Queen's Speech includes planning reform

In her 56th state opening of parliament, the queen used her customary speech to announce a raft of bills for the next parliamentary session, including the much touted Decentralisation and Localism Bill.

In total, the Queen announced 23 bills (and one draft bill), though several aim to repeal Labour legislation: the Identity Documents Bill would repeal ID cards; the Freedom (Great Repeal) Bill would scale back the use of CCTV and DNA databases; the Public Bodies (Reform) Bill would set up David Cameron's much anticipated "bonfire of the quangos"; and the National Insurance Contributions Bill would block the one per cent rise to National Insurance contributions by employers next year. This follows the legislation "jobs tax" campaign the Conservatives ran during the election.

Some bills give a nod to Labour legislation though. The Academies Bill, for example, would extend the academy schools programme set up by Tony Blair.

There is a clear indication of the coalition and the concessions the Conservatives had to make to the Liberal Democrats in the list. The Parliamentary Reform Bill would establish fixed-term parliaments and amend the House of Lords, among other things. A separate bill will be introduced for a referendum on changing the voting system to the Alternative Vote, something Cameron will enforce a three-line whip on his party to vote through, but then presumably campaign vigorously against, just one of the quirks of the "new politics".

In regards to planning, the Decentralisation and Localism Bill contains many of the headline measures previously trailed in the Conservative's green paper earlier this year and in the party's election manifesto.

Describing the bill, the Queen said it would "devolve greater powers to councils and neighbourhoods and give local communities control over housing and planning decisions."

If enacted, the bill would abolish Regional Spatial Strategies and replace Regional Development Agencies with "Local Enterprise Partnerships", something Bob Neill MP spoke about prior to the election. These partnerships would be joint local authority-business bodies which would promote local economic development.

The bill would also "return decision-making powers on housing and planning to local councils" and abolish the Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC) in favour of an "efficient and democratically accountable system that provides a fast-track process for major infrastructure projects."

None of these measures will come as a surprise to the industry, which has been bracing itself for reform since the green paper was first published.

The bill also includes proposals to give communities the right to bid to take over local state-run services, and residents the power to instigate local referendums on any local issue; the practical application perhaps of David Cameron's ideological "Big Society".

The Right Honourable Eric Pickles MP, secretary of state for Communities and Local Government, said: "This important bill would shift power from the central state back into the hands of individuals, communities and councils.

"It will empower local people giving them more power over local government. It will free local government from central and regional control so that they can ensure services are delivered according to local needs."

Grant Shapps MP, the housing minister, said: "This government is taking the swift action needed to sweep away the needless bureaucracy and centralisation that is stifling communities and the housing market.

"In its place we will introduce powerful incentives which mean that development is something which is of direct benefit to local people, rather than a threat imposed from above."

An industry far from convinced of the proposals previously has been reacting to the speech. Kate Henderson, interim chief executive of the Town and Country Planning Association, said: "One of the key challenges to the planning system is around public legitimacy and therefore a move towards re-engaging people with the future of their communities is a positive step forwards."

The chief executive of the British Property Federation, Liz Peace, said: "Offering incentives for new development and encouraging developers to involve locals will lead to better development, but we need to ensure that democracy is followed and that vital decisions don't get lost amid the kind of infighting and political bickering we often see at local level.

"As we know, the silent majority are often happy with things and it's only those with the time on their hands to fill council meeting rooms who are heard."

She also welcomed the changes to the IPC, saying: "Bringing in a democratically accountable system for major infrastructure will be key to delivering large projects and it is absolutely essential that there are clear national guidelines for all areas of planning."

However, she warned that caution was needed and the government needed to "be realistic about how much power [is devolved] to councils. Many aspects of planning and regeneration are highly complex and will require resources which many councils will struggle with."

She added: "Many planners are losing their jobs to keep police and nurses in post, and there is a large amount of concern over how local authorities will be able to manage all these extra responsibilities with less staff."

Elsewhere in the speech, there was an announcement that a bill would follow "in due course" enabling a high speed rail line to be constructed, and the Local Government Bill was announced which would block the creation of single-tier "unitary" councils in Exeter and Norwich.  The Energy and Green Economy Bill would promote enhanced energy efficiency, including the roll-out of smart metres. It would also promote low-carbon energy production.

One surprise was the omission of legislation to hold referendums on elected mayors in the 12 largest cities in England outside London. Press reports had suggested this would be included to allow a referendum to be held next May, but there was no mention of it in the speech.

A Department for Communities and Local Government spokesman said: "The Government has made a clear commitment to create directly elected mayors in the 12 largest English cities, subject to confirmatory referendums, as set out in the coalition agreement. Further detail will be forthcoming."

The omission suggests primary legislation might not be required.

Full list of the bills announced:

  • Academies Bill
  • Airports Economic Regulation Bill
  • Armed Forces Bill
  • Decentralisation and Localism Bill
  • Education and Children's Bill
  • Energy Security and Green Economy Bill
  • Equitable Life Payments Scheme Bill
  • European Communities (Amendment) Referendum Lock Bill
  • Financial Services Regulation Bill
  • Freedom (Great Repeal) Bill
  • Health Bill
  • Identity Documents Bill
  • Local Government Bill
  • National Insurance Contributions Bill
  • Office for Budget Responsibility Bill
  • Parliamentary Reform Bill
  • Pensions and Savings Bill
  • Police Reform and Social Responsibility Bill
  • Postal Services Bill
  • Public Bodies (Reform) Bill
  • Scotland Bill
  • Terrorist Asset Freezing Bill
  • Welfare Reform Bill
  • Parliamentary Privilege (Draft Bill)