Tag: Department for Levelling Up

The press release issued by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on 30 September 2023.

Fifty five towns given £20 million endowment-style funds each over 10 years to invest in local people’s priorities.

The government has unveiled 55 towns that will benefit from a £1.1 billion levelling up investment, as part of a long-term plan for towns that provide long-term investment in towns that have been overlooked and taken for granted.

Towns that will be given the opportunity to develop a long-term plan supported by a Towns Board include 6 in the North East, 10 in the North West, and 4 in the West Midlands. In total, 55 towns will benefit from the UK-wide approach, including 7 towns in Scotland and 4 in Wales.

The government will work with local councils and the devolved administrations to determine how towns in Scotland and Wales will benefit from funding and powers under the long-term plans. In Northern Ireland, we look forward to working with a restored Executive to determine the approach to providing support there.

Under the new approach, local people, not Whitehall-based politicians, will be put in charge, and given the tools to change their town’s long-term future. They will:

• Receive a ten-year £20 million endowment-style fund to be spent on local people’s priorities, like regenerating local high streets and town centres or securing public safety.
• Set up a Town Board to bring together community leaders, employers, local authorities, and the local MP, to deliver the Long-Term Plan for their town and put it to local people for consultation.
• Use a suite of regeneration powers to unlock more private sector investment by auctioning empty high street shops, reforming licensing rules on shops and restaurants, and supporting more housing in town centres.

More than half the population live in towns, but half-empty high streets, run-down town centres and anti-social behaviour undermine towns in every part of the UK. Today’s announcement marks a change in approach that will put an end to people feeling like their town is ignored by Westminster and empower communities to take back control of their future, taking long term decisions in the interests of local people.

This plan builds on the government’s central mission to level up the UK by putting more power and money in the hands of people who know their areas best to build a brighter future for their community, creating bespoke initiatives that will spark the regeneration needed.

Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, said:

Towns are the place most of us call home and where most of us go to work. But politicians have always taken towns for granted and focused on cities.

The result is the half-empty high streets, run-down shopping centres and anti-social behaviour that undermine many towns’ prosperity and hold back people’s opportunity – and without a new approach, these problems will only get worse.

That changes today. Our Long-Term Plan for Towns puts funding in the hands of local people themselves to invest in line with their priorities, over the long-term. That is how we level up.

Levelling Up Secretary, Michael Gove said:

We know that in our towns the values of hard work and solidarity, common sense and common purpose, endeavour and quiet patriotism have endured across generations. But for too long, too many of our great British towns have been overlooked and undervalued.

We are putting this right through our Long-Term Plan for Towns backed by over £1 billion of levelling up funding.

This will empower communities in every part of the UK to take back control of their future, taking long term decisions in the interests of local people. It will mean more jobs, more opportunities and a brighter future for our towns and the people who live and work in them.

Our ‘Long-Term Plan for Towns’, published today (1 October 2023), is carefully designed to complement the wider levelling up programme, working alongside funding for specific projects across the UK, our targeted support to the places most in need through Levelling Up Partnerships, and initiatives supporting economic growth in wider city regions like investment zones.

The Long-Term Plan for Towns will require town boards to develop their own long-term plan for their town, with funding over 10 years and aligned to the issues that research shows people want the most, including:

• Improving transport and connections to make travel easier for residents and increase visitor numbers in centres to boost opportunities for small businesses and create jobs
• Tackling crime and anti social behaviour to keep residents safe and encourage visitors through better security measures and hotspot policing
• Enhancing town centres to make high streets more attractive and accessible, including repurposing empty shops for new housing, creating more green spaces, cleaning up streets or running market days

Local people will be at the heart of decisions, through direct membership of a new Towns Board, which will include community groups, MPs, businesses, cultural and sports organisations, public sector agencies and local authorities for each town and through a requirement to engage local people on the long-term plan for each town.

These Town Boards will have direct government support in addition to the funding and powers they receive through Long-Term Plan for Towns, and will be required to engage local people on their long-term plan.

The government has also announced a new ‘Towns Taskforce, sitting in the Department for Levelling Up and reporting directly to the Prime Minister and Levelling Up Secretary. This will help town boards to develop their plans, and advise them on how best to take advantage of government policies, unlock private and philanthropic investment and work with communities.

A new ‘High Streets and Towns Task Force’ will also be established, building on the success of the existing version, providing each selected town with bespoke, hands-on support.

Further information

• Towns have been allocated funding according to the Levelling Up Needs Index which takes into account metrics covering skills, pay, productivity and health, as well as the Index of Multiple Deprivation to ensure funding goes directly to the towns which will benefit most, without new competitions or unnecessary hurdles. A full methodology note has been published.
• This commitment to towns follows other initiatives designed to support towns, including driving economic growth in 101 areas through the Towns Fund, and the £1 billion Future High Streets Fund, which is creating thriving high streets.
• Local authorities will be the lead delivery partner for plans.  This programme has been developed following our work with local authorities, with funding designed to be spent flexibly over a number of years based on local and evolving needs, and distributed through an allocative rather than competitive process.

Towns receiving funding

• Mansfield
• Boston
• Worksop
• Skegness
• Newark-on-Trent
• Chesterfield
• Clifton (Nottingham)
• Spalding
• Kirkby-in-Ashfield
• Clacton-on-Sea
• Great Yarmouth
• Eston
• Jarrow
• Washington
• Blyth (Northumberland)
• Hartlepool
• Spennymoor
• Darwen
• Chadderton
• Heywood
• Ashton-under-Lyne
• Accrington
• Leigh (Wigan)
• Farnworth
• Nelson (Pendle)
• Kirkby
• Burnley
• Hastings
• Bexhill-on-Sea
• Ryde
• Torquay
• Smethwick
• Darlaston
• Bilston (Wolverhampton)
• Dudley (Dudley)
• Grimsby
• Castleford
• Doncaster
• Rotherham
• Barnsley
• Scunthorpe
• Keighley
• Dewsbury
• Scarborough
• Merthyr Tydfil
• Cwmbrân
• Wrexham
• Barry (Vale of Glamorgan)
• Greenock
• Irvine
• Kilmarnock
• Coatbridge
• Clydebank
• Dumfries
• Elgin

The press release issued by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on 28 September 2023.

Sandwell and Hull the first areas to benefit from new major bespoke regeneration project.

Sandwell and Hull will be the first areas to benefit from a new major bespoke regeneration project which forms a key part of the Government’s levelling up programme.

Levelling Up Partnerships (LUPs), announced in the Spring Budget, will see tailored regeneration plans rolled out across twenty of England’s areas most in need of levelling up. The areas have been selected based on analysis set out in the Levelling Up White Paper which considered places against metrics such as educational attainment, gross pay, and life expectancy.

Hull and Sandwell have today been confirmed as the first two areas to receive bespoke support, backed up by £20 million each in new funding. The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) has been working in the areas over the last six months in recognition that areas have unique opportunities and challenges which require place-based solutions. The bespoke LUP policy package has been designed to help address the specific challenges in Hull and Sandwell.

The Secretary of State for Levelling Up Michael Gove said:

Levelling Up Partnerships are about delivering long term solutions for local areas, working closely with communities on tailored interventions to overcome their unique challenges and seize new opportunities.

That’s why I’m thrilled to be announcing the first two Levelling Up Partnerships in Sandwell and Hull today backed by £40m of government funding.

No matter where you live in the UK, everyone should be given the chance to stay local, but go far”.

Areas will be awarded funding in the coming weeks and DLUHC will continue to work as a committed strategic partner with Hull and Sandwell, to deliver what was agreed in the Levelling Up Partnership and champion a place-based approach across Whitehall.

Hull has a growing green energy sector, with a range of employment opportunities including the manufacturing of wind turbine blades. Working closely with Hull City Council, DLUHC will invest in improved training facilities, including investing in the city’s colleges, which will train the next generation of workers to bring Hull to the cutting edge of the green energy sector.

Sandwell’s LUP is tailored to the area’s historically low educational attainment and health outcomes – it has the highest rate of obesity for children in Year 6 in the country. Sandwell will be given £2 million to improve facilities in the Millennium Community centre, providing space for pop-up health hubs and £1.65 million going towards Wednesbury’s green spaces.

Sandwell has strong transport links to other areas of the West Midlands, with regular trains and buses connecting the area to neighbouring Birmingham and Wolverhampton. Government is working in partnership with the WMCA who recently invested £6.5m into the metro tram extension. To build on this, Sandwell will be receiving up to £11.5m to help deliver 650 homes in the vicinity of new and improving transport infrastructure, including the West Midlands Metro extension from Wednesbury to Brierley Hill.

DLUHC will also be providing £2 million to expand community facilities and £1.65 million to provide vital green spaces that sit at the heart of communities. Similarly in Hull, a growing community support network need the right facilities to connect to the people they serve. To address this, DLUHC is making a £1 million flexible funding pot available to community centres to help improve their premises and ensure people can access public and community services closer to where they live

Wednesbury in Sandwell will receive £4.5m to improve the quality of its town centre through installing new lighting, pedestrian areas, litter bins, and urban greening to help attract new businesses and improve pride in place. Hull will receive capacity funding support to attract private sector investment and make its waterfront area a buzzing space for people to visit, with £10 million being provided to remediate land at its East Bank.

New CCTV and anti-nuisance motorbike measures, such as bollards in pedestrianised zones will help boost local pride in their town centres and, new CCTV cameras in Sandwell will also be used to monitor and tackle fly-tipping. Sandwell has the highest rates of fly-tipping in the West Midlands.

Levelling Up Partnerships are modelled on successful intervention schemes in Grimsby, Blackpool and Blyth. The “deep dive programme” saw DLUHC work with local leaders and businesses to target investment and address the unique challenges each town faced. Blackpool and Grimsby saw huge improvements, including the avoidance of the closure of Grimsby’s fish processing sector and a £100 million regeneration plan being unlocked for Blackpool. In Blyth, the burgeoning high street was being held back by anti-social behaviour and loitering. DLUHC was able to invest and support in additional CCTV provision and establishing a new partnership between local businesses and the police, to help restore confidence in Blyth’s high street.

The Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove announced the LUPs ahead of a visit today to Sandwell to meet with local leaders, including West Midlands Mayor Andy Street and Leader of Sandwell Council, Cllr Kerrie Carmichael, to discuss the new plans.

West Midlands Combined Authority Mayor, Andy Street, said:

This Levelling Up Partnership delivers very welcome funding for local projects that will make a real difference in the lives of local people. That impact covers a wide range of areas including enhancing job prospects, reinvigorating town centres like Wednesbury, ensuring a better start in life for young people and providing opportunities to get more active in nearby green spaces.

This funding will strengthen communities and boost economic growth. I’m particularly pleased to see more than £11m earmarked for the clean-up of the former sewage works at Friar Park – paving the way for a new urban village. The size of more than 32 football pitches, this is one of the largest brownfield sites in the country – set to be transformed with the construction of more than 600 new homes. The WMCA has been working closely with Sandwell Council on this scheme and this announcement is great news for the project.

Local collaboration – in partnership with Government – will enable us to continue to change lives for the better right across our region in the months and years ahead.

Since the Spring Budget announcements, DLUHC has reached out to all areas due to form part of a Levelling Up Partnership – details of subsequent regeneration packages will be made public over the course of the next 18 months. We are establishing details of the Partnerships with Bassetlaw, Mansfield, Redcar & Cleveland and Middlesbrough.

The press release issued by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on 27 September 2023.

The third Islands Forum will take place on the Isle of Lewis in Scotland on 9-10 October, chaired by the Secretary of State for Levelling Up.

The forum will focus on connectivity, recognising the importance of physical and digital connectivity to islands, particularly those with no fixed links to the mainland.

The UK government has invited eligible council leaders and chief executives of island communities in all parts of the UK to take part in the third forum. The devolved administrations will also have a key role, with ministers from the Scottish and Welsh governments invited and the Permanent Secretary of the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland.

The Islands Forum helps to level up island communities by encouraging collaboration to tackle common challenges such as skills, connectivity and infrastructure, as well as to explore shared opportunities including the transition to net zero. It also allows the UK government to hear and learn from island communities to inform future policy.

October’s forum follows successful forums in Orkney in September 2022 and on the Isle of Wight in May 2023, where members agreed to collaborate further on net zero and skills. The Orkney forum also included a discussion with the energy regulator, Ofgem, leading to further direct engagement, unlocking important investments for island communities.

Secretary of State for Levelling Up Michael Gove MP said:

The Islands Forum is a significant bi-annual event bringing together island communities who contribute so much to the UK.

The first two forums in Orkney and the Isle of Wight clearly demonstrated the strong appetite for us to all work together to benefit communities. I look forward to meeting again on the Isle of Lewis, to discuss connectivity, reflecting the physical and digital connectivity challenges islands face.

I know the Isle of Lewis’ geography, heritage and language traditions will provide a thought-provoking location to discuss the unique issues facing our incredible islands across the UK.

Leader of Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (Western Isles Council) Paul Steele said:

People in the Western Isles and other UK islands face unique challenges and the next Islands Forum presents another opportunity for us all to collaborate further, finding potential solutions with government ministers. I look forward to meeting with Secretary of State for Levelling Up Michael Gove MP and discussing connectivity alongside future funding and growth opportunities.

The press release issued by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on 27 September 2023.

Vulnerable young people and children from Ukraine, Afghanistan and Hong Kong will receive vital mental health support through a new £2.5 million fund.

The press release issued by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on 25 September 2023.

The Community Ownership Fund supports treasured institutions across the UK so that they can be run by the community, for the community.

A pub which was frequented by legendary poet Dylan Thomas is one of three Welsh projects set to receive £770,057 in government funding to keep them open for future generations.

The Vale of Aeron pub in Ceredigion, which was known as a favourite haunt of the Welsh poet when he lived nearby in the 1940s, will use the £300,000 investment for renovations to secure its future and make it accessible to the whole community.

The Community Ownership Fund supports treasured institutions like pubs, museums and sports clubs across the UK so that they can be run by the community, for the community. In total, an additional £770,057 has been announced for three projects in Wales today so that local people can continue to benefit from them.

£187,557 will also be given to the Judge’s Lodging Museum in Powys to preserve the historic old court building and sustain its financial resilience so it can continue to be a fully functioning museum.

Welsh Secretary David TC Davies said:

These three latest Welsh recipients of the Community Ownership Fund are all fantastic projects that will make a huge difference to their local areas.

We are proud to be supporting people to take control of their local assets. Levelling up is at the centre of the UK Government’s ambitions and communities across Wales will be transformed over the coming years as this funding continues.

The Community Ownership Fund has now given £4 million for 18 projects in Wales, part of 195 projects now being supported across the UK.

UK Government minister for Levelling Up Jacob Young said:

The community institutions we’re protecting today are the pride and joy for many residents, and we’re securing their future through a £12.3 million boost of levelling up funding.

These places – from pubs to historic railway lines – are the golden thread which run through our social fabric, and keeping them going is vital for supporting communities.

Changes which came into effect for this round of bids also meant that all projects could bid for up to £1 million in funding, not just sports clubs, and the amount organisations needed to match fund decreased to 20%.

This also marks the first time that applicants such as the Vale of Aeron pub have been able to benefit from support with the development of their application and business case, through the Community Ownership Fund development support provider, led by Locality.

The Community Ownership Fund is currently open again for bids and will close on 11th October 2023, and groups are being urged to apply for up to £2m in funding for the very first time.

The press release issued by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on 25 September 2023.

Forty-five treasured institutions across the United Kingdom given funding to safeguard future.

Pubs, museums and sports clubs across the United Kingdom have been given vital funding from Government to secure their future for generations to come.

Forty-five treasured spaces in our villages, towns and cities will receive more than £12.3m in funding so they can be run by the community, for the community.

Thanks to the latest funding from the government’s Community Ownership Fund, these institutions will be owned and run by hardworking community groups.

£1 million will rebuild a historic Yorkshire railway bridge in urgent need of repair, which carries the railway line over Bridgehouse Beck between Keighley and Oxenhope.

The funding will protect a tourist rail line which is used by more than 250,000 passengers a year, and will improve transport infrastructure in the region so that the local economy can continue to thrive. The original bridge was built in 1867, and the railway line has featured in dozens of films and TV shows over the years including The Railway Children in 1970.

David Pearson, Co-ordinator for External Finance & Resources at the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway Preservation Society, said:

We’re overjoyed to have received this funding, which will be going towards the complete rebuilding of the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway’s bridge 27 in the middle of the railway at Haworth and in the middle of Haworth village.

It means that the long term survival of train services on the railway is ensured and means everything to our railway, our villages and our people.

An educational aerospace discovery centre in Kinross will be created with £300,000 from the fund, offering interactive learning opportunities and exhibitions which will inspire future generations to pursue STEM careers.

And the Vale of Aeron pub in Ystrad Aeron, Wales, which was known as a favourite haunt of the legendary poet Dylan Thomas, has been given £300,000 for renovations to keep it open and make it accessible to the whole community.

Jacob Young, Minister for Levelling Up, said:

Our priority is to support communities and deliver opportunities right across the country, which is why we’re investing £12.3m to secure the future of cherished community institutions.

These places – from pubs to historic railway lines – are the golden thread which run through our social fabric, and keeping them going is vital for supporting communities.

Other projects which have received funding include:

• Lordsfield Swimming Club in Hampshire, a volunteer-run facility which will be sustained for the future with an £835,400 grant so it can provide low-cost swimming to local schools and the wider community.
• £1.2 million to secure the future of four pubs, including the Vale of Aeron, so they can continue to pull pints for locals.
• Knutsford Market Hall in Cheshire received £560,000 to ensure it continues to host and support a number of small businesses.
• Sterts Theatre in Cornwall will be restored with £300,000 so that it can resume its community and professional performances.
• The Margate School in Kent will be able to undertake essential repairs with £400,000 that will secure a long-term future for the not-for-profit art school.
• Dartford Gym and Youth Club will undergo essential refurbishment with £244,920 to restore it as a space for local schools, clubs and community organisations to engage in sport and social activities.

The Community Ownership Fund has now given £49.3 million for 195 projects across the UK. This includes almost £8 million for thirty-three pubs so that local people can still go to their beloved local, and £14.6 million for sixty six community centres so they can continue to play an important role in people’s lives.

The latest round of allocations includes £770,057 for three projects in Wales, £992,825 for four projects in Scotland and more than £1m for four projects in Northern Ireland.

Changes which came into effect for this round of bids also meant that all projects could bid for up to £1 million in funding, not just sports clubs, and the amount organisations needed to match fund decreased to only 20%, to allow more places to benefit.

The George pub in Kent previously benefited from a £250,000 grant from the fund, which allowed it to reopen in May 2023. The pub shut during the Covid-19 pandemic and the owners decided to sell up and retire, but locals were able to get the doors open again because of the funding and are now planning for the future.

Local resident Alex Withington said:

We’re going to have a café that opens during the day too. When we did a survey, a lot of people said they wanted somewhere during day to use as well.

We’re also looking to have a petanque area and a community library in the pub. We’re just so happy to have helped restore The George to the heart of Bethersden for our community.

The Community Ownership Fund is currently open again for bids and will close on 11th October 2023, and groups are being urged to apply for up to £2m in funding for the very first time.

The press release issued by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on 19 September 2023.

Proposal to intervene at Birmingham City Council to fix serious problems announced by Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove.

Government proposals to tackle serious financial and governance problems at Birmingham City Council were announced today (19 September 2023) by Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove.

On 5 September, Birmingham City Council issued a ‘section 114 notice’ – an admission its backdated equal pay liability, currently estimated by the council as being up to £760 million, along with an in-year budget deficit that includes the costs of implementing an IT system was too significant for the council to manage.

In an oral statement to Parliament, Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove outlined the government was minded to intervene at Birmingham City Council, subject to a representation period of 5 working days, in order to protect the residents and taxpayers of Birmingham. The proposals include the appointment of commissioners and a local inquiry to investigate the root of the issues faced by the local authority.

Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove said:

Birmingham Council’s record is of ineffective, inefficient and unaccountable government. It is failing in its basic duties.

Where local leaders fail, it is residents who are let down. This cannot go on.

I can announce that I am today writing to the council to set out my proposal to intervene and appoint commissioners, and that I intend to launch a local inquiry.

I do not take these decisions lightly, but we must protect the interests of residents and taxpayers of Birmingham and provide assurance to the sector.

The package of proposals, if implemented, would see commissioners provide advice and challenge the council whilst making decisions directly, if necessary. They would be handed powers relating to governance, scrutiny of strategic decision making, finance and senior appointments.

Directions would be issued to Birmingham City Council requiring them to undertake specific actions including the preparation and implementation of an improvement plan within 6 months, to return it to a sustainable financial footing.

The local inquiry could look at the fundamental questions about how the issues facing Birmingham have developed and would examine the council’s ongoing management of issues identified in Lord Bob Kerslake’s review of the authority in 2014, and the non-statutory intervention afterwards.

The independent review, commissioned after the ‘Trojan Horse’ investigation into a number of Birmingham schools, found successive administrations had failed to tackle deep-rooted problems – and highlighted a culture of sweeping problems under the carpet, rather than tackling them head-on.

A representation period for the proposals has been set for 5 working days, until 26 September, to ensure the views of stakeholders are taken into consideration before a final decision on whether to intervene is taken.

Max Caller CBE, an experienced local government professional and former commissioner, has been named as the preferred candidate to lead the intervention if the package of proposals are implemented.

The proposal comes after the Minister for Local Government, Lee Rowley, requested the then council leader, Councillor Ian Ward, to commission an independent governance review in April. He acted after governance and service delivery concerns were raised by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, the Housing Ombudsman and the Department for Education’s Commissioner for Special Educational Needs and Disability at the council.

This review was extended to include the flawed implementation of a new IT system and the council’s handling of its equal pay liability. Another letter was sent in August to the council leader Councillor John Cotton, seeking assurances over whether the council was compliant with its Best Value Duty in relation to decisions on equal pay, of which to date there has been no response.

Further information

Max Caller CBE was the Chief Executive of the London Boroughs of Hackney and Barnet, and a Chair of the Local Government Boundary Commission for England. He has experience in multiple interventions, including having previously been Lead Commissioner at Slough, Lead Inspector for the Liverpool and Northamptonshire Best Value Inspections, and a Commissioner at Tower Hamlets.

Max also has experience of working with Birmingham City Council, having been appointed by the Council as one of their Non-Executive Advisors following the non-statutory intervention.

The press release issued by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on 18 September 2023.

Final 3 panellists named to work on review to establish the facts and identify the underlying causes of last year’s unrest and make recommendations.

The press release issued by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on 5 September 2023.

New changes that come into effect today will help supportive communities take forward onshore wind projects.

• New changes that come into effect today will help supportive communities take forward onshore wind projects
• Measures will promote approaches that speed up the planning process so renewable energy is generated quicker
• Supportive residents able to reap the benefits of cheaper energy bills

Onshore wind projects supported by local people will be approved more quickly in England, in new measures being brought forward by the Government today.

The Government has now streamlined planning rules, meaning local areas have a greater say in how onshore wind projects should be considered, ultimately resulting in electricity bill savings and increased national energy security.

The measures include broadening the ways that suitable locations can be identified, including by communities, and speeding up the process of allocating sites by giving alternatives to the local plan process. This will ensure the whole community has a say, not just a small number of objectors – paving the way for more onshore wind projects to come online where they have community support.

This will mean local policy on onshore wind continues to be decided by elected local councillors, accountable to local people, and plans are taken forward where they can demonstrate local support and address planning impacts identified by the community.

Communities backing local wind farms could also benefit from cheaper energy under proposals to incentivise more projects announced today. The Government has consulted on proposals for improved benefits and rewards for communities backing onshore wind farms and will set out next steps this Autumn.

Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Michael Gove said:

To increase our energy security and develop a cleaner, greener economy, we are introducing new measures to allow local communities to back onshore wind power projects.

This will only apply in areas where developments have community support, but these changes will help build on Britain’s enormous success as a global leader in offshore wind, helping us on our journey to Net Zero.

Secretary of State for Energy Secretary and Net Zero, Claire Coutinho said:

The Energy Bill is the most significant piece of energy legislation in a generation and will help us provide a cleaner, cheaper and more secure energy system for the UK.

Renewables are a crucial part of our energy transition. They accounted for just 7% of our electricity generation in 2010, and almost 48% in the first quarter of this year. The UK is already home to the world’s four largest offshore wind farms, and we have invested and made available over £1 billion for Sizewell C – the first direct state backing of a nuclear project in over 30 years.

Onshore wind also has a key role to play and these changes will help speed up the delivery of projects where local communities want them.

In its response to the consultation, the Government has confirmed today:

• Communities are able to bring forward proposals for onshore wind – planning policy will be changed to make clear onshore wind developments can be identified in several ways rather than through local plans. This includes through Local Development Orders and Community Right to Build Orders.
• Councils should consider the views of the whole community, rather than a small minority, when considering a planning application. This includes addressing the planning impact of onshore wind projects as identified by local communities.

Renewable energies fuelled 42% of the UK’s electricity generation in 2022, up from 7% in 2010. However, the Government knows it must go further and faster to generate the clean and renewable energy the country needs.

These changes to the National Planning Policy Framework build on the progress already made to expand renewables which has seen more than £120 billion investment since 2010, kickstarting new industries like floating offshore wind and tidal power.

The announcement comes as the Energy Bill returns to Parliament, the most significant piece of energy legislation in a generation. The Bill will provide a cleaner, more affordable, and more secure energy system that is fit for the future.

The Government will respond in full to the National Planning Policy Framework later this year.

The press release issued by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on 4 September 2023.

The Minister for Local Government, Lee Rowley, has confirmed that the government’s preferred candidate is Amerdeep Somal.