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Norfolk Broads Authority
11 June 2009
A debate in the House of Lords on 11 June 2009 on the third reading of the Broads Authority Bill
Lord Trimble: :My Lords, I declare an interest as a boat owner; one, indeed, whose boat’s safety certificate is due for renewal within the next year. As noble Lords mentioned earlier, I was on the Committee and found it an interesting experience. It is the first time that I had served on an Opposed Private Bill Committee, so it rounds out my parliamentary experience in that respect. It is also the case, as the noble Baroness, Lady Hollis, has said, that the objectors were largely experienced sailors and that the objections from boating interests had been withdrawn, which is a significant fact.
However, listening to the objections from those experienced sailors, I was impressed by their commitment to the Broads and their desire to maintain the special characteristics of that waterway. I also felt that their objections were not so much to the substance of the Bill as reflecting a concern about how the new powers and procedures would operate. That concern came back to how the Broads Authority might operate, and so on. That is why there has been a focus on accountability and on trying to increase the number of elected representatives; particularly, to bring them in from parish council level.
While, as has been mentioned, the Committee did not inquire or take a position on this—the matter was out for consultation and the question of electing parish councillors was outside the scope of the Bill, so that any further comments I make are personal and in no way reflect the Committee as a whole—had this issue come before the Committee, I would have felt very sympathetic to it. That is worth reflecting on further because, if there were greater accountability, particularly of local representatives, that would go a long way to allay any concerns that people might have about how the new regime will operate in practice.
I noted that in the discussion of parish councils, there were the usual arguments about there being 93, none of which was wholly within the area of the authority. I am not inclined to attach much weight to that argument, because the Broads are significant to the wider community, beyond the narrow boundaries of the authority itself. When one looks at that wider community, the geographic area argument does not carry weight.
I noted also the positive proposals made by the noble Baroness, Lady Hollis, with regard to the Broads Forum and increasing the number of parish councillors there. It may be worth pursuing that further, but I hope that it will be possible for the Minister to find ways of increasing the elected representation on the authority itself. Something that goes through the forum and is then reflected on to the authority will not be as effective in building public confidence as an increase of representation, particularly of those who are from the most local level. It is a matter of assuring confidence in a situation where the legal regime is changing significantly.
From my perspective, as one whose boat is moored within the purview of British Waterways, the changes do not seem to be so dramatic because much of the change is bringing the authority into line with the provisions that apply both for British Waterways and the Environment Agency. But it is a significant change for people who are in the Broads area. Looking sympathetically at ways of building public confidence is something that I hope will be pursued.
To read the debate in full click here
11 June 2009
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