August has offered the clearest picture yet of what Burnhamism in government looks like: highly visible interventions on the cost of travel, stronger regional leadership and an impatience with processes seen to be holding back growth.
Buses remain at the centre. After July’s announcement of a £2 national fare cap from January, August brought all-day concessionary travel for disabled passengers from next April, following free travel for children over the summer. These are simple, popular measures with obvious appeal. They also translate the Greater Manchester playbook into national politics by using transport to make government tangible in people’s daily lives.
The new National Planning Policy Framework is more consequential for the sector. Its vision-led approach, presumption in favour of housing near well-connected stations and dedicated freight and logistics policy place transport much closer to the heart of the growth agenda. Combined with plans for metro mayors to call in major planning applications, the direction is clear – fewer local veto points, more power concentrated at city-regional level and an expectation that transport and development move together.
That creates an interesting tension. The Government presents this as devolution, but councils will operate within stronger national rules and under more powerful mayors. The central question is whether authorities inherit the funding, capacity and infrastructure required to make their new responsibilities work.
Summer is forgiving. Quieter roads, lighter commuter demand and eye-catching fare offers make for attractive headlines. Autumn will be harder. Schools and workplaces return, poor weather tests infrastructure and pressure on public finances intensifies. Cheap fares only matter if services are frequent and reliable; station-led housing still requires infrastructure and viable schemes; and rail reform will ultimately be judged by performance, not ownership or branding.
The months ahead will reveal whether Burnhamism can deliver at national scale.
Below we take a look in more detail at what’s been happening in our core policy areas of transport, decarbonisation and Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. Follow us on LinkedIn or sign up to our mailing list to keep up to date with our analysis of key industry topics.
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Transport planning and development
New planning framework places transport at the heart of development
The Government has published its revised National Planning Policy Framework, introducing some of the most significant changes to transport planning in recent years.
The new framework formalises a vision-led approach, under which transport outcomes should help shape developments from their earliest stages rather than responding to predicted demand once proposals are largely fixed. It also introduces stronger support for housing around well-connected rail, tram and Underground stations, including minimum density expectations within reasonable walking distance.
The changes strengthen the link between transport, housing and economic growth. However, delivering successful station-led development will depend on infrastructure capacity, viable schemes and genuine integration between planning authorities, transport bodies and developers.
Mayors to receive new planning powers
The Government has also announced proposals to allow mayors across England to call in and determine significant planning applications in their areas.
The powers would apply to schemes involving more than 150 homes, over 15,000 square metres of commercial development or buildings taller than 30 metres. Mayors would also be able to grant permission in principle for some developments, allowing construction to begin without a conventional application.
The proposals are a significant extension of the Burnham Government’s devolution agenda, bringing mayoral authorities closer to the powers already available in London. They will also prompt debate about the appropriate balance between strategic regional leadership, local democratic accountability and the need to accelerate development.
Public transport
Buses
All-day concessionary travel announced for disabled passengers
From April 2027, eligible disabled bus-pass holders in England will be able to travel for free at any time of day, removing the existing weekday restriction before 9.30am.
The change is backed by £60 million of funding and is intended to improve access to employment, education, training and essential services. It follows the earlier removal of time restrictions in Greater Manchester and provides another example of the Burnham Government translating policies developed at city-region level into national measures.
The announcement has been widely welcomed, although local authorities and operators will now need to prepare for its implementation and ensure the additional demand can be accommodated.
Extreme heat places bus working conditions under scrutiny
Around 1,500 Arriva bus drivers in London resumed strike action this month amid concerns about high temperatures in vehicle cabs and the timetable for improving air-conditioning systems.
The dispute affected services across north London and parts of Essex, with further action threatened during September and October. Arriva has said it is investing in improvements and working with Transport for London through an extreme-weather taskforce.
The dispute highlights how climate resilience is becoming a workforce and operational issue as well as an infrastructure challenge. Protecting staff from increasingly frequent extreme temperatures will be essential to maintaining safe and reliable services.
Rail
New rules open train-driving careers to 18-year-olds
Young people can now apply to become train drivers from the age of 18 following a change to the law which came into force this summer.
Previously, applicants had to be at least 20. The Government hopes the change will help address workforce shortages while opening skilled and well-paid rail careers to school and college leavers.
Fewer than 4% of current train drivers are under 30, fewer than 12% are women and a quarter of the workforce is expected to reach retirement age by 2030. The reform therefore presents an opportunity to address future skills needs while improving the diversity of the profession.
Extreme weather raises questions about rail resilience
The resilience of Britain’s railway has come under renewed scrutiny following significant disruption during August’s heatwaves, including two derailments within 24 hours.
High temperatures can affect tracks, overhead lines, signalling equipment and the ground beneath railway infrastructure. The prospect of a warmer and wetter autumn has increased calls for both immediate maintenance and longer-term adaptation.
Network Rail is investing in track, drainage, earthworks and monitoring technology, but the events of this summer demonstrate the scale of the challenge. As extreme weather becomes more frequent, resilience will need to be embedded within investment, maintenance and workforce planning across the railway.
CrossCountry disruption exposes operational fragility
CrossCountry cancelled almost all its services across Britain following a power failure at its Birmingham control centre over the August bank holiday weekend.
Other operators accepted CrossCountry tickets and added services where possible, but passengers experienced disruption across routes linking major towns and cities throughout the country.
The incident demonstrates the importance of resilience away from the tracks themselves. Control centres, power supplies and digital systems are critical national infrastructure, and failures at a single location can have consequences across an extensive network.