Whitehall to cut consultations that slow down decision-making, ministers say

Ministers have vowed to strip away “outdated regulations and overlapping consultations” in a bid to speed up decision-making in Whitehall.

The Civil Service has for too long “been trapped” by long-running public consultations, Cabinet Office minister Nick Thomas-Symonds said as he set out plans to unclog the system.

He is working with Cabinet Secretary Dame Antonia Romeo, who was appointed by Sir Keir Starmer last month with a mandate to drive Government reform, and Attorney General Lord Richard Hermer, dubbed the Government’s “sludge-buster-in-chief” tasked with changing the law to accelerate delivery.

Proposals announced on Thursday include a higher bar for the inclusion of reporting and consultation requirements in legislation.

A recent review found 131 instances of a legal duty to consult in just 10 pieces of legislation, the Cabinet Office said, as it bemoaned the rising use of consultations for routine changes.

Artificial intelligence will be used to root out “disproportionate” reporting and consultation duties under the plans, according to the department.

Ministers want to ensure equalities impact assessments are used proportionately, while environmental impact assessments will be replaced by a new system of environmental outcomes reports to cut bureaucracy around new infrastructure projects.

They are also seeking to streamline the process for collective Cabinet agreement of government policy, which involves “onerous” inter-departmental letter exchanges, according to officials.

Dame Antonia, whose “determination to get things done” has been praised by the Prime Minister, is implementing a new accountability framework for top civil servants to set clear expectations and measurable targets.

Mr Thomas-Symonds said: “For too long, the levers of power in Whitehall have been trapped under layers of outdated regulations and overlapping consultations that prioritise process over progress.

“We are stripping away these layers to empower brilliant public servants to deliver change for working people, replacing an outsourcing of responsibility with accountability and decisive action.”

Lord Hermer said: “There are too many examples where well-intentioned processes are slowing down decision-making at the heart of government. This delays real change and fails the public we serve.

“We are getting on with rewiring the government and this review will speed up decision-making across Whitehall to help deliver a more agile, modern state.”

Officials said complex or wide-ranging policy would still be developed in consultation with the public, but argued the process is increasingly being used for routine decisions such as how a department produces its annual report.

The proposals are part of a wider Civil Service reform programme launched by Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister Darren Jones in January.

Published: 26/03/2026 by Radio NewsHub