That this House believes that children who have multiple disabilities and complex health needs and their families have a need for short breaks either in the family home or in specialist residential settings; recognises the intense pressure placed on so many families who provide 24 hour care to children and young people with multiple disabilities; urges local authorities to ensure that such breaks are in adequate supply to meet the needs of the thousands of families and children who require such support; applauds the aims of the awareness campaign, Give us a Break!, set up by the Children's Trust, Tadworth, to highlight the need for short breaks in the UK; is encouraged by the reference to the need for short breaks in the recent National Service Framework for Children, Young People and Maternity Services; and calls on the Government to fully consider how such breaks should be funded in the future.

That this House believes that children who have multiple disabilities and complex health needs and their families have a need for short breaks either in the family home or in specialist residential settings; recognises the intense pressure placed on so many families who provide 24 hour care to children and...

That this House notes the inconvenience and distress caused by local authorities giving a new street a name that is similar or identical to the name of another street in the same area; recognises that problems arising from this can include missing credit card bills, the unwanted and unauthorised change of utility suppliers and bailiffs trying to repossess the wrong person's property; therefore calls on local authorities to take greater note of the Street Name Plates and the Numbering of Premises guidelines, as issued by the then Department of Transport in 1993; urges local authorities to consult with Royal Mail when considering new street names, as advised by the guidelines; and stresses the importance to both Royal Mail and the emergency services for local authorities not to give new streets similar names to exiting roads that are in the same locality.

That this House notes the inconvenience and distress caused by local authorities giving a new street a name that is similar or identical to the name of another street in the same area; recognises that problems arising from this can include missing credit card bills, the unwanted and unauthorised change...

That this House recognises the offence caused to local communities by graffiti in their environment; notes the difficulty in removing graffiti without the application of graffiti repellent paint to buildings and street furniture; calls on the Government to give local authorities more powers to insist on anti-graffiti paint being applied to buildings and street furniture owned by private organisations such as telephone companies, bus companies and owners of poster sites; and calls on private organisations to work together with local authorities to ensure that anti-graffiti coatings are applied to public telephone boxes, telephone switching boxes, bus shelters, bus stops and other street furniture.

That this House recognises the offence caused to local communities by graffiti in their environment; notes the difficulty in removing graffiti without the application of graffiti repellent paint to buildings and street furniture; calls on the Government to give local authorities more powers to insist on anti-graffiti paint being applied...

That this House expresses concern that a third of the UK's street lighting stock is outdated and poses a significant maintenance problem for local authorities; therefore welcomes the Transport Committee's report on Local Roads and Pathways and its recommendation that the Department for Transport should provide indicative allocations of funding for street lighting as part of any future local transport plan settlements; and supports the 'Better Lighting, Safer Citizens' campaign organised by the Associate Parliamentary Lighting Group in its request for the Government to set up a cross-departmental working group to consider the importance of street lighting, the present dereliction of the lighting stock, and to review how such lighting should be funded in the future.

That this House expresses concern that a third of the UK's street lighting stock is outdated and poses a significant maintenance problem for local authorities; therefore welcomes the Transport Committee's report on Local Roads and Pathways and its recommendation that the Department for Transport should provide indicative allocations of funding...

That this House welcomes the Local Communities Sustainability Bill introduced by a cross-party group of honourable Members in the last session; notes that the Bill requires the Secretary of State, the National Assembly for Wales and the Greater London Authority, in conjunction with local authorities and local communities, to draw up and implement strategies to promote local services and local economic activity, measures for protecting the environment, social justice and greater political involvement; notes too that the Bill specifies the functions of local authorities and local electors in a way that gives local authorities greater freedom of action; and therefore supports the objects of the Bill.

That this House welcomes the Local Communities Sustainability Bill introduced by a cross-party group of honourable Members in the last session; notes that the Bill requires the Secretary of State, the National Assembly for Wales and the Greater London Authority, in conjunction with local authorities and local communities, to draw...

That this House is deeply concerned that the shortfall of Traveller sites is causing severe hardship for the Gypsy and Traveller community and is leading to a deterioration in relations between the Traveller and settled community; notes that the Institute for Public Policy Research has produced proposals for Traveller sites entitled 'Moving On', which has received widespread support, further notes that the ODPM Select Committee report on the draft Housing Bill has called upon the Government to introduce a statutory duty on local authorities to provide and facilitate Gypsy and Traveller sites; calls upon the Government to ensure that mechanisms are urgently put in place to provide and facilitate a sufficient number of Traveller sites; and further notes such action is supported by the Institute for Public Policy Research, Local Government Association, Shelter, Children's Society, Traveller Law Reform Coalition and Commission for Racial Equality.

That this House is deeply concerned that the shortfall of Traveller sites is causing severe hardship for the Gypsy and Traveller community and is leading to a deterioration in relations between the Traveller and settled community; notes that the Institute for Public Policy Research has produced proposals for Traveller sites...

That this House recognises that council housing has provided generations with a decent, affordable, secure and accountable alternative to market forces in housing and is an important part of a comprehensive welfare state; further recognises that nearly three million tenants in England and Wales want this to continue but that it requires major investment to ensure that first rate council housing is available for future generations; notes the breakdown of a new right to borrow for local authorities and the Secretary of State's assurance on 16th January that however tenants vote in privatisation their homes will be brought up to the decency standard to 2010 and therefore calls for the additional money for housing announced in the last spending review to be invested in council housing; believes that real choice for tenants depends on an end to Government discrimination against council housing, with the introduction of a level playing field by implementing measures outlined in the draft Local Government Bill and the ODPM blue skies review of housing finance to end all daylight robbery tax on tenants' rents, free councils to borrow for investment, return all housing capital receipts to fund investment in council homes, write-off all HRA debt, fund council borrowing via a new allowance in the formula rent calculation and use local authority social housing grant to build new council homes; and welcomes the Manifesto for Council Housing and other initiatives to highlight this issue and persuade Government to 'Stop privatisation and invest in council housing with no strings attached'.

That this House recognises that council housing has provided generations with a decent, affordable, secure and accountable alternative to market forces in housing and is an important part of a comprehensive welfare state; further recognises that nearly three million tenants in England and Wales want this to continue but that...

That this House welcomes the Local Communities Sustainability Bill introduced by a cross-party group of honourable Members on 12th March; notes that the Bill requires the Secretary of State, the National Assembly for Wales and the Greater London Authority, in conjunction with local authorities and local communities, to draw up and implement strategies to promote local services and local economic activity, measures for protecting the environment, social justice and greater political involvement; notes too that the Bill specifies the functions of local authorities and local electors in a way that gives local authorities greater freedom of action; and therefore supports the objects of the Bill.

That this House welcomes the Local Communities Sustainability Bill introduced by a cross-party group of honourable Members on 12th March; notes that the Bill requires the Secretary of State, the National Assembly for Wales and the Greater London Authority, in conjunction with local authorities and local communities, to draw up...

That this House opposes the abolition of local authority social housing grant from April 2003 as announced by the Deputy Prime Minister in his Sustainable Communities Plan; believes that by springing this surprise cutback on local authorities just two months before the new financial year, the Government has thrown many well-advanced social housing programmes into chaos and may seriously undermine the early provision of desperately needed affordable homes; and calls on the Government to defer the introduction of these changes until April 2004 at the earliest to consult fully with councils through the Local Government Association and other routes before they press ahead with this damaging proposal.

That this House opposes the abolition of local authority social housing grant from April 2003 as announced by the Deputy Prime Minister in his Sustainable Communities Plan; believes that by springing this surprise cutback on local authorities just two months before the new financial year, the Government has thrown many...