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 Consultationst here

Local Nature Recovery Strategies: how to prepare and what to include – Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs

We want to know what you think about preparing the Local Nature Recovery Strategies and what to include.

The strategies are a new system of maps and proposed actions for nature’s recovery. The Environment Bill will create a legal requirement for these to be created across England.

Each strategy will:

• agree local priorities for helping nature and improving the wider environment
• map areas of current and potential importance for nature

We’ll encourage public bodies, housing developers, landowners and others to use these maps and priorities so that we can work together for nature’s recovery.

This consultation closes on 2 November 2021.

Local Nature Recovery Strategies: how to prepare and what to include - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Reviewing personal safety measures on streets in England: call for evidence – Department for Transport

This call for evidence aims to help designers create streets that put the needs of people first, particularly pedestrians and cyclists, with a view to personal safety rather than general road safety.

It seeks opinions on:

• which street design features work, and which do not
• what data and evidence there is around the prevalence of those incidents
• how people can be involved in street design to create better outcomes

The results from this call for evidence will help shape the work to update Manual for streets and Manual for streets 2.

This project is already underway and provides an opportunity to understand design measures and approaches that may help streets feel safer.

This consultation closes on 15 September 2021.

Reviewing personal safety measures on streets in England: call for evidence - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

National Infrastructure Planning Reform Programme: stakeholder survey – Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government

Government are undertaking a comprehensive end-to-end review of the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Planning (NSIP) process and all its interactions.

The government is keen to hear from all those who engage with the NSIP regime on what they see as the main issues affecting each principal stage of the process, and what potential solutions might be deployed to remedy these.

This consultation closes on 17 December 2021.

National Infrastructure Planning Reform Programme: stakeholder survey - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Proposals for a Future System Operator role – Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy & Ofgem

BEIS and Ofgem are jointly consulting on proposals for an expert, impartial Future System Operator (FSO) with responsibilities across both the electricity and gas systems, to drive progress towards net zero while maintaining energy security and minimising costs for consumers.

Their proposal is for all the current National Grid Electricity System Operator (ESO) roles and functions to be carried out by the FSO, and that the FSO should undertake strategic network planning, long-term forecasting, and market strategy functions in gas.

This consultation closes on 28 September 2021.

Proposals for a Future System Operator role - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Role of vehicle-to-X energy technologies in a net zero energy system: call for evidence – Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy

Vehicle-to-x (V2X) technologies allow an electric vehicle to export the energy within its battery for another use, for example to a home or to the electricity grid. This offers additional flexibility to the energy system and a potential revenue source for businesses and consumers.

Though V2X technologies have been technically feasible for over a decade, the technology remains expensive and is not yet commercially viable for all use cases.

In this call for evidence the government invites views and evidence on:

• the role of V2X technologies in the energy system
• the barriers that might be preventing this
• the role of government

This consultation closes on 12 October 2021.

Role of vehicle-to-X energy technologies in a net zero energy system: call for evidence - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Facilitating the deployment of large-scale and long-duration electricity storage: call for evidence – Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy

Large-scale and long-duration electricity storage could provide an important role in decarbonising our energy system, for example by storing renewable power and discharging it over periods of low wind. However, there is evidence that it faces market challenges that mean it may struggle to deploy at scale.

This call for evidence seeks information to help us understand in more detail:

• the barriers within the current market
• how these might be addressed
• the risks that may be associated with potential interventions to support the deployment of large-scale and long-duration electricity storage

This consultation closes on 28 September 2021.

Facilitating the deployment of large-scale and long-duration electricity storage: call for evidence - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Key Route Networks: devolving more powers and responsibilities for locally important roads to metro mayors and their combined authorities – Department for Transport

This consultation seeks views on proposals to give metro mayors and their combined authorities greater decision-making powers and accountability with regards to the Key Route Network (KRN).

The proposals include:

• providing mayors with additional highway management powers
• providing mayors with sole or concurrent highway powers over the KRN
• giving mayoral combined authorities the ability to delegate highway powers to local authorities
• providing mayors with the power to direct a local authority to deliver schemes agreed in their local transport plan
• giving mayors or constituent local authorities the ability to request responsibility for a route by order of the Transport Secretary

This consultation closes on 24 September 2021.

Key Route Networks: devolving more powers and responsibilities for locally important roads to metro mayors and their combined authorities - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Access to Cash Consultation – HM Treasury

This consultation is the next step in legislating to protect access to cash and ensuring that the UK’s cash infrastructure is sustainable for the long term. Despite the decline in cash use over recent years, cash remains an important payment method for millions across the UK, which is why the Chancellor committed and March Budget 2020 to legislate to protect access to cash.

In line with this commitment, the Treasury undertook a Call for Evidence in 2020, which sought views on the key considerations associated with cash access. The Government also legislated in the Financial Services Act 2021 to facilitate the wide-spread adoption of cashback without a purchase. This consultation sets out proposals for further legislation. It seeks views on: establishing geographic requirements for the provision of cash withdrawal and deposit facilities, the designation of firms for meeting these requirements, and establishing further regulatory oversight of cash service provision.

This consultation closes on 23 September 2021.

Access to Cash Consultation - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)