It is undemocratic and unfair to remove the one power that members of local authorities have – fixing the price of waste collection charges. It is a power many councillors relish and it will be discussed at many councillors' conferences in coming months. I have not met one member of a local authority who is in favour of this section of the Act. None of them wants to see their roles being denigrated further through council executives being given the power to make decisions of this magnitude. It is not in the interests of local government, of elected members of local authorities or of those who elect those members.