Queen's Speech delivered, with little detail on social care

The Queen’s Speech has been delivered, with Her Majesty outlining that her government’s priority is to ‘deliver a recovery from the pandemic’ which will ‘level up opportunities across all parts of the UK’.

Although details were lacking, the Queen said that the government will provide additional funding to support the NHS, and ministers will bring forward legislation to allow the health service to ‘innovate and embrace technology’. Parts of this, she says, will see patients receive more tailored and preventative care closer to home.

As expected, social care was mentioned albeit briefly. Her Majesty said that proposals on social care reform ‘will be brought forward’.

As announced by Chancellor Rishi Sunak earlier this year, the Queen’s Speech confirmed that eight new Freeports will be introduced to create hubs for trade and help regenerate communities. Additionally, there will be Subsidy Control Bill to support business and new legislation to simplify procurement in the public sector.

The Queen also said that 5G mobile coverage and gigabit capable broadband will be extended, and, as mooted in the build up, legislation will be introduced to support a lifetime skills guarantee to enable people to access to high quality education and training throughout their lives.

The speech also mentioned government intentions to modernise the planning system to allow more homes to be built, along with measures to end the practice of ground rents for new leasehold buildings. A new Building Safety Regulator will also be established to ensure ‘the tragedies of the past are never repeated’ - reference to the Grenfell fire.

The Queen told those present that the government will invest in new green industries to create jobs, restating the UK's commitment to achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and hopes for the COP26 Summit in Glasgow later this year.

Perhaps most interestingly, the Queen’s Speech made reference to planned proposals for photo ID to be made mandatory for all voters at elections, which rights groups have warned amounts to voter suppression, as more vulnerable groups are less likely to have the necessary documents. She said that: “My government will strengthen and renew democracy and the constitution. Legislation will be introduced to ensure the integrity of elections, protect freedom of speech and restore the balance of power between the executive, legislature and the courts.”

Jonathan Carr-West, chief executive of the LGIU, said: “This will not be a particularly encouraging Queen’s Speech for local government. Everyone agrees that we need to build many, many more houses in this country. It’s less clear that planning is what is preventing us from doing so. These proposals leave local government with the political liability on planning whilst depriving them, and by extension the communities they represent, of the powers to manage it effectively. Are major planning changes on permitted development totally compatible with rejuvenating town centres?

"And, if we truly want places to be levelled up and to stay levelled up, we need to empower them through genuine devolution not through sporadic government patronage. Governments outside of Westminster have to deliver every day. Westminster politicians love to talk about how they will get on and deliver, but it is councils and mayors that actually do that. The shift of power away from Westminster is already happening, our politics has to catch up somehow.

"However, the glaring hole in the middle of this Queen’s Speech is a plan for social care reform. Every year that this is kicked into the distance, the care sector moves closer to complete collapse. No-one pretends there’s an easy solution here but it will never get any easier and there will never be a better time. The government must act now. As arguments rage about the principle of voter ID, we would simply note that just last week local government delivered a double set of elections under the most trying of circumstances with, as always, a minimum of problems and negligible fraud. Maybe the government should let councils do what they do best without making things more complicated than they need to be.”