Yes GF, sort of.

Except that the blocking motions tabled by the two MPs will automatically become removed with the Commons debate. They will have served their function in forcing the debate, so they come to an end. Therefore, the progress (or not) of the Bill depends entirely on the debate outcome.

Commons majorities being what they are, there isn't much doubt that the Bill will progress to the Lords without further delay so petitioners will indeed need to get their skates on.

What I find really interesting is the calendar. Norman Lamb's blocking motion is based upon his requirement for direct elections to the BA, or at least representation via local councils. One way or another, a public voice in the BA mechanism. Not really what quangos are about, certainly not this quango. Quangos are all about telling, not asking.

The BA Chief Executive promised to submit these proposals for airing at the BA's main committee meeting in May. May? Seems he didn't feel urged to include it with the March meeting held FOUR WEEKS after the CEO was made aware of Norman Lamb's terms for a 'way forward'. No rush. The BA Chairman witnessed Mr Lamb's terms but he didn't see fit to put them to the March 28th BA meeting either, yet he could have deemed this a matter of urgency and tabled the matter regardless of time available to include it in the agenda (Local Government Act 1972; Section 100B (4) (b) ).

Commons Debate = 7th May.
BA Committee Meeting = 9th May.

Hello?

The Commons debate and the blocking motions will be all over and done well before Mr Lamb gets any kind of answer from the BA.

Chronological coincidence, no doubt.

Yeah, right.

SS

And here is an expert view: -

Dear prospective petitioner,

I am sending you this email because you asked to be kept informed about the petitioning period for the Broads Authority Bill. You may well have already noticed that a date for the debate on the third reading of the Bill in the House of Commons was announced this morning. It will be debated on Wednesday 7th May 2008.

If the Bill receives a third reading and is sent to the House of Lords on May 7th then the petitioning period in the House of Lords will begin on Thursday 8th May 2008 and will end on Monday 19th May 2008 at 5pm. If you do wish to petition against the Bill in the House of Lords you must deposit your petition between those dates.

Chris Bolton (Ms)

Private Bill Office , House of Lords, London SW1A 0PW

From the Parliament website:

On 24 April, it was announced that the Bill will have its Third Reading debate on 7 May. That debate will be held on the Floor of the House and will start at 4pm and may last up to three hours. A division may be called to determine whether the Bill is given its Third Reading.

So far as I can grasp from the often flexible TV listings it appears that BBC Parliament intends to provide live coverage.

To those who were unable to access the Parliamentary Debate can I just say that it was extraordinary.
MP's stood up in the house and in clear terms expressed our concerns about the way in which this organisation is being run.
The measure is there just draft your petitions and take them to the Lords.

"Organisation" ?

Odd choice of reference, Codpiece.

For those who weren't able to slide away from the office on the pretence of a fictional meeting...

No Division Bell was necessary. At the close of the 105 minute debate the call to Third Reading was unopposed, so by the time you read this the Bill will have been taken upstairs to Their Lordships.

Chapters of home truths came out in the debate and we should all be proud of the Norfolk MPs who were so well versed in the fine art of understanding public attitude and the reasons behind it.

It was made pretty clear that contentment with the Bill and with the Authority is far from universal. Our MPs seemed to pass the Bill to the Lords and then duck. Quick.

The Honourable Member for North Norfolk made mention of "The Awkward Squad".

Is that you? If so, you'll need to get weaving pretty smartly as the deadline for delivery of petitions to the Lords is 5pm on Monday 19th May.

Must dash....

F'tock.

Just finished reading the debate. Bang on. Thanks to everyone who has obviously spent time in the background briefing their MPs. The level of this debate FAR exceeded that of a year ago. A lot of home truths were aired, all in a positive way, and there was clear agreement among participating MPs.

The kicker came at the end when the minister made a commitment to examining the possibility of direct elections for national parks and the Broads, such consultation process to occur over the summer, which means that it may well be over by the time our petitions are heard in the House of Lords. Brand new policy statement. Excellent.

Some of us have been saying for quite a while that the cold light of democracy needs to be shone on the inner workings of Colegate, where the executive has been effectively unchecked for 20 years. Now we have a serious chance of change.

Perhaps it isn't the time to gloat but, hey, that sounds like:
Awkward Squad 1, Colegate 0
Spin that.

Next step is for the Authority members to discuss the issue and reach a conclusion on Friday. Should make for interesting viewing.

If you are minded to petition, don't forget that there are additional papers to complete for your petition and both are in the HoL pack. There's also a fee of £20.

Edited to say that 12 copies are not needed - HoL require the original and 1 copy not signed. Thanks to my secretary for advising me and to Paul for pointing out that I had posted erroneous info here.