Fiona Mactaggart
Main Page: Fiona Mactaggart (Labour - Slough)(14 years, 3 months ago)
Commons ChamberRead Full debate Read Hansard Text
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Mr Pickles
My hon. Friend makes a valid point about fortnightly waste collections. He is not alone in this; he will be delighted to know that he is in the company of the former Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, who has welcomed the abolition of the Audit Commission. He said:
“This is one Tory cut I support”.
I am sure that we are all with him on that—although it is, of course, a coalition cut, not a Tory cut.
My hon. Friend has mentioned a prime example of the Audit Commission being keen to please the Government rather than perform its functions. When the Government were clear that they wanted fortnightly collections, it went out of its way to push local authorities in that direction. My hon. Friend is right: this measure means more power to local people.
Fiona Mactaggart (Slough) (Lab)
After the implementation of this decision, what will happen to the rigorous but usually free audit support that the Audit Commission gives to small parish councils?
Mr Pickles
Given that 30% of all audit functions in public bodies are now in the private sector, I suspect that it will make no difference.