Planning Ahead – May (post election) issue

Welcome to our May issue of Planning Ahead. We hope you all enjoyed the Coronation Bank Holiday weekend.

This is our post-election edition. With all the major changes arising from the local elections, we have augmented our elections page with the results, changes of power and councillor numbers. This covers our operating areas: the Home Counties, East Anglia, and the Midlands area. Further analysis has been provided for certain councils. This month, we also have articles that delve into a national perspective of the local elections; an article on the most recent developments and scrutiny over the NPPF reforms; and an article on the resurgence of solar parks.

There is also information on a forthcoming event that our director of planning and property – Michael Hardware – will be speaking at. Click on the link below to find about the event and booking details.

Enjoy!

• National Perspective on the Local Election The Conservative party took a thumping in last week’s local elections losing over 1,000 councillors and control of 48 councils. For the first time since 2002, Labour is the largest party of local government with 2,674 councillors, as opposed to the Conservatives 2,296 and LibDem 1,628. More…
• DLUHC Select Committee Inquiry On Monday 24 April, the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee held its second oral hearing on reforms to the national planning policy. The witnesses this time around were Housing Minister Rachel Maclean and Director General of the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, responsible for regeneration Emran Mian. More…
• Summary of the South East Local Elections When it comes to campaigning in local elections, a classic technique used by all political parties – who are expecting heavy losses – is to inflate the number they expect to lose, so that when they don’t lose that many, it allows them to have a positive spin. Now, when the number they inflated is surpassed in the election, a harsh reality reveals itself to them; what to do next? More…
• Solar resurgence The climate emergency was around long before the energy crisis brought on by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine happened. Solar and wind have seen a resurgence in the past decade, and have increasingly provided a greater proportion of our energy, helping us move towards our net zero targets. More…