Conservatives to Pledge Abolition of Environment Agency and Natural England
Shadow chancellor Andrew Griffith will announce plans to scrap Natural England and the Environment Agency, alongside rules requiring affordable homes and community funding, as part of a deregulation drive focused on growth.
The Conservative Party will pledge to abolish both Natural England and the Environment Agency as part of a sweeping deregulation programme aimed at accelerating infrastructure and housebuilding, the shadow chancellor is set to announce. Andrew Griffith will use the party's conference to set out plans to scrap a series of environmental and planning safeguards that he argues are holding back economic growth.
Under the proposals, the Conservatives would remove regulations that protect nature and oblige developers to include affordable homes and community services such as GP surgeries in new housing schemes. The party intends to frame the move as a way to «streamline regulations» and speed up construction, arguing that the current system imposes excessive costs and delays on builders.
The abolition of Natural England, the government's adviser on the natural environment, and the Environment Agency, which regulates pollution and flood risk, would represent one of the most significant shake-ups of Britain's environmental governance in decades. Both bodies carry out statutory functions, including permitting, enforcement and habitat protection, and their removal would require legislation and a clear plan for transferring or dropping those duties.
Griffith is also expected to announce the scrapping of a «polluter pays» fee on packaging producers, a measure he claims would lower grocery bills. The levy, designed to make manufacturers cover the cost of managing packaging waste, has been criticised by some in business as an added burden at a time of tight margins. Removing it would form part of a wider pitch to voters and industry that the Conservatives are the party of growth and lower costs.
The plans are likely to provoke strong opposition from environmental groups, which have long argued that Natural England and the Environment Agency are underfunded and that weakening them would leave rivers, wildlife and communities more exposed to pollution and flooding. Planning rules requiring affordable housing and community infrastructure are also seen by many local authorities as essential to ensuring that new development does not place unsustainable pressure on public services.
Supporters of the deregulation agenda argue that the current planning and environmental regime has slowed the delivery of homes and major projects, contributing to a housing shortage and high costs. By removing what Griffith describes as unnecessary red tape, the Conservatives hope to differentiate themselves from Labour on the economy and present a clear offer to developers and homeowners.
The announcement comes at a time when both main parties are competing to set out credible plans for economic growth, with housing supply and infrastructure at the centre of the debate. The Conservatives' proposals would mark a sharp break from the existing consensus on environmental protection and affordable housing obligations, and are likely to become a key dividing line in the next general election.
Details of how the functions of the two bodies would be absorbed, replaced or discontinued have not yet been set out. The shadow chancellor's speech is expected to provide further specifics on the timeline and scope of the deregulation package, as well as the projected savings and impact on housebuilding rates.
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