Ministers have set out measures to reset how consultations and impact assessments are used across Whitehall, with the stated aim of faster, clearer decisions. Announced on 26 March 2026, the package raises the bar for adding consultation and reporting duties to new Bills, deploys AI to find disproportionate existing duties, seeks proportionate Equality Impact Assessments, and commits to shifting Environmental Impact Assessments to Environmental Outcomes Reports. The changes will be implemented in partnership with the new Cabinet Secretary, Dame Antonia Romeo. (gov.uk)
As part of the same programme, ministers will reform the process for collective Cabinet agreement and streamline inter‑departmental letter exchanges that lengthen clearance cycles. A new accountability framework for Permanent Secretaries will focus departmental leadership on the Prime Minister’s priorities and is intended to prevent unnecessary duties and impact assessments being reintroduced. (gov.uk)
Today’s announcement sits within a wider civil service reform agenda outlined by the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister, Darren Jones, on 21 January 2026. That speech trailed a cross‑government framework, to be rolled out from April 2026, that reduces duplicative approvals, expands No10 Innovation Fellows, and ties senior performance management more tightly to delivery. (gov.uk)
The commitment to replace EIAs with Environmental Outcomes Reports is enabled by Part 6 of the Levelling‑up and Regeneration Act 2023, which provides powers for ministers to introduce an outcomes‑based assessment regime by secondary legislation. DLUHC’s government response and roadmap, published on 13 March 2026, confirm implementation work is under way and recognise stakeholder concerns about scope and transition. (legislation.gov.uk)
On equality assessments, the statutory Public Sector Equality Duty in section 149 of the Equality Act 2010 remains unchanged; what is changing is the expectation that documentation is proportionate and demonstrably improves policy. Government guidance already emphasises recording analysis to evidence ‘due regard’ rather than producing lengthy templates by default. (gov.uk)
A Cabinet Office pilot has identified 131 consultation requirements in just 10 pieces of legislation; the review will now extend across government with support from No10 Innovation Fellows to ensure reforms are evidence‑led. The intention is to remove duties that slow delivery without adding value while retaining consultation where it is materially informative. (gov.uk)
For policy and legislative teams, the operational effect is a higher threshold for inserting new consultation or reporting clauses into Bills and statutory instruments. Departments should expect ministerial challenge to evidence necessity, define sharply scoped consultations where they are justified, and publish clearer timetables to avoid open‑ended processes.
For planners and major project sponsors, the EOR transition will change how environmental information is structured and tested. While detailed regulations and guidance are pending, the March 2026 roadmap signals a focus on measurable outcomes and implies transitional arrangements; promoters should map schemes likely to straddle commencement and prepare to evidence contributions to specified outcomes from the outset. (gov.uk)
Equality leads should read “proportionate” as a call to right‑size analysis, not to bypass it. Judicial review risk remains where due regard is not properly evidenced; a concise audit trail of options considered, data used and mitigations adopted continues to be the safest course. (gov.uk)
Arm’s‑length bodies and regulators should anticipate potential consolidation of legacy reporting and consultation requirements following the AI‑supported review. Teams can prepare by inventorying duty‑driven outputs, setting out their statutory bases and user value, and identifying low‑value returns suitable for retirement or merger.
Changes to the Cabinet clearance process should reduce the elapsed time between policy agreement and announcement. Earlier cross‑departmental engagement may be required to surface dependencies, with fewer sequential letter exchanges at the end of the process. (gov.uk)
Delivery will be overseen from the centre. Dame Antonia Romeo is establishing a clearer accountability framework with Permanent Secretaries, while the April 2026 reform framework begins to replace checks with delivery‑focused controls; together, these measures are designed to embed the shift in working practices beyond the current Parliament. (gov.uk)