The UK government has announced that mayors across England will be granted sweeping new powers to overrule local councils on major planning decisions, a move designed to accelerate housing development and urban regeneration.
The upcoming changes will apply to specific development proposals, including those featuring more than 150 homes, commercial spaces exceeding 15,000 square metres, or buildings taller than 30 metres. Mayors in 13 regions will receive these "call-in" powers, aligning their authority with that of London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan, who already possesses similar capabilities.
The regions gaining these powers include the Combined Authorities of Greater Manchester, Liverpool, the West of England, the West Midlands, Tees Valley, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, York and North Yorkshire, Hull and East Yorkshire, Greater Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, the East Midlands, and North East England.
Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook described the powers as an "essential part of the toolkit that mayors need to effectively deliver new homes and regeneration." Responding to criticism regarding London's declining housebuilding rates in recent years, Pennycook maintained that call-in powers have successfully helped the London mayor "unblock strategic growth sites" in the capital.
The Labour government remains committed to its target of constructing 1.5 million homes in England by the end of the decade, despite warnings from housebuilders that the goal might be missed. Pennycook acknowledged that the target is "really stretching" but argued that with nearly 180,000 children currently living in temporary accommodation, "any smaller target wouldn't be commensurate with the scale of the challenge."
Alongside the call-in powers, mayors will be authorized to grant "up-front permission," enabling construction to start without a traditional developer application. A formal consultation outlining the operational mechanics of these powers is scheduled for publication next week. The government emphasized that local councils will still handle most applications and that all decisions must adhere to existing planning rules. Additionally, mayors will have a larger say over housing funds, as national agency Homes England will be directed to prioritize mayoral goals.
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, who has held office for nearly ten years, welcomed the transfer of authority. "Challenge does need to be made to local decision-making and actually it cuts both ways," he told the Sunday Times. Burnham explained that "sometimes it's the other way round. It's the local authority putting forward something that's unacceptable in terms of the impact on the community. It's a two-way street." Earlier this week, he announced a secondment programme to send high-performing civil servants to work in mayoral offices, a move criticized by some within his own party and the Liberal Democrats for potentially creating a "two-tier system" that disadvantages areas without elected mayors.
The policy has faced significant pushback from opposition parties. Sir James Cleverly, the shadow housing secretary, criticized the policy, accusing the government of "simultaneously stripping councils across the country of their ability to make planning decisions in their own communities, while making it easier to build traveller sites against local wishes." He claimed Labour mayors have failed to hit housing targets and asserted that "the Conservatives are the only party with a plan to get Britain building and moving again with our plan to scrap stamp duty on the family home."
Liberal Democrat housing and planning spokesperson Gideon Amos argued that "taking powers away from communities and local councillors is taking powers away from local people." He suggested that instead of "silencing residents and handing mayors a blank cheque, the government should be empowering local councils with the resources to deliver genuinely affordable homes alongside the infrastructure to support them."
Mothin Ali, deputy leader of the Greens, dismissed the move as "more tinkering from the Labour government when local authorities continue to be forced by government into austerity budgets." Meanwhile, Reform UK termed the policy "centralisation in disguise," stating that "Westminster is stretching its tentacles outward instead of giving real power, resources and decision-making capabilities to devolved authorities."
