee.