What have we learned from the King’s Speech?

17 July 2024 | Richard Parry

By Richard Parry, Director

From some of today’s commentary preceding the King’s Speech, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the announcement of the new government’s legislative programme was little more than a gilded non-event. There would be nothing, the argument went, that wasn’t in the Labour manifesto, and we wouldn’t learn about the government’s real plans until publication of draft legislation.

But I’m not sure that analysis has been borne out. Although the headlines will be familiar for anyone who has followed Labour’s policy development over the past years, there’s certainly new content – and one major omission – for those concerned with planning, infrastructure and energy.

Here are a few of my initial takeaways:

1. There’s major planning reform in more than one bill

The Planning and Infrastructure Bill should contain welcome measures for streamlining decision-making, including reform to the DCO process and improvement of decision-making at local level.

However, the English Devolution Bill has the potential to be just as consequential for those interested in reform of our planning system. It does this by promising two things:

• Making devolution the ‘default setting’ in England. Angela Rayner wrote to local leaders yesterday, encouraging them to take up the benefits of greater devolved powers.
• Creating a standardised devolution framework, including enhanced powers over strategic planning.

Depending on the detail, this has the potential to radically reshape the institutions of planning and development in England. In opposition, Labour didn’t rule out a return to greater regionalism for strategic planning and this legislation may realise that. 

• What is planning committee modernisation?

No-one who has spent any time at a planning committee believes the current decision-making system is working well. So the promise of reform through “modernising planning committees” is welcome, but we still have very little detail. ‘Modernisation’ could mean a lot of different things, from relatively minor procedural reforms to fundamental changes in decision-making powers, potentially restricting the ability of committees to reject allocated, policy-compliant schemes.

The government will undoubtedly be pressed for more detail on this in the coming days and weeks.

• No new towns… for now!

The King’s Speech made no reference to Labour’s plan for the next generation of new towns. While this doesn’t mean that the new government is any less committed to their delivery, it does suggest that any legislation required is likely to come later in the parliament.

This will present greater opportunity for industry to work alongside government to shape the policy thinking in the coming months and years.

• Great British Energy isn’t just an investment vehicle

Through the election campaign, Labour gave the impression that Great British Energy would act as a state-backed investment partner for renewable energy. But the documentation accompanying the King’s Speech suggests there’s more to it, highlighting that it will “develop, own and operate assets”, implying a much more hands-on role in energy generation and delivery.

The coming weeks and months will cast further light on the government’s plans, not least with the publication of the revised draft NPPF, which may happen as early as next week. With the government committed to working in partnership with business, we in industry have a generational opportunity to help shape emerging policy so that reformed structures in planning, energy and local government work as well as possible. I’m thrilled to be involved in the sector at such an exciting time – please do drop me a message if you have any questions about reform or how to engage with government.