Bill handing London councils new powers makes headway in Commons

A Bill giving London councils new powers to tackle a range of issues including problems caused by unlicensed car dealers and polluting traders has cleared its first hurdle in the House of Commons, the BBC has reported.

The London Local Authorities Bill, which was introduced in the House of Lords and has cleared the upper chamber, was given a second reading by 293 votes to 21.

According to the report, the Bill will:

• Require people issued with penalty charge notices for parking or littering to provide their name and address to council officers
• Allow local authorities to recover the cost of street trading from polluting traders
• Require fast food sellers to display their hygiene rating, and
• Allow local authorities to crack down on unlicensed car dealers.

However, Bob Neill, a minister at the Department for Communities and Local Government, warned that some measures needed closer scrutiny.

“We have to be proportionate and avoid the proliferation of fines for what might be perceived as genuinely minor breaches and which might create in the public a sense of unfairness.”