The 2022 Queen’s Speech delivered to Parliament by Prince Charles sets out the Government’s priority to “grow and strengthen the economy and help ease the cost of living for families.”
Important bills for Councils in the South East to watch include:
A new Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill to drive local growth and empower local leaders to regenerate their areas. Significantly, the Planning Bill, which is expected to give residents more involvement in local development will now be incorporated in this same Bill instead of being a standalone piece of legislation.
A Transport Bill to improve transport across the UK delivering safer, cleaner services and enabling more innovation. It is hoped it will modernise rail services and improve reliability for passengers building on the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail (May 2021).
A Harbours Bill will bring in legislation to force P&O to pay staff on its ferries the minimum wage.
A Procurement Bill will set out how the public sector buys or commissions supplies and services to provide new opportunities for small businesses.
South East Councils is a cross-party membership association that works to ensure the South East England region is a great place to live, work and do business, calling for:
- Practical devolution to empower our region
- Efficient transport to keep our region moving
- Affordable, decent housing to grow sustainably
