The third sector eagerly listened to the King’s Speech today. The address was particularly significant not only because it preceded a period of profound international and national challenges but also due to the heightened expectations following the change in ruling party after 15 years.
From Catch22’s perspective, we have already outlined our expectations for the new Government in our manifesto campaign. We advocate for a justice policy that prioritises rehabilitation, prevention, and victims’ interests. We call for a mental health and community approach to youth issues that addresses their digital and cost-of-living challenges. Additionally, we support a skills and employment policy that recognises individuals’ unique talents, interests, and circumstances.
So, what legislation was announced in the King’s speech that is significant for our service users and our policy interest?
English Devolution Bill
- Enshrine in legislation an ambitious devolution framework which will empower local leaders with enhanced powers over strategic planning, local transport, skills and employment support. Local leaders will also be given new duties to produce Local Growth Plans.
- Remove the need to negotiate agreements (provided the authority meets governance condition), making devolution the default setting.
- Create a simpler process for creating new Combined Authorities, and generally make it easier to devolve powers quicker and to more areas.
- Give local communities an improved ‘right to buy’ for valued community assets.
GB Energy
- The UK’s clean energy industry can be a booming market for meaningful, sustainable careers.
Mental Health Bill
- Modernise the Mental Health Act.
Tobacco and Vapes Bill
- Progressively increase the age at which people can buy cigarettes.
- Impose limits on the sale and marketing of vapes.
- Restrict advertising of junk food to children along with the sale of high caffeine energy drinks to children.
Employment Rights Bill
- Committed to making work pay.
- Introduce a new deal for working people to ban exploitative practices and enhance employment rights.
- Establish the appropriate legislation to place requirements on those working to develop the most powerful artificial intelligence models
Victims, Courts and Public Protection Bill:
- Support victims of crime and antisocial behaviour
- Strengthen the powers of the Victims’ Commissioner
- Require offenders to attend sentencing hearings for the sake of victims and bereaved family members
- Restrict parental responsibility for child sex offenders and implement restrictions on name changes
- Allow Associate Prosecutors to work on appropriate court cases
- Fast-track rape cases with specialist courts at every Crown Court
Crime and Policing Bill
- Hold law enforcement agencies accountable for meeting high performance standards
- Put neighbourhood police and Police Community Support Officers back on the beat
- Introduce Respect Orders to tackle persistent adult offenders
- Fast-track Public Spaces Protection Orders
- Introduce powers to tackle off-road bikes
- Introduce antisocial behaviour leads and create a duty for local partners to co-operate
- Tackle retail and knife crime
- Introduce Young Futures prevention partnerships
- Strengthen the response to VAWG, including the police response to spiking
Children’s Wellbeing Bill
- Remove barriers to opportunities for children by:
- strengthening multi-agency child protection and safeguarding arrangements,
- requiring free breakfast clubs in every primary school, and
- limiting the number of branded items of uniform and PE kits that a school can require.
- Improve the education system by:
- creating a duty on local authorities to have and maintain Children Not in School registers, and provide support to home-educating parents,
- providing Ofsted stronger powers to investigate the offence of operating an unregistered independent school,
- enabling serious teacher misconduct to be investigated,
- requiring all schools to cooperate with the local authority on school admissions, SEND inclusion, and place planning,
- requiring all schools to teach the national curriculum,
- ensuring any new teacher entering the classroom has, or is working towards, Qualified Teacher Status, and
- bringing multi academy trusts into the inspection system.
Skills England Bill
- Transfer the functions of Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education ( IfATE )to Skills England to provide learners with essential skills to participate in the workforce and increase productivity and economic growth.
- Assess current and future skills needs to ensure that skills systems are matching skills needs.
- Work closely with employers, unions education and training providers as well as experts.
Many of these announcements resonated with the third sector, aligning with many of the core asks in our manifesto and reform agenda that promise tangible benefits for our service users.
The emphasis on devolution, local empowerment, and strategic planning in the English Devolution Bill presents an opportunity for more tailored, community-focused initiatives. The introduction of the Mental Health Bill and employment rights reforms signifies a commitment to modernising support systems and enhancing work conditions. The attention to youth welfare, victims’ rights, and crime prevention underscores a comprehensive approach to societal well-being and along with the recent appointments on the frontbenches for the Justice brief those organisations working in criminal justice have much to be hopeful for.
This forward-looking agenda, particularly the significant focus on local growth, mental health, and skill development, holds promise for addressing long-standing challenges and fostering a more resilient, inclusive society.
At Catch22, we stand ready to collaborate with the government to implement these vital changes, and we look forward to sharing our experiences with what works best.