Communities Secretary Eric Pickles has confirmed he wants to amend the Transparency of Lobbying Bill, currently before Parliament, to ensure lobbyists working for developers are required to publish their client lists.
The Bill proposes the introduction of a statutory register of lobbyists as well as other measures to regulate the industry. Under the proposals, lobbyists who deliberately fail to provide client details could face prosecution.
The minister has indicated he wants to extend the Bill’s provisions to local authorities in a move designed to ‘winkle out’ the ‘small number’ of lobbyists who ‘secretly work for developers’ and seek to persuade officials and councillors to approve developments.
The Secretary of State told the Daily Telegraph: ‘The Bill is an opportunity to extend lobbying registration to local government, so shadowy third-party consultancies who help lobby councillors and council officers act in an open fashion.
‘I am committed to increasing transparency and accountability in local government, as an essential check and balance to devolving more power and funding down from Whitehall to the town hall.
‘In particular, with the passage of the Localism Act, councils now have more power and discretion over planning – but it is essential that we safeguard the integrity of the locally-led planning,’ he added.
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