The Queen’s Speech in summary: three key announcements

James Gore

The Queen’s Speech is one of the great set piece moments of UK politics where, amidst much ceremony and tradition, the Queen announces the government’s agenda for the parliamentary session to come. 

While coronavirus meant a scaled back occasion this time, there was still plenty to digest in Her Majesty’s ten-minute address. As expected, the levelling up agenda dominated, but that wasn’t all that was of interest for Towns when considering future investment plans.

In this blog we highlight three announcements - focused on people, places and communities - that Towns may want to explore further with their CLGU Area Leads, or simply be aware of as a backdrop to the development and delivery of Town Investment Plans.

Planning Bill

The government plans to introduce the Planning Bill which aims to streamline and update the planning system across England to allow for faster delivery of homes and infrastructure projects. The Bill will enact planning reforms trailed in last summer’s Planning White Paper which included proposals such as scrapping Section 106 agreements, introducing design coding, and zoning of land into different categories for growth, protection or renewal. You can read more this might impact Towns in our earlier TFDP blog post on the Planning White Paper

Levelling Up White Paper

A Levelling Up White Paper is due to be published later this year, replacing the long-awaited Devolution White Paper. Led by the Prime Minister himself, the White Paper will focus on challenges including improving living standards, growing the private sector and spreading opportunity. A new Cabinet Office Unit will be set up to drive through work on the White Paper, and the Prime Minister has also appointed Neil O’Brien, MP for Harborough, as his Levelling Up Adviser. Areas that will be covered include tax policy, devolution, inward investment, industrial policy, manufacturing and growth, public spending, and regeneration.

Skills and Post-16 Education Bill

The Skills and Post-16 Education Bill will offer adults across the country the opportunity to retrain later in life.  It will realign skills provision around local employers through a ‘Skills Accelerator programme’ to build partnerships between businesses and Further Education colleges or other training providers. A Lifelong Loan Entitlement will give all individuals access to the equivalent of four years of student loans for higher-level study. The loans can be used flexibly across their lifetime, full-time or part-time, for modules or full qualifications.

Other measures included in the Queen’s Speech which align with the Towns Fund’s intervention themes included legislation to establish the eight new freeports announced in the Budget earlier this year, extend 5G mobile coverage and gigabit capable broadband, and enhance rail and bus connectivity.

If you have any specific queries about what these opportunities may mean for your Town, please contact your CLGU Area Lead or your Town Coordinator.