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Parish Councils (Planning)

I shall come to some aspects of the hon. Gentleman’s question later. I have not attempted the journey on horseback yet, although it would be an appealing prospect to do so in the steps of William Cobbett, who undertook some of his rural rides in my constituency. He went to Frome, which he described as the ““Manchester of the south””. Perhaps its industrial past was rather different from its more bucolic present. A characteristic of all parish councils is the depth of local knowledge that they contain. The parish councillors are a repository of local knowledge, and because they live within a relatively small community and often make it their business to talk to their neighbours to ensure that they are well advised, they also have a strongly consultative role in their community. I should like to pay tribute to the men and women who volunteer to be our parish councillors. It is often a thankless task—it is certainly unremunerated—but without them, our democratic system would be very much worse. I pay tribute not only to the elected councillors but to the parish clerks, who are becoming increasingly professional in their abilities and the roles that they perform. They do us a great service right across the country.