In this part of the proposed Natural Environment Bill, you will see some special terms. You need to know what these terms mean to understand the bill. A public authority includes a local authority, a government department, a joint committee, and a local board. A unitary authority is defined in the Local Government Act 2002. You can find this definition in section 5(1) of that Act. This helps you understand what a unitary authority is in the context of the proposed bill. The proposed bill is trying to clarify what these terms mean. This is so you can understand the changes being proposed to the law. It is explaining what a public authority and a unitary authority are in simple terms.