Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023

Key Points

• - Governance and devolution: Reforms around combined authorities and mayors, with debates over consent from constituent authorities and safeguards against partial transfers; the government also moved to speed up planning decisions and to create new governance provisions (e.g., Part 4A) and designate key roads.
• - Planning, housing and infrastructure funding: Introduction of an Infrastructure Levy to fund infrastructure against planning contributions, along with reforms to development consent orders, deadlines for decisions, and mechanisms affecting viability and obligations for developers; some amendments sought to make levy or viability rules more robust or restrictive, but the government retained a workable framework.
• - Environment and climate: Proposals to align planning and regeneration with climate duties (including references to the Climate Change Act) and to strengthen environmental assessments; Labour and Liberal Democrat efforts to expand protections were largely not accepted, while some Conservative amendments clarified or maintained existing protections and procedures.
• - Accountability and transparency: Proposals for an independent body to report on levelling-up progress and for publishing demographic details of associates on CCAs; these ideas were largely defeated in Parliament according to the divisions listed.
• - Timing and implementation: Provisions setting out when certain parts of the bill would come into force (e.g., after Royal Assent) and new processes intended to speed up development consent and related decisions, shaping how quickly regeneration policies take effect.

Progress

The bill completed its passage and received Royal Assent on 26 October 2023, becoming law.

Voting

In the divisions shown, Conservative MPs generally supported the government’s amendments, while Labour and Liberal Democrat MPs largely opposed the Lords’ amendments. Reform UK supported some government amendments, and smaller parties or independents voted variably. Overall, the government’s position carried the bill through to Royal Assent.