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Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Bill

My right hon. Friend is absolutely right. I am sure that he is as enthusiastic a supporter of the principles of localism as I am. We do not believe in just mouthing platitudes about localism; we would like it to be implemented in practice. On that final point, I find it extraordinary that the GLA will be excluded from the provisions when the local parish council down the road from where I live in my constituency be will required to deal with this new burden—if indeed it is a burden, and if it is not a burden, it is a complete waste of everybody’s time. I am delighted that my hon. Friend the Member for Bexhill and Battle (Gregory Barker) thinks that he has won a great victory, because I am all in favour of the Opposition winning victories. If he thinks that new clause 4 is a great victory, far be it from me to disabuse him of that idea. From my perspective, new clause 4 could potentially have a very intrusive effect on local authority freedom. It offends against the principles of deregulation, which I thought that the Government signed up to.