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Parliament must have a stronger role in planning, local government minister, John Healey, has argued. But, he pledged local authorities, in turn, would have more power in handling smaller decisions, and that the public's voice would also be heard. Mr Healey will guide a new planning Bill, to be announced in the Queen's Speech next week, through Parliament. It is hoped the Bill will save £300m a year, and speed up the process. The beefed-up role for MPs will give a better overview of major infrastructure plans and take into account national priorities. Speaking at a CBI conference in London, Mr Healey said: ‘As a country, we are making increasingly-complex decisions… and we need a planning system which can rise to the challenge.' Three Bills in the Queen's Speech would, Mr Healey claimed, help the country rise to the challenges ahead. They are the Bills on energy, climate change and planning. Mr Healey flagged up the Bills and the granting of royal assent to the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act. Commenting on the Act, the minister said: ‘There will be no letting up of our drive to hand power to councils and communities.' The LGA said the new legislation ‘takes some significant steps towards decentralisation', but not the ‘significant devolution' councils have been calling for. Writing in The MJ this week, director of local government finance at the LGA, Stephen Jones, said the Bill had been improved by ‘various, significant amendments that the LGA initiated'. John Healey has also urged councils to work with the retail sector to bring investment into deprived areas.

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CLIMATE CHANGE

Minister argues for planning overhaul

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