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Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Bill [HL]

Another point came up during the passage of the transport Bill. I approve of Integrated Transport Authorities, and the Government agreed that they should be composed mainly of elected members, but we would be totally against having road charging imposed upon a county that did not want it. If counties want it, that is fine. They can have a referendum. It would be wrong to have a majority of an integrated body voting for road charging within a local authority that did not want it. That is what concerns us: losing the local democracy of that authority. It is up to that authority to choose the various things it wants. We do not want anything created which could impose it upon an authority that was against it.