Planning and employment law reform took top billing in the King’s Speech, among an ambitious agenda of more than 35 bills
The Planning and Infrastructure Bill will reform compulsory purchase compensation, modernise planning committees and speed up decision-making.
The Employment Rights Bill ‘will deliver a genuine living wage that accounts for the cost of living’, ban exploitative zero-hours contracts and ‘fire-and-rehire’ practices, and make parental leave, sick pay and protection from unfair dismissal available from day one. However, probationary periods for new hires will stay. Statutory sick pay will be available to ‘all workers’. Flexible working will ‘be the default from day one for all workers, with employers required to accommodate this as far as is reasonable’.
Law Society president Nick Emmerson welcomed the bill’s ‘focus on improving dispute resolution and enforcement’.
Workers’ rights will be further strengthened by the draft Equality (Race and Disability) Bill to enshrine the right to equal pay in law.
Pensions are due a shake-up, with the Pension Schemes Bill increasing duties on private pension providers and reaffirming the Pensions Ombudsman as a competent court.
The government will bring forward the Law Commission’s recommendations for an Arbitration Bill, strengthening arbitrator immunity and empowering arbitrators to summarily dismiss unrealistic cases.
Other bills will allow associate prosecutors to work on appropriate cases and create specialist courts at every Crown Court to fast-track rape cases.
The government will also continue some unfinished business of the previous incumbents, notably the Renters’ Rights Bill, the draft Leasehold and Commonhold Reform Bill, and the Tobacco and Vapes Bill.
Emmerson called for increased access to housing legal aid and resources for the courts, to ‘ensure an appropriate balance between tenants’ rights and landlords’ routes’.
The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill (Martyn’s law) will help keep public venues safe from terrorism. Paul Tarne, partner, Weightmans, said: ‘The law will need its own regulatory scheme and a body to manage it. Striking the right balance will be key.’
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