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Housing and Regeneration Bill

That is a major question. The amendment seeks to add to the list of bodies that must be consulted on issuing or changing standards a body considered by the regulator to be representative of local authorities. Throughout our discussions on the Bill, I have been as clear as I can about how important we think local authorities are, particularly in their role in housing provision across the community and not only as landlords. They now very much have a strategic function in relation to homelessness, and they are tasked with bringing together the public sector, the voluntary sector and the private sector to secure local well-being and so on. Despite that, I do not believe that it is necessary that a body that is representative of local authorities should also have to be consulted on standards. In practice, not just the main stakeholder body but many local authorities and related bodies are likely to be engaged in standards consultations anyway, because that is how the Housing Corporation has worked. Although there was no formal duty to consult them, there has been such a practice. We currently have a shortlist of mandatory consultees representing only the principal bodies; obviously representatives of the tenants and providers are vital but we also need the Audit Commission, partly because it will be involved in inspecting against standards. I do not think that local authorities, with the best will in the world, really fall into the same category. I am also concerned that by opening that door we will open it to other stakeholders who might feel they have as powerful and representative a claim. I am sorry to disappoint the noble Baroness but I think that we will have to resist that proposal.