WHITEHALL

Queen's speech: Councils promised new powers to tackle pollution

The Queen’s Speech promised an Environment Bill which will establish a ‘world-leading’ independent regulator, the Office for Environmental Protection, and hand some new powers to councils.

The Queen's Speech promised an Environment Bill which will establish a ‘world-leading' independent regulator, the Office for Environmental Protection, and hand some new powers to councils.

The proposed new regulator will oversee environmental policies and laws, investigate complaints and take enforcement action

The legislation will introduce new legally binding measures and environmental improvement targets and enshrine environmental principles in law.

Ministers promised that the legislation will increase local powers to tackle sources of air pollution and to ‘extend producer responsibility…to ensure a consistent approach to recycling and introduce deposit return schemes'. Councils will be given additional powers to improve air quality by ‘addressing sources of air pollution – such as emissions from burning coal and wood.

Changes to the planning system will, the Government says, enhance and protect nature through introducing local nature recovery strategies that ‘will ensure new houses aren't built at the expense of nature'. Communities will be given a greater say in the protection of local trees.

The Bill will also introduce charges for specified single use items and require water companies to work together to meet current and future demand.

WHITEHALL

Spending Review: Little room for a more preventative approach to health

By Andria Mastroianni | 17 June 2025

Andria Mastroianni says relying on council tax to fill funding gaps risks exacerbating, rather than narrowing, existing inequality.

WHITEHALL

Settling old scores

By Annie Pickering | 17 June 2025

Annie Pickering says the second year of the Council Climate Action Scorecards reveals that more local authority staff may be working on net zero-related poli...

WHITEHALL

Spending Review 2025: Key takeaways for the sector

By Megan Tam | 13 June 2025

While local authorities have performed better in this Spending Review than expected, proposals to reform public service funding remain uncertain, say Tiffany...

WHITEHALL

Spending Review: A time for imagination and integration

By Katie Johnston | 12 June 2025

Reflecting on the Spending Review, Katie Johnson says a change of mindset is needed towards a more fundamental question: ‘what is actually working and delive...

Popular articles by Chris Mahony