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Local Government

I would have thought that the hon. Lady would make my point. If there was such a divergence of opinion, it would have been better to ask the people to start with, rather than imposing the change through worthy bodies on committees. My point—we have gone through this many times before, but the principles do not change—is simply this. When we consider the large amount of risk, in terms of uncertainty and cost, that inevitably arises in any restructuring in local government—it is not too difficult to unpick the figures that have been quoted in support of the current proposals by citing the work of other academics, such as Professor Chisholm and others—it is not unreasonable to say: first, that the onus of proof should be on those who propose change; secondly, that the burden of proof should be high; thirdly, that it should be based on firm evidence; and fourthly, that that evidence should be judged against clear and objective criteria. I am sorry to say that the conclusion, on balance, that this proposal has a more reasonable chance than the other is scarcely the application of any form of evidence to reasonable criteria. This is a suck-it-and-see form of politics, and it is not fair on the people who live in Cheshire or in any of the other affected counties. The Government have not managed to make their case, which they have based entirely on one set of proposals. They have not explored the important alternative of improved two-tier working.