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Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Bill [Lords]

It might not be a matter for these clauses, but the way in which we carry out our procurement more generally and in which we ensure that it is transparent, open and simple for firms to access are a major priority for us. One thing that this difficult economic period has shown us is that ensuring that people can access the available contracts in a way that is appropriate to them is quite a challenge, not just to local authorities but for Government procurement, too. As a priority, we should look at the NHS and our big Government Departments—really significant economic players—and ensure that the system is as open as it can be to people in small organisations. To conclude, the last time that the UK experienced a recession—it is appropriate that we have just had the discussion that we have—councils were pretty underfunded and were certainly demoralised. Today, I think that local authorities are thriving, innovative and powerful organisations that are well placed to respond to the challenges ahead.