England's Planning Reform Transition: 5 political changes in planning

Reflecting on a week (and a bit) of big announcements on local government reorganisation and planning, here are five key takeaways.

𝑻𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒚 1: 𝑹𝒉𝒆𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒄 𝒗𝒔 𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚 💬: There's a crucial difference between government announcements and actual implementation. "Get Britain building faster" is a great slogan, but the real test lies in execution.

Example: We're now watching whether the Mayor of London will actually use his new powers to call in applications and permit greenbelt development. The proof, as they say, is in the eating.

𝑻𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒚 2: 𝑭𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝑺𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒆 𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈💰: The sheer crisis in local government finances is poorly understood, yet they're the foundation of any reform. Without addressing this, structural changes remain superficial.

Example: Surrey's reorganisation needed a £500 million bailout just for Woking. Other councils carry even higher debts. Will the government apply the same principle everywhere, or are we setting up reforms to fail?

𝑻𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒚 3: 𝑬𝒇𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒚 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒐𝒓𝒚 𝒗𝒔 𝑷𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒆🚧: The logic behind unitary authorities is sound, and I fully support it. Fewer bureaucrats, economies of scale, more competitive services. But theory and practice are two different things.

Example: Surrey moving from 11 waste management contracts to two makes perfect sense on paper. Whether it delivers in reality? That's the question we're all waiting to answer.

𝑻𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒚 4: 𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑯𝒊𝒅𝒅𝒆𝒏 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒆 🔑: Different devolved areas have different existing models. For developers, this creates real uncertainty about how to navigate rapidly changing structures.

Example: Clients constantly ask us how to position applications during this transition. The lack of clarity on national rollout makes strategic advice more complex than ever.

𝑻𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒚 5: 𝑪𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝑬𝒏𝒈𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝑩𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝑪𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 🧑‍🤝‍🧑🧑‍🤝‍🧑: In wider unitary authorities with decision makers spread over large geographical areas, demonstrating local support isn't just important—it's everything.

Example: I'm now advising clients to focus on comprehensive consultation strategies from day one. When Councillors represent larger areas, showing genuine community backing becomes your strongest asset. In times of transition, watching actions rather than rhetoric and taking pragmatic positions is what delivers results.

We're on a journey, where do you think it will end? 5 political changes in planning this week, what about next? Let me know your thoughts in the comments. 💬