Member

Amendments 86 and 87, in the name of the noble Baroness, Lady Eaton, are on mayoral accountability, and we have some serious sympathy with them. We have an issue with her Amendment 88, as I am not sure about bringing performance-related pay into this arena; I am quite nervous about that. But let us look at Amendments 86 and 87, which are worth considering. We support these amendments, as they are intended to reinforce delivery and to shift our attention to outcomes on the ground, equating powers with responsibilities and accountability. As I have said in this House many times, mayors now have significant planning and housing powers, so it is surely entirely reasonable to ask how these powers translate into delivery performance. In our opinion, these amendments would introduce accountability without overreach.