Frustration over govt’s “Gulliver” politics
By politics.co.uk staff
Legislation which the Liberal Democrats say will make it harder for people to petition their local council has come under attack in the Lords.
Tony Greaves, Lib Dem local government spokesperson in parliament’s upper house, said the red tape setting conditions on the form petitions to local councils can take would make submitting them “a lot harder”.
Lib Dems are baffled as to why the government needs to include eight pages of primary legislation on this issue.
With further statutory guidance to follow, Lord Greaves is concerned the local democracy, economic development and construction bill – to which the new petition rules are attached – will undermine democracy.
“I have been an elected councillor for about 30 years in total and I have been a member of the Lords for nearly nine years and I have never seen anything quite as silly as this,” he said.
“It’s Gulliver politics. This Lilliputian government is seeking to tie up councils in red tape and detailed rules which will cover every single thing they do, just as Gulliver was tied up on the beach.
“Instead of wasting councils’ time and resources, they should be freeing councils’ hands to provide support to local people during the economic crisis.”
