PARLIAMENT is back in action tomorrow when, after what will almost certainly be a Government Statement about the serious flooding and the Prime Minister reporting back from the Euro summit that took place just before Christmas, we will be moving on to the final stages of the Housing and Planning Bill.
The links between the two are obvious and of particular concern to the North East Lincolnshire part of my constituency, where the council has been without a Local Plan for a number of years resulting in something of a free-for-all for developers.
The Local Plan is the foundation document on which all planning decisions are based.
It identifies land use, be it residential, industrial, open space or whatever.
We need more housing, of that there is no doubt, but the council needs to be in charge of where new developments go but without an up-to-date Plan they lose that control and if they decide to refuse an application the Planning Inspectorate will most likely approve it on appeal.
In these circumstances the democratic process has let local residents down and, in these circumstances, they too should have a right of appeal.
Earlier this year I introduced a Bill into the House of Commons that would have done just that and also extended the powers of parish councils to raise objections on behalf of those they represent.
I did this under what is known as the '10 minute rule', which allows members, as the name suggests, to speak for ten minutes to raise the profile of an issue.
These Bills have no chance of reaching the Statute Book but are an important way of starting a debate.
Now with a Government Bill passing through the House with planning matters at its core gives an opportunity to move an amendment that will achieve some of the objectives contained in my '10 Minute Rule Bill'.
Being realistic, though, there is much concern about these matters among my Conservative colleagues. Governments rarely fail to get their legislation through and since I don't expect them to accept my proposals they will be defeated, but it's a further step towards giving residents equal rights, why should applicants have the right of appeal but not the objectors? The fight will go on.
As well as the Housing and Planning Bill there will be plenty of Government legislation in 2016 as they seek to bring forward more of their manifesto proposals from last year's General Election.
The second year of any Parliament can be particularly hard going for any government.
As more and more Bills come forward long sessions in Committee are coming along with more 'ping-pong' as it's known when the House of Lords send legislation back with amendments that the Government don't like and the Commons send them back again.
The Lords tend to give way eventually but it delays things and governments are always frustrated by the time legislation and change takes.
Having said that law-making should take time, it shouldn't be pushed through on a whim or easily.
It must be considered and Parliament must always challenge governments as to their aims and objectives and if their proposals will actually achieve them. Will it adversely affect a minority whose rights need protecting? We are all minorities in some way, either because of our race, our religious beliefs, sexual orientation, our lifestyle or scores of other reasons.
Though we all have rights we also all have responsibilities and it is to government and the law that we look to maintain what is often an uneasy balance.
This coming year I will be continuing with my regular surgeries; each month I hold two in Cleethorpes, and one each in Waltham, Immingham and Barton-on-Humber.
If you would like an appointment please contact my local office on 01472 603554 or e-mail [email protected] Happy new year to you all.
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