Planning and Infrastructure Bill at a glance: navigating the changing landscape

Being a councillor is a thankless job.

In my local authority, Flintshire, councillors voted to raise council tax by 9.5% this month. The backlash online from residents was fierce, to say the least. I saw several councillors trying to defend the decision, offering explanations like, “It was this or bankruptcy,” “Social care costs have soared,” and “Central funding has been cut year after year.”

All to no avail. Generally, the public is seeing rising taxes for falling standards of services. In Flintshire, now that there is a Labour Government in Westminster, the local ruling party can no longer blame the squeezed Conservative-led budgets that filter down to local authorities via Cardiff. 

With budgets set by national politicians and a constant drive for cuts to balance the books, councillors’ ability to influence local decisions and impact people’s lives is increasingly restricted.

The one (and arguably only) area where councillors can make a real difference in local communities is if they sit on a planning committee—but not for much longer, it would seem.

The much-anticipated Planning and Infrastructure Bill was unveiled today, bringing sweeping changes to the role of planning committees. Under the new legislation, councillors will see their power to block most planning applications significantly reduced. A national scheme of delegation will decide which applications go before committees and which are handled by officers – with officers set to determine any proposals already in the local plan. Councillors will only weigh in on the biggest and most contentious projects. And for those committee members who survive any potential cull, mandatory training will now be part of the job.

Restricting councillors’ powers could have long-term consequences, potentially deterring top talent from standing for election. After all, if their influence is so limited, why bother? However, if Labour is serious about meeting its housing targets, reforming planning committees seems a necessary step. The need for change was highlighted at SEC Newgate’s regional launch of the National Planning Barometer, where most attendees backed the idea.

Any criticism of ‘developer-led’ planning will likely be countered by the government's argument that there is a pressing need to build houses at a rate not seen in the past 50 years. However, the lack of community involvement in these decisions is a valid concern, especially as democratic legitimacy – which the government would suggest is provided through the local plans process – is questionable due to low public engagement. The government must strike a balance between accelerating development and ensuring that local communities have a meaningful say in the planning process.

Wider reforms

Beyond planning committee reforms, the bill introduces several significant changes. It streamlines and accelerates planning for major infrastructure projects, offers energy bill discounts to residents to ease opposition to renewable developments, and grants councils greater powers to acquire land at lower costs. Clean energy projects will also be prioritised for grid connections. Additionally, the bill strengthens Development Corporations and emphasises spatial development strategies – aligning with local government reorganisation and the move to larger strategic authorities.

It’s clear that the Labour Party views planning reform as central to its strategy for driving economic growth and meeting targets set out in its manifesto. By streamlining processes and giving local authorities more tools to facilitate development, the party hopes to unlock large-scale projects and provide a much-needed boost to housing stock and infrastructure – that’s if they manage to overcome the other major obstacle: the industry’s growing skills gap.

At SEC Newgate's local advocacy team, we’re preparing for a deep dive into the bill’s details over the next few days. While Labour’s shift in government priorities has brought planning back into the spotlight, it’s still a rare treat for our niche to take centre stage.

It’s going to be a busy few days as we unpack these reforms, but beyond the immediate analysis, the bigger question is how they will reshape the future of planning. What will they mean for local authorities, developers, communities, and, of course, those of us working in the industry? The planning landscape is shifting, and we'll all need to adapt whether we like it or not.