Current Government Consultations - August 2025

A brief summary of current government consultations of potential interest to RSN members. This is not intended as an exhaustive list of all relevant consultations.

- Download a printable version of the Government Consultations here

Future of Post Office – Department for Business & Trade

This is a public consultation that seeks views on the future of the Post Office, from the services it provides, how government modernise and strengthen the network, through to how they change the culture and the way in which the Post Office is managed.

Responses to this consultation will be used to understand what customers, communities and postmasters would like to see from a modern Post Office, to help shape the company’s future.

This consultation closes on 6 October 2025.

Green Paper: Future of Post Office - GOV.UK

The Fair Funding Review 2.0 – Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government

This consultation seeks views on the approach to determining new funding allocations for local authorities and fire and rescue authorities, building on the local authority funding reform: objectives and principles consultation which the government has formally responded to in parallel.

This consultation covers:

• determining local authority funding allocations
• approach to consolidating funding
• measuring differences in demand for services and the cost of delivering them
• measuring differences in locally available resources
• the New Homes Bonus
• transitional arrangements and keeping allocations up-to-date

It also covers:

• long-term approach to the business rates retention system
• devolution and wider reforms, including how government can bring Strategic Authorities closer to the Local Government Finance Settlement
• ways government can reduce demands on local government to empower them to deliver for communities; and sales, fees and charges reform.

This consultation closes on 15 August 2025.

The Fair Funding Review 2.0 - GOV.UK

Consultation on a reformed Decent Homes Standard for social and privately rented homes – Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government

The consultation aims to update the Decent Homes Standard which currently applies to social housing. The new standard will also apply to privately rented housing.

Government state: “Every tenant deserves a home that is safe, warm, and decent. The reformed Decent Homes Standard will set out clearly what tenants should expect from their landlords and when it will be implemented.”

This consultation closes on 10 September 2025.

Consultation on a reformed Decent Homes Standard for social and privately rented homes - GOV.UK

Electricity network infrastructure: consents, land access and rights – Department for Energy Security & Net Zero

Government are seeking views on proposed changes to land rights and consents processes for electricity network infrastructure.

They state: “Fair and proportionate land rights and consents processes are crucial to enabling us to meet the country’s need to build more electricity network infrastructure. By land rights and consents processes, we refer to the processes and permissions which enable network operators to access private land for the purposes of building and maintaining electricity infrastructure. It is vital that these processes protect the rights of landowners, local stakeholders and the environment, while enabling the timely delivery of important infrastructure. Network investment is critical, not just for the energy transition, but also to support economic growth.”

To ensure the system is fit for purpose, the government has reviewed existing processes to assess whether they are sufficient to support their clean power ambitions, Net Zero goals, and energy security transformation. This consultation is the result of that review and proposes a range of reforms to these processes to enable the rapid deployment of future network connections, while ensuring that the rights of landowners are respected.

This consultation closes on 2 September 2025.

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/electricity-network-infrastructure-consents-land-access-and-rights

Improving the Energy Efficiency of Socially Rented Homes in England – Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government and Department for Energy Security & Net Zero

??This consultation seeks views on government’s proposal to set a minimum energy efficiency standard (MEES) for socially rented homes.

?Government state: “This consultation is an important step in ensuring that every tenant has a decent, warm and comfortable home. We are considering options to raise energy efficiency standards in the domestic social rented sector?to make homes easier to heat, tackling fuel poverty and lowering carbon emissions. 

“Socially rented homes are not currently required to meet a minimum EPC standard and current requirements are roughly equivalent to an EPC ‘F’ rating. We propose setting the standard at EPC C or equivalent by 2030. This mirrors proposals to raise standards in the private rented sector, set out within a recently closed consultation Improving the energy performance of privately rented homes: 2025 update.”

This consultation closes on 10 September 2025.

Improving the Energy Efficiency of Socially Rented Homes in England - GOV.UK

Proposed reforms to the WaterSure support scheme – Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Defra wants to know what you think about proposed reforms to the ‘WaterSure’ scheme. These proposals aim to offer stronger protection to low-income households with high essential water use. 

WaterSure caps bills for low-income households on means-tested benefits who need to use high levels of water because they have either:

• a qualifying medical condition
• 3 or more children in the household

WaterSure caps the household’s water and sewerage bill at the amount of the average household water and sewerage bill in the water company’s area.

This consultation closes on 1 September 2025.

Proposed reforms to the WaterSure support scheme - GOV.UK

Assessment and rating of wind turbine noise guidance: proposed updates – Department for Energy Security & Net Zero

Technical guidance for the assessment of noise emissions from onshore wind turbines provides advice to local authorities across the UK on:

• appraising planning applications for onshore wind developments
• aiding deployment of suitable onshore wind developments
• ensuring noise impacts are robustly controlled

The existing guidance dates back to 1996. In 2023, a government commissioned independent scoping review indicated that it would benefit from updating.

Government state: “We have worked closely with acoustic experts and leading scientists to produce these proposed updates which aim to align the guidance with:

• available evidence
• developments in turbine technology and wind turbine noise assessment methodologies
• government policies on noise and net zero.”

This consultation seeks views on the proposed updates and closes on 29 August 2025.

Assessment and rating of wind turbine noise guidance: proposed updates - GOV.UK

Changing the way government allocates Disabled Facilities Grant funding to local authorities in England – Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government

Government are seeking views on proposals to change the way government allocates funding for the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) to local authorities in England.

Government has concluded a review of the way they allocate DFG funding to local authorities in England. This follows a 2018 independent review of the DFG. It recommended that the way government allocates funding to local authorities should be updated.

They are now consulting on a new approach that will:

• better support local authorities to meet their statutory duty to provide adaptations
• ensure funding is better aligned with local demand

This consultation closes on 16 September 2025.

Changing the way government allocates Disabled Facilities Grant funding to local authorities in England - GOV.UK

Modernising and improving the administration of council tax – Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government

Government are seeking views on the administration of council tax including:

• changing the ways council tax is billed, collected and enforced
• modernising the support available in the system
• supporting councils to improve efficiency

Taken together, these changes aim to create a fairer and more efficient system for taxpayers and local authorities.

The consultation contains firm policy proposals to improve the system and call for evidence questions to inform future policy.

This consultation closes on 12 September 2025.

Modernising and improving the administration of council tax - GOV.UK

Climate-related transition plan requirements – Department for Energy Security & Net Zero

The government committed to mandating “UK-regulated financial institutions (including banks, asset managers, pension funds and insurers) and FTSE 100 companies to develop and implement credible transition plans that align with the 1.5°C goal of the Paris Agreement”.

This consultation seeks views on how the government should take forward this commitment in a way that:

• supports an orderly transition in line with global climate goals
• enhances transparency for investors and promotes efficient capital allocation
• supports companies in capturing the opportunities from the global net zero transition
• supports the growth of the UK’s financial services industry by ensuring its sustainable finance framework is internationally competitive and maintains the UK’s status as a global financial hub.?

This consultation closes on 17 September 2025.

Climate-related transition plan requirements - GOV.UK