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Further Education and Training Bill [HL]

moved Amendment No. 27: 27: Clause 4, page 5, line 4, at end insert— ““( ) provision requiring the Mayor to appoint to the body such person or persons in such number or numbers as the Mayor may think fit who are members of the Assembly or members of the London borough councils or members of the Common Council of the City of London.”” The noble Baroness said: The amendment relates to the membership of the board and the appointments made by the mayor, and would give him considerable flexibility. He would not be required to appoint any of the members of the assembly, members of London boroughs, or members of the Common Council of the City of London. That picks up the point that the noble Baroness, Lady Morris, has just made. He would, however, have to address his mind to the desirability of this. The membership announced towards the end of last year—I do not criticise any of the individuals—is not as wide-ranging as one would have hoped. I commented on this at Second Reading. Small businesses, even small and medium-sized enterprises, are hardly represented, if at all; nor are local authorities. The London boroughs are important partners in the delivery of skills provision. The direct involvement that membership of the board would give is entirely sensible, in addition to its consultative status. Assembly members lead local strategic thinking. As I have said, they have a function with regard to all the mayor’s strategies, and elected members—elections are important—represent the diverse views of constituencies, geographical and otherwise. They would enhance the voice of the public on this body. Again, the assembly wants this amendment. You might say that we would, wouldn’t we, but I hope that we do not consider these matters entirely personally and narrowly. The Conservative, Labour, Liberal Democrat and Green groups on the assembly all supported the call for political representatives on the board. I shall add a personal note that may be repeated several times when we debate the Greater London Authority Bill. The public find it counter-intuitive—that is not my phrase, but it is a good one—that assembly members, having been elected at the same time and with the same mandate as the Mayor of London, have such a narrow and difficult role. They think that we are there to control the Mayor of London in a way that we cannot. I do not seek to do so, but I do seek representation on the board. I beg to move.