Localism Bill committee stage: day 10

The House of Lords debated the tenth day of committee stage – line by line examination – of the Localism Bill on Wednesday 20 July. Amendments to Clauses 124-215 were discussed concerning issues including planning, social housing, homelessness and the abolition of home information packs

Day nine

The House of Lords discussed amendments to Clause 100 concerning the use of community infrastructure levy on Tuesday 19 July.

Watch the debate live on Parliament TV: Localism Bill committee stage, day nine
Lords Hansard: read a transcript of the debate from Today in the Lords
Ninth Marshalled List of Amendments to be moved in Committee as at 15 July 2011
Amendments to be moved in Committee [Supplementary to the Ninth Marshalled List] as at 27 June 2011

Day eight

The House of Lords discussed amendments to Clause 100: Use of Community Infrastructure Levy on Thursday 14 July.

Day seven

Amendments discussed covered clauses 96, 97 to 99 of the Bill.

Day six

Discussion on Thursday 7 July included debate on whether Clause 74: Assets of community value and Clause 75: Land of community value should stand part of the Bill.

Amendments discussed covered clauses 74 to 93 of the Bill.

Clauses 74 and 75 were agreed.

Amendments 143ZB to 143ZD were agreed to without voting; clause 83 was agreed to as amended.

Amendments 147D and 147E were agreed to without voting; clause 85 was agreed to as amended.

Amendment 147F, moved by Baroness Hanham, which inserts a new clause after clause 87 was also agreed to without a vote. The amendments requires cooperation between local authorities regarding land that is in different local authority area.

Clauses 84, 86, 87, 91 to 94, and Schedule 8 were agreed to.

Day five

The House of Lords debated amendments covering clauses 68 to 74 of the Bill.

Further information

The Bill contains provisions for local government and community empowerment, planning, housing and the governance of London. Key elements of the Bill include provisions:

for community empowerment with powers to enable people to instigate local referendums on any issue, to approve or veto in a referendum a council tax increase deemed to be excessive, to express an interest in running local authority services and to provide local community groups with an opportunity to bid to buy assets of community value.
to abolish regional strategies, provide for neighbourhood plans, make pre-application consultation compulsory, make changes to planning enforcement and in relation to nationally significant infrastructure.

The purpose of the Bill was described in the Commons, where it started its progression through Parliament, as a ‘shake up in the balance of power in this country, revitalising local democracy and putting power back where it belongs, in the hands of the people.’

The Localism Bill had its second reading in the House of Lords on 7 June.

Detailed line by line examination of the separate parts (clauses and schedules) of the Bill takes place during committee stage. Any Member of the Lords can take part.

Passage of a Bill: Committee stage