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Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Bill

My Lords, I am grateful for the Minister’s assurances that the intentions are benign and that this does not represent a return to micromanagement. I am sure that district councils will also welcome her words on the importance of district councils in local governance. I conclude with two remarks. First, I hope that we do not wait too long for these regulations. There are examples of regulations taking up to two years after the Bill is passed. That would make life very difficult for the local authorities concerned. Secondly, I emphasise to the noble Baroness that we must remember that county and district councils have each been elected and each has their own mandate. While we do not on the one hand want unnecessary bureaucracy and burdens on partners, on the other hand the response of an organisation to a county council will have a county council focus. It may be that the legitimate aspiration of a district council is rather different. They will have been elected on that basis. There is sometimes a tension—which I recognise is uncomfortable for the Government—between respecting the democratic institutions on the one hand and bureaucracy on the other. In developing these, we must be careful to ensure that we respect that district councils are elected and have a separate mandate from the county council. I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. [Amendments Nos. 195ZF to 195ZH not moved.] Clause 130 [Overview and scrutiny committees of district councils: local improvement targets]: [Amendments Nos. 195ZJ to 195ZL not moved.] Clause 134 [Alternative procedure for byelaws]: