{"longTitle":"To make provision for the purposes of promoting public involvement in relation to local authorities and other public authorities; to make provision about bodies representing the interests of tenants; to make provision about the procedures of local authorities and the audit of entities connected with them; to establish the Boundary Committee for England and to make provision relating to local government boundary and electoral change; to make provision about local and regional development; to amend the law relating to construction contracts; and for connected purposes.","summary":"<p>The Bill seeks to create greater opportunities for community and individual involvement in local decision-making. It also provides for greater involvement of local authorities in local and regional economic development.</p><p><strong>Key areas:</strong></p><ul><li>Provisions to secure greater involvement of people in the workings and decision-making processes of local public authorities</li><li>provisions to ensure that councils respond to petitions and can consider other matters raised by citizens in their area</li><li>a new duty for local authorities to assess economic conditions; a joint duty on regional development agencies and local authorities to produce a single regional strategy; and powers for councils to co-operate in promoting economic development.</li></ul>Additional provisions in the Bill include: <ul><li>establishing a new body to represent the interests of housing tenants in England at national level </li><li>new powers for audit authorities to appoint auditors to, and to produce public interest reports on, entities connected with local authorities</li><li>making the Boundary Committee for England a separate body from the Electoral Commission </li><li>improving the operation of construction contracts particularly as regards cash flow and adjudication.   </li></ul><p> </p>","sponsors":[{"member":{"memberId":2534,"name":"Baroness Andrews","party":"Labour","partyColour":"d50000","house":"Lords","memberPhoto":"https://members-api.parliament.uk/api/Members/2534/Thumbnail","memberPage":"https://members.parliament.uk/member/2534/contact","memberFrom":"Life peer"},"organisation":{"name":"Department for Communities and Local Government","url":"https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-communities-and-local-government"},"sortOrder":1},{"member":{"memberId":456,"name":"Hazel Blears","party":"Labour","partyColour":"d50000","house":"Commons","memberPhoto":"https://members-api.parliament.uk/api/Members/456/Thumbnail","memberPage":"https://members.parliament.uk/member/456/contact","memberFrom":"Salford"},"organisation":{"name":"Department for Communities and Local Government","url":"https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-communities-and-local-government"},"sortOrder":2}],"promoters":[],"petitioningPeriod":null,"petitionInformation":null,"agent":null,"billId":361,"shortTitle":"Local Democracy","formerShortTitle":null,"currentHouse":"Unassigned","originatingHouse":"Lords","lastUpdate":"2010-01-18T12:47:30","billWithdrawn":null,"isDefeated":false,"billTypeId":1,"introducedSessionId":22,"includedSessionIds":[22],"isAct":true,"currentStage":{"id":2789,"stageId":11,"sessionId":22,"description":"Royal Assent","abbreviation":"RA","house":"Unassigned","stageSittings":[{"id":2620,"stageId":11,"billStageId":2789,"billId":361,"date":"2009-11-12T00:00:00"}],"sortOrder":15}}