Member

Turning to Amendment 309, to be clear, I strongly support the spirit of this amendment and have had discussions with the noble Lord, Lord Bichard, about it. I particularly agree with the noble Lord’s point about the public’s wish to see greater collaboration across services. During our previous debate, the noble Lord rightly highlighted that one of the most pressing challenges for the local government sector is the fragmented delivery of public services. The noble Lord is correct to say that, unless this is addressed, the public will continue to struggle with disconnected and poorly designed services. Of course, many existing authorities and public service providers are working together constructively through arrangements that have developed over time. I have lots of examples, but I will not go into them for the sake of time. However, it is equally clear that more can and should be done to support stronger collaboration between authorities, public services and the wider partners involved in delivering them.