Lord Bassam of Brighton (Lab)

My Lords, I rise to speak about this based on my experience and the report I helped author for the Co-op commission on rural poverty some four years ago. What was clear to us then was the growing disparity between our towns and villages and our cities. The disparity manifested itself in the flight of public services: principally transport, but other services too. Unless we get the balance right with the creation of the new strategic authorities, villages and small towns will feel very much left behind, and that is not right or just. I know that that is not the Government’s intention. Amendment 310 goes a long way to trying to ensure that we get that balance in the right place. Combined mayoral authorities are, by and large, a very good thing, but applying them to rural areas is difficult. In creating these new combined mayoral authorities, we have to ensure that a balance is sought between town and country. Otherwise, the smaller communities will feel left behind, left out and disadvantaged. We have to take measures to adjust and remedy that disconnection. Otherwise, I fear that the flight of public services and professional services in rural communities will continue apace. As I said earlier, that is not right or just, and it undermines the need in those communities for, in particular, new housing and new services related to housing.