An Act to prevent the implementation of existing proposals made for the purposes of Part 1 of the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007.
The implementation orders were blocked by a High court ruling,[specify] but Eric Pickles, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, said the "zombie proposals" still theoretically existed and had to be killed off.[1] The Bill was introduced in the House of Lords on 26 May 2010. The Bill's second reading was blocked following Lord Howarth's argument that it constituted a hybrid bill.[2] It ultimately passed third reading in Lords on 5 October.
In favour of the Bill, the Government said that halting the plan would save £40 million in reorganisation costs.[3]Lord McKenzie of Luton, a member of the opposition Labour Party, said that the bill would "shut out Exeter and Norwich from the opportunity to become unitary councils" in "an arrogant, dictatorial and brutal way".[3]