New
Clause
7
Action
plans
‘(1) The Secretary of
State shall, as soon as is practicable, consult all principal councils
in accordance with this
section—
(a) on the
matters set out in the Schedule to this Act, which specifies matters
which affect the sustainability of local communities,
and
(b) on any other matters which in the opinion of the
Secretary of State affect the sustainability of local
communities.
(2) Before
consulting principal councils, the Secretary of State
must—
(a) subject to
paragraph (b) appoint a person to be his advisor (“the
advisor”) for the purposes of this
Act.
(b) request the Local
Government Association to be the advisor but, if that body declines,
appoint such other person or persons who must be persons who represent
the interests of principal
councils.
(3) The advisor must
consider the responses to the consultation pursuant to subsection (1)
and draw up a list of proposals contained in those responses which in
the advisor’s
opinion—
(a) should be
given the greatest priority,
and
(b) have cross-party
support.
(4) The Secretary of
State must, subject to subsection (5), cooperate with the advisor in
drawing up an action plan to promote the sustainability of local
communities which
shall—
(a) be based
primarily on those proposals that have been identified by the advisor
as requiring the greatest priority and having cross-party support;
and
(b) include such other
recommendations made by principal councils as the Secretary of State
thinks fit.
(5) The Secretary
of State may determine which proposals are not appropriate to be
implemented immediately or at all, on the grounds
that—
(a) the direct or
indirect costs likely to be involved in their implementation,
or
(b) their implementation in
whole or in part is likelyto conflict, to a significant
extent, with a specific government objective.
(6) The Secretary of State shall, no later than 18
months after
the commencement of the consultation pursuant to subsection (1), lay the
action plan before each House of Parliament for approval by each
House. (7) The Secretary of
State must—
(a)
implement the action plan and for that purpose shall keep under review
the progress made from time to time in the implementation of the action
plan; and
(b) consider any
opinions of the advisor on progress
made.
(8) The Secretary of
State shall ensure that every regional office of government cooperates
with principal councils and panels established under section 3(1A) for
the relevant region in the promotion of the sustainability of local
communities.
(9) The Secretary
of State shall in each Session of Parliament beginning after the
enactment of this act lay an annual report before each House of
Parliament containing the action plan, if completed, and detailing the
progress made to the date of the report in producing the action plan if
not completed, and in implementing the recommendations contained in the
action plan in pursuance of subsection
(7).’.
Brought
up, read the First and Second time, and added to the
Bill.
Amendments
made: No. 46, in title, line 6, leave out
‘upon
request’.
No.
47, in title, line 6, leave out ‘produce local
spending plans’ and insert
‘make recommendations regarding
local spending
reports’.
No.
48, in title, line 7, leave out ‘approve
and implement those plans’ and insert
‘publish reasons for decisions
relating to local spending reports’.—[Mr.
Hurd.]
Bill, as
amended, to be
reported.
Committee
rose at five minutes to Four
o’clock.
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