Out of Whitehall

Planning is a subject that never quite manages to wriggle its way off the government’s agenda. Kate Barker makes sure of that. Her proposal for a development land tax continues to generate debate, and her interim report on the workings of the planning system, published this month, is preoccupying the Treasury.

In her interim report, Barker sets out the state of play of the planning system and the reasons why she believes further reform is needed. More reform is deemed essential because of the pressure that globalisation, rapid population growth, climate change and resource depletion will put on the planning system over the next 10 to 20 years.

The fine detail of Barker’s recommendations will not become apparent until her final report is published later this year, but they are likely to centre around measures aimed at cutting the costs of delays – particularly for major infrastructure projects – and making the system more responsive so that regions don’t lose out on inward investment.

One thing that Barker is not advocating is another major shake-up of the planning system. On the contrary, the respected Bank of England monetary policy committee member concludes that the 2004 act has produced efficiencies and she says more than £600m of additional funding has helped to speed up the process.

For her final report, Barker will be considering: how the planning system can be made more efficient; how land can be used efficiently, and whether the land supply is optimal for development; and how the planning system can be made more responsive to the price signals of the market and changing economic circumstances.

While the Treasury has been busying itself with the planning system, the DCLG is devoting its energies to local government. This is a matter that is set to dominate the government agenda this autumn, with the release of the long-awaited white paper on the subject.

The DCLG is committed to devolving more powers from central government to local authorities and communities. It has to be. The prime minister’s letter to secretary of state Ruth Kelly on her appointment in May said: “I would like to see a radical, devolutionary white paper and subsequent bill, with more powers for local neighbourhoods and new models of accountability and leadership, including mayors.”

Kelly has been declaring her determination to devolve in a number of conference speeches. She told the audience at the Chartered Institute of Housing conference in Harrogate last month: “In education I saw a major and increasing role for the local authority, but as a commissioner and strategic leader rather than a provider. I want to see local authorities taking an increasingly powerful role on housing.” Exactly what that role will be, will become a lot clearer when the House of Parliament returns after the summer recess.