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Broads Authority Bill

My Lords, I congratulate the noble Baroness, Lady Hollis, on opening this debate with such clarity. I pay tribute to the meticulous work carried out by the committee under the chairmanship of the noble Lord, Lord Berkeley. Ever since my East Anglian childhood more than 50 years ago, I have prized the broads at close quarters. No one who read Arthur Ransome in their youth could forget his glorious descriptions of the broads in the Coot Club. When later, 25 years ago, I was fortunate enough to represent the broads in the other place, it became clear, partly due to a threat to the existence of the Halvergate marshes, that primary legislation was essential to preserve this special landscape for the future. Consequently, I managed to persuade the Government—it was not a difficult task after the usual shadow boxing—to legislate in their own time. Indeed, the Broads Bill received a specific mention in the 1987 gracious Speech. As a member of the Government I had the privilege not only of being a representative of the broads but of piloting the Bill through the other place. The original 1998 Act succeeded in meeting its principal objectives and has stood up well to the test of time. Nevertheless, loose ends needed to be tidied up, hence the Bill before us today. It was important to strike the right balances in the Bill. I share the views of the noble Baroness, Lady Hollis, that these aims have been achieved. On safety, for example, there is a balance between the rights of individuals and the need to regulate for public protection. When it comes to the composition of the authority, we should remember that national parks and the broads are national assets. So I defend the appointments of some members by the Secretary of State and, of course, communities in Norfolk and Suffolk are well represented by eight elected members of local authorities, who all supported the Bill. At the end of the process, there were no outstanding petitions from boating, angling and amenity interests. Securing consensus with most of the boating fraternity marks a major success, yet we all know that the authority must continue—as I know it will—to improve engagement with local interests by matching best practices in national parks and national park authorities. I have no hesitation in praising successive chairmen and chief executives of the authority as well as their boards and officials. Norfolk and Suffolk are fortunate to be served by people with such dedication and skills. It gives me huge personal pleasure to support this Bill in the sure knowledge that future generations of residents and visitors will be able to enjoy the unique beauty of the broads thanks to the measures taken during the past quarter of a century in our two Houses of Parliament. I end with one tiny plea. The finest views of the broads can be seen from the summit of the tower of Ranworth church, the so-called parish church of the broads. Let not the potentates of health and safety prohibit future generations from observing this marvellous, protected landscape on the tower, while perhaps reading passages from Arthur Ransome and Ted Ellis, two wonderful bards of the broads. From the top of Ranworth church, you can now continue to gaze at beauty in all its silent eloquence. The legislation has worked; let us be grateful for its successes over the past 20 years.