From reform to delivery: reasserting planning’s role in the political priorities
Aisling Byrne is Senior Public Affairs Officer at the Royal Town Planning Institute
Recent discussions at UKREiiF made clear that the narrative around planning reform is moving on as we progress into the next phase – delivery and implementation. As we move beyond the buzzword of “reform”, there may be an increasing role to explicitly linking planning into the all-important conversations happening around delivery and implementation. Planning may now start to fall off in media or political conversations, but the specific topics in which planning has an integral role, are still high priorities for the public and elected representatives.
The most recent local election results showed us that the issues which drive voters are encouraging much wider political debate, as we move into a wider political spectrum where there are more nuances and where voting intentions can sometimes be unpredictable.
But those key issues are persistent and continue to drive much of the conversation. What is increasingly important is understanding the sub-narratives around planning and how we as an institute and our members can make the connections and get involved.
Examples of this can be seen in YouGov UK’s June 1 edition of its long-standing tracker which polls “the most important issues facing the country” highlighted the economy as the most important (54%) issue for respondents. Health had 26% of the vote, with housing at 17% and the environment at 16%.
Figures like these are so important for us to consider amongst the mass information we consume day to day, be that what we’re hearing coming out of Government or across our media channels, because they sometimes paint an alternative picture to what we typically hear. Housing and the environment being near equal in their importance for the population is not necessarily a narrative we often hear in the policy space.
To also consider when directing our engagement or audiences when discussing planning is the variation in trends also depend on age, with housing being a more pressing issue (24%) for the 18 - 24 age group in comparison to those over 65 (12%). If we’re looking to appeal to certain demographics and engage them in the system, being cognisant of the important issues for that group can help steer the conversation.
Similarly, in parliament over the last year, debates and oral questions related to planning have been centred around housing, environmental protection, energy systems and infrastructure and the economy and growth. As the new parliamentary term gets underway, some of these topics are already coming to the forefront, with the legislative agenda set out in the King’s speech highlighting social housing, energy independence and clean water as key areas where the Government is progressing legislative change.
As we know, the planning system and our workforce are vital to the successful delivery of all of the above and these will continue to be pressing issues in parliament and for the public as we move forward with implementing reform and engaging in these wider conversations.
As planners work to bed in a new plan-led system and we get further into the detail of delivery and implementation, we’ll be ensuring that the integral role of planning and planners is a continuing feature within the wider topical discussions.
