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Broads Authority Bill (By Order)

I think the hon. Gentleman knows the sort of numbers we are talking about following the meeting that we held with the Broads Authority. As I said earlier, there is a range of views on the Bill. There is a body of people he knows of, and they are represented in several of our constituencies, including those of two of the Conservative Members present. A number of people care passionately about this, have ultimately good motives and have the right to have their concerns heard. One assumes that the Bill will become law, and it then becomes a question of the Broads Authority proving that it was wrong in its concerns—that the powers will not be abused, that they will be used properly and proportionately, and that there is an opportunity to rebuild trust between the two sides. That is why I called the meeting, and I was grateful to the chairman and chief executive of the Broads Authority for agreeing to it. It is in everyone's interests, including the objectors and petitioners, that we get to a point where trust is re-established and they feel, despite the tensions that will always exist, that the Broads Authority is doing its work properly in protecting the interests of the navigation community. One of the things that could go a substantial way to rebuilding trust is the holding of direct elections. That would create a sense of accountability for the organisation, and I shall go on to address that issue. I begin by quoting the Prime Minister. When he became Prime Minister, he said:"““I want to build a shared national consensus for a programme of constitutional reform that strengthens the accountability of all who hold power””." I completely agree with that sentiment, and we could start by addressing the powers of quangos. Those bodies are ultimately not accountable to the public whom they serve. The Bill provides us with the opportunity to promote the idea of establishing greater accountability for organisations that are currently unelected and ultimately not answerable to the people whom they directly serve. That issue was first raised on Second Reading, and reference was made to the Scottish experience. Two national parks were established in Scotland with direct democratic representation from the start. Interestingly, they appear to be working very well. The wheels have not come off, there has not been a revolution and there appears to be a reasonable degree of interest and participation. In a report to the Broads Authority Board, at its meeting on Friday, the chief executive referred to the Scottish experience. He said that the practical arrangements for the elections appear to have worked well. Turnout in one of the two national parks was 60 per cent., and in the other it was 40 per cent., which was still above the turnout in local elections in many parts of the country. In my experience, people do care about the parks that cover their areas, particularly in Norfolk, although we must be clear that the Norfolk broads are not formally a national park.