Committee publication · Correspondence · 14 April 2026
Letter from Rt Hon Nick Thomas-Symonds MP, Minister for the Cabinet Office and His Majesty’s Paymaster General on Sludgebusting: Simplifying Government Processes to Drive Delivery, dated 26.3.26
From: Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee
Summary
Minister for the Cabinet Office Nick Thomas-Symonds outlines a government-wide 'sludgebusting' initiative to strip back bureaucratic processes and accelerate decision-making. The programme launches 26 March 2026, with immediate priorities including raising the bar for new reporting requirements, using AI to identify disproportionate duties, reforming Equalities Impact Assessments, replacing Environmental Impact Assessments with Outcomes Reports, and simplifying government controls from the 2026-27 financial year.
Key findings
- Government will introduce a higher bar to prevent unnecessary reporting and consultation requirements being added to legislation
- AI will be deployed to identify and eliminate existing disproportionate reporting and consultation duties slowing delivery
- Equalities Impact Assessments will be reformed to ensure proportionality and improved policy outcomes
- Environmental Impact Assessments will be replaced with Environmental Outcomes Reports to reduce infrastructure project bureaucracy
- Revised government controls framework goes live from 2026-27 financial year; all departments must submit ALB reform plans ahead of next Spending Review
Tone
ProceduralTopics
Key actors
Nick Thomas-Symonds, Simon Hoare, Attorney General, Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister, Dame Antonia Romeo, Permanent Secretaries
Notable line
“… strip back the burdensome, disproportionate processes to speed up decision making and delivery across government.”
Key Quotes
“… strip back the burdensome, disproportionate processes to speed up decision making and delivery across government”
“This is a 'direction of travel' announcement, signalling our collective intent and commitment to tackling bureaucratic complexity and reducing and removing barriers to delivering for the public.”
“Instigating this work is essential to reach the desired pace for radical reform across government. It directly supports the Prime Minister's ambition to 're-wire the state' to make it work for working people.”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗