---

Road Safety Bill [HL]

I have a lot of time for the noble Baroness, Lady Scott, because she is a great defender of local government, but I am quite surprised by this amendment. Suffolk County Council has taken the decision to do that. I represent nine villages on Essex County Council. All of them have speed limits of 30   mph, but we took those decisions in those villages because that is what we decided we wanted in them. We are looking at 20 mph limits beside some schools in those villages. I am surprised that the noble Baroness, Lady Scott, and the Liberal Democrats, who I thought believed in localism, want to impose something nationally which should be left to local communities. My local community has decided to impose limits and I have supported it. We should not do it nationally; we should leave it to local people to decide these matters according to circumstances in their villages. So I am very surprised that the Liberal Democrats want this.