The District Councils’ Network has responded to the announcement of the new Government’s legislative programme in the King’s Speech.

In response, Cllr Sam Chapman-Allen, Chairman of the District Councils’ Network, said:

“This is an ambitious legislative programme which has the potential to bring about positive change in our communities. District councils want to work alongside ministers to bring about economic growth, homes, new jobs and increases in prosperity and wellbeing in every village, town and city.

“Previous governments have found that policies conceived from the centre do not necessarily translate into success on the ground. A partnership between ministers and local leaders – in particular those who are closest to communities – is vital to bring results and improve the lives of those people previous governments have struggled to reach.

“A culture of collaboration between the Government and district councils based on mutual trust and respect is essential to transform our local places for the better.”

Among the bills which will have the biggest impact on our member councils are those relating to:

• English Devolution
• Planning and Infrastructure
• Renters’ Rights
• Great British Energy.

English Devolution Bill

Cllr Sam Chapman-Allen said:

“We firmly support the Government’s commitment to extend devolution to everywhere in England. For too long many communities in non-metropolitan areas have felt disempowered and forgotten.

“It is essential that devolution empowers the local leaders who are closest to communities and best know each and every place.

“District councils hold vital levers to create jobs, build homes, tackle skills shortages and improve economic opportunity. We are eager to play a full, positive role in driving devolution forward, alongside other partners, to deliver growth and achieve lasting results for our citizens and businesses.

“We were delighted when Labour parliamentarians voted last year in favour of making district councils constituent members of Combined County Authorities during the passage of the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill. We want this principle to be maintained during a new wave of devolution.”

Planning and Infrastructure Bill

Cllr Sam Chapman-Allen said:

“We fully support the Government’s desire to bring about a housebuilding revolution. For too long the housing shortage has meant that people are unable to find a good-quality, affordable house in which to put down roots in a community they can call home.

“District councils are pro-development. We approve 86% of applications and 400,000 homes have been delivered in our areas over the past five years. But we want to do even more.

“The most beneficial reform would be for councils to be given new powers to unlock stalled sites so we can prevent land-banking by developers and ensure houses already with planning permission are built out quickly.

“We welcome the Government’s commitment to getting the right infrastructure in place to support new homes and communities. As part of this approach the water and energy companies must speed up programmes to put in the infrastructure which makes land viable for new housing.

“We support the reform of compulsory purchase compensation rules – we want to unlock more sites to development and a simplified system could help this happen, avoiding complex and time-consuming wrangles about compensation.

“We also look forward to working with the Government to build on its commitment to recruit 300 new planners. The planning system has been under-resourced for years. It is vital to fix that to create the capacity we need to deliver a step change in housing delivery.”

Renters’ Rights Bill

Cllr Sam Chapman-Allen said:

“We strongly support efforts to improve standards in housing and strengthen tenants’ rights. The implementation of Awaab’s Law, while challenging, is an important step towards ensuring all housing is safe and decent. We urge the Government to work closely with councils to ensure the new requirements can be implemented effectively, with appropriate funding and support.”

“On private rented sector reform, we strongly advocate for comprehensive measures to improve security, affordability and living standards for tenants, whilst recognising that the majority of landlords are responsible. We support the abolition of ‘no-fault’ evictions whilst noting that landlords should still be able to evict tenants who behave anti-socially. The measures should include increasing notice periods as standard, creating a national landlord register, and giving local authorities greater powers to enforce decent home standards and crack down on rogue landlords.

“District councils are ready to play a central role in implementing these reforms to create a private rented sector that is fit for purpose in the 21st century.”

Great British Energy Bill

Cllr Sam Chapman-Allen said:

“District councils are keen to support a clean and sustainable energy revolution which reduces carbon emissions and results in cheaper power for our communities.

“Councils have a key role in energy infrastructure and have delivered many projects in recent years. We now need stable funding, built on long-term commitments, to upskill our staff to help us bring about many more projects that offer benefits to both our communities and the planet and reduce the cost to the nation.

“A partnership between the Government, Great British Energy and district councils built on trust and stability can instigate the clean energy revolution.”