Bill Esterson
Main Page: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)
Mr Pickles
My hon. Friend makes a very reasonable point. Local authorities will now be able to apply the proceeds of that growth, so their local populations will expect them to make timely decisions. Now that power has moved closer to local authorities, they have much greater responsibility to deliver these decisions on time.
Bill Esterson (Sefton Central) (Lab)
The Mary Portas review will help with business growth. In my constituency, Formby has a parish council and Maghull has a town council. Will the Secretary of State confirm whether parish and town councils will qualify as accountable bodies for funding bids under the Portas review, or will the bids have to go through the borough or district councils?
Mr Pickles
I am afraid to say that, despite Formby being the apple of my eye and a wonderful place to invest, the process will be at borough level.