The House of Keys has voted to remove the controversial Clause 5 from the Local Government Amendment Bill.
This follows almost universal criticism from local authorities about the clause that would have given the DoI the power to impose new duties on local authorities, amend existing legislation, set service standards and compel financial contributions, all through secondary legislation.
Members voted 19–1 to rescind earlier decisions that had approved the clause in principle and allowed it to stand part of the bill.
Onchan MHK Julie Edge urged members to “debate this today” and avoid delaying the issue when local authority representatives had been waiting in the chamber.
She criticised suggestions of further private discussions with Legislative Council, saying the House should “get on with the business that we’re here for.”
Tim Glover MHK said he supported suspending standing orders after receiving widespread concerns from “the majority, if not all, of the local authorities,” adding that the process had “united the local authorities.”
Infrastructure Minister Tim Crookall MHK said the department had met 19 of 21 authorities, later speaking to a twentieth, and found “a clear feeling… that they do not agree with the principle or the detail contained within clause five.”
He said the clause had become a symbol of distrust and that removing it was necessary to rebuild relationships.
Lawrie Hooper MHK and Juan Watterson MHK voted against and some other members are absent.
