Borough Freedom Bill [HL]

 
Introduced by Lord Graham of Edmonton (Lab) as a private member’s bill, the Bill aims to enable rights of admission to the freedom of cities or towns to be extended to women; to enable other amendments relating to admission to be made; to confer powers to admit persons as honorary freemen of certain places in the Confederation of the Cinque Ports; and for connected purposes.

The Bill had its first reading in the Lords on April 4 2008.

Lord Mustill (crossbench) first introduced the Bill in the 2000/01 session but the Bill only survived the first reading.  Lord Mustill tried again in 2001/02, and the Bill went through the Lords, to be taken up in the Commons by Virginia Bottomley, but it did not survive the end of the session.  Lord Graham of Edmonton introduced the Bill in the 2004/05, 2005/06. Derek Conway (Ind, Old Bexley and Sidcup) introduced the Bill in the Commons 2007/08 session but it was withdrawn on February 4 2008. Lord Graham of Edmonton has since reintroduced it.

The Bill addresses the two different types of freemen – those belonging to guilds (hereditary freemen) and those awarded this status by their council (honorary freemen). The Bill includes provisions to extend the rights of admission to women. The Bill proposes that rights of admission may be changed by both guilds and local authorities. The Bill also includes provisions to extend the criteria for admission to include a freeman of a city or town admitted by virtue of the amendment; a person related to such a freeman by marriage, descent, employment or otherwise; and a person related by marriage to the widow or widower or child of such a freeman.

Commenting in 2005, Lord Graham of Edmonton said of the Borough Freedom (Family Succession) Bill:

“That will put right across the board, once and for all, the need for each borough freedom individually to embark on the costly and highly speculative task of trying to find some solution of a different nature.”

 

 

 

House of Lords

First reading: April 2 2008 [HL Bill 48]

Second reading: no date