Announced in the Queen's Speech on the 25 May 2010, the Decentralisation and Localism Bill covers the new Coalition Government's proposals for a wide range of planning and related legislation.

The Bill would 'devolve greater powers to councils and neighbourhoods' and 'give local communities control over housing and planning decisions', applying to England and Wales. As this Bill is focused on the devolved area of local government, the Government does not anticipate that it would apply to Scotland. However, because of the wide scope of this Bill the possibility of devolution implications cannot be ruled out at this time.

Read the RTPI's initial reaction to the Queen's Speech.

The Government propose that the main benefits of the Bill would be:

• Empowering local people.
• Freeing local government from central and regional control.
• Giving local communities a real share in local growth.
• A more efficient and more local planning system.

The main elements of the Bill are:

• Abolish Regional Spatial Strategies.
• Return decision-making powers on housing and planning to local councils.
• Abolish the Infrastructure Planning Commission and replace it with an efficient and democratically accountable system that provides a fast-track process for major infrastructure projects.
• New powers to help save local facilities and services threatened with closure, and give communities the right to bid to take over local state-run services.
• Abolish the Standards Board regime.
• Give councils a general power of competence.
• Require public bodies to publish online the job titles of every member of staff and the salaries and expenses of senior officials.
• Give residents the power to instigate local referendums on any local issue and the power to veto excessive council tax increases.
• Greater financial autonomy to local government and community groups.
• Create Local Enterprise Partnerships (to replace Regional Development Agencies) – joint local authority-business bodies brought forward by local authorities to promote local economic development.
• Form plans to deliver a genuine and lasting Olympic legacy.
• Outright abolition of Home Improvement Packs.
• Create new trusts that would make it simpler for communities to provide homes for local people.
• Review Housing Revenue Account. 

Get Involved

In responding to the Bill - and other aspects of the government's planning reforms - the Policy Team will be engaging with members through the RTPI's Nations, Regions and Networks. If you want to get involved in influencing our response, and you're not already active in your nation or region, please join one or more of our networks relevant to your area of interest. More information about current consultations can be found here.

See our Government Announcements webpage for more information.

Author:

Rebecca Coates

Publisher:

The Royal Town Planning Institute

Date:

03-Aug-10

Categories:

Planning / Planning Resources, Policy, Practice, RTPI News 

Sections:

News & Media , What Planning Does

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