Member

On that basis, I ask the Minister to look at this, because it is an extremely important part of our governance structure in this country. We are a unitary authority—this is not a federal nation—but we put great store by our local councillors and the, in the main, excellent work that they do. They are under a lot of pressure at the moment. This amendment simply asks the Government to look at the situation, to use the evidence available and maybe to develop a scheme in order to ameliorate the most acute cases of financial distress. It is my pleasure to support my noble friend Lord Fuller’s amendment.